“Obviously, we don’t stand a chance against these guys in a straight-up fight. But if you look at the Viet Cong or the Mujahideen, or even the Minutemen, it’s clear. Even the tiniest flea can drive a big dog crazy.”

“We inherited our freedom. Now it’s up to all of us to fight for it.”

It seems like any other Friday in Spokane, Washington. The town