Red DawnMovie Reviews

Review This Movie

Go Based on 11,156 reviews
Breakdown:

Sort by: Helpfulness
Review Date

No
Written November 23, 2012
another jiggle-fest

by examatrix

Oh fer Gawd sake. Somebody buy the director of photography a steady cam already. I don't understand why these guys think they are building excitement by rocking and rolling the camera all over. This is a movie. We are the viewers,happily outside looking in. We are not impressed by having the actors wear a camera on their heads like animal planet. Distracting to the point of being unable to avoid an epileptic seizure and worse,you can't see what's going on. Lazy filmaking. And yes, I saw the original and it had more heart. Several key elements of the story were removed in this remake, and it really dumbed the thing down in order to avoid stepping on anyones toes. Seriously, rent the Patrick Swayze version, it's easier to look at and the story is all there. And one more thing: apparently the go straight to the top and learn on the job thing is still in vogue.Since Obama ratified the concept, other amateurs have been hopping into the cat bird seat with impunity. Connor Cruise? Go home.
- 19 out of 27 found this review helpful.
- Was this helpful to you?
- Yes
- No
So-so
Written November 23, 2012
Red Dawn

by wjmcbeth61

It was so-so, the premise was kind of far fetched. Why would they attack Seattle?

The acting was okay but the characters never seemed to fully embrace their roles

Any age would be fine
- 14 out of 18 found this review helpful.
- Was this helpful to you?
- Yes
- No
Must Go!
Written November 22, 2012
Action

by ODBPete

I am a huge fan of the original so I was very skeptical about this new version, in my mind I knew there were going to screw it up..
After seeing it last night I have to say honestly,, it was better than the original ! ..
It's so full of sitting on the edge of your seat action , a few one liners, and a few wow moments
If you liked the first one you will love this one.. don't miss it
- 12 out of 16 found this review helpful.
- Was this helpful to you?
- Yes
- No
Go
Written November 21, 2012
WOLVERINES!

by Movie_Buff_86

Now let me say, this is not the original but it still was good. If you want to see a movie with lots of actions, and things getting blown up, then this is the move you want to check out. I enjoyed the flick, and i can't wait to see what is in store down the road. Instead of the Russians attacking us, we have the North Koreans who are trying to take over our country. A band of kids will do everything in their power to stop this from happening. Are you a leader or a follower?? Join the Wolverines on this journey and see where it leads them. Great movie for action junkies, and not for the faint of heart. Too much going on for children. Go check it out.
- 12 out of 16 found this review helpful.
- Was this helpful to you?
- Yes
- No
Go
Written November 25, 2012
Well done, but it ended too soon!

by

As far as remakes go, not too great. They changed a lot of story elements from the original. HOWEVER, they did very good adapting the America Invaded scenario to modern times and showed us a completely plausible way it could happen. I loved how they showed the strategy and thinking behind the action scenes. The acting was good, but nothing special. Josh Peck, Chris Hemsworth, and Josh Hutcherson held their own just fine. They're great actors but I feel they were extremely limited with the editing and direction of this film. Honestly I felt the entire film was limited by pushing it to a pg13 audience. Way too mature of matters to simply dumb down for a targeted audience. This felt more like the game Homefront than Red Dawn. But at the end of the day, it was good for it was. Though it did leave me wanting more (the ending came way to quick for my taste. It should have been longer and easily could have been.) But hey, the action is solid and the movie will keep your attention. It's good.
- 12 out of 16 found this review helpful.
- Was this helpful to you?
- Yes
- No
Must Go!
Written November 24, 2012
Awesome!

by dear7allycatangel

This movie has to be my all time favorite movie ever! The excitement was great and even though it's kinda sad it's funny at the same time
- 12 out of 17 found this review helpful.
- Was this helpful to you?
- Yes
- No
Must Go!
Written December 3, 2012
Best Movie I've seen this year

by giantsfan

This was a great movie. Lot's of action, but a good plot and story line too. Very well made, good acting, and a believable story. ?The audience all clapped after the movie and several people yessed, "Go America!"

Highly recommend you see this movie. Ignore the overly sensitive critics. If you want to ben entertained and uplifted, this is the movie.
- 7 out of 7 found this review helpful.
- Was this helpful to you?
- Yes
- No
Must Go!
Written December 14, 2012
A Seized Opportunity

by SeeBetterfromaDistance

This movie is truly one of the best films this year. The acting is quite impressive for action movie about teens fighting for their country. I cried more than once, and chances are your heart will break too. There is an appropriate amount of comic relief thrown in, but it doesn't feel forced in any way. It works.

The shaky camera technique is used during many action scenes, adding a sense of chaos which fits perfectly to the film. Dialogue is well thought out, and wonderfully delivered, never feeling out of character or forced.

The verdict:
If you are an action movie fan, you'll absolutely love it. If you're not an action movie person, you will be completely satisfied. A wonderfully done film that will leave you wanting more.
- 7 out of 8 found this review helpful.
- Was this helpful to you?
- Yes
- No
So-so
Written November 29, 2012
Not as good as the original

by tom02825

Good movie with updated special effects, but nowhere near as good as the original. The ending left you hanging, kind of like it's being transitioned to a TV series. Not disappointed but not in a hurry to see it again. Have seen the original a dozen times.
- 6 out of 6 found this review helpful.
- Was this helpful to you?
- Yes
- No
Must Go!
Written November 27, 2012
Ignore the Leftwing Critics

by BrianBailey

Is this a great movie? No, not by a long shot but it's very enjoyable on its own terms. A good actionerr . The critics hate it based on their political agenda. There's even a scene where the occupiers are making a public appearance and saying the how the people should be grateful since they saved us from corrupt capitalists and Wall St. Exactly what we just finished hearing during the campaign just ended and OWS before that. Can't beat that class warfare and the politics of envy.
Would I have preferred the producers hadn't wussed out and renamed the enemy from the Red Chinese to N Korea? Sure. It might have been even more interesting (and plausible) to make the invaders UN troops but that would have meant a longer exposition and setup.
The flick may jolt some young products of our government schools but I though the movie was every bit as (im)plausible than movies like Lions for Lambs or Rendition. And a heck of a lot more action.
It might even recruit future Marines. S/F
- 9 out of 12 found this review helpful.
- Was this helpful to you?
- Yes
- No
So-so
Written November 24, 2012
rather have seen it on dvd

by parksiide

I read all the reviews before seeing it and they all compared it to the original, so I tried to watch it without comparing. It was still bad and it doesn't even compare. It was cheesy and they did all this work at the end which didn't even seem to fit with the rest of the movie. No acting, no emotion but somewhat entertaining.
- 6 out of 6 found this review helpful.
- Was this helpful to you?
- Yes
- No
So-so
Written November 24, 2012
Not Worthy of The Original's Title...Basically One Step Up From a TV Movie.

by Alon Patterson

Lots of potential in this cast but it was thoroughly wasted on a BAD screenplay adaptation of one of the best action scenarios of the 1980s. The testament to this truth is about as far away as Netflix or your local video source. The value of the original is not threatened or diminished by this remake, neither is the remake itself anachronistic, since this flavor?s been finely sliced and diced, politically corrected and delivered like pabulum for the "Scott Pilgrim" generation's violence diet. They should be righteously insulted by such condescension and pandering. Not much else to say here except next time they bring all this fine young talent together, how about giving them respect by providing them decent material? They're up to it and so is their audience. If you like the faces see this for a discount if you can. It's a stretch at ten bucks a seat.
- 11 out of 16 found this review helpful.
- Was this helpful to you?
- Yes
- No
Go
Written November 25, 2012
Was a surprise

by Hawke

We saw the original Red Dawn and thought this would be worth the time. I read a review before going which didn't give a lot of praise. Since we already paid for the tickets, we obviously went and were pleasantly surprised. Due to this being made in contemporary times the show was much more realistic. This is a GO.
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
- Was this helpful to you?
- Yes
- No
So-so
Written November 22, 2012
A So-So recommendation is generous

by NYPerson1

This movie is, at best, okay. Mildly entertaining. The characters have no personalities, and the actors are dull. The action mostly seems to take place on the same block, every single time. Loved the original Red Dawn; this is a bland imitation.

The war makes even less sense than the one in the original did--which is hard to do.
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
- Was this helpful to you?
- Yes
- No
So-so
Written November 26, 2012
Not What I Expected

by

This was kind of a silly movie. The plot was not really that developed or believable. The idea that the North Korean military could successfully invade & occupy most of the United States is ridiculous. I would really like to see the North Koreans try to invade a state like Texas lol The plot never explains how all these Korean military units got into the US - except saying that an EMP & nuclear missile launch disrupted the "entire" infrastructure. It came across as a "B" rated movie with so-so acting & "cheesy" lines. I suppose if you're not expecting a somewhat plausible plot, this movie wouldn't be too bad. I found myself laughing most of the time - which isn't necessarily a bad thing!
- 6 out of 7 found this review helpful.
- Was this helpful to you?
- Yes
- No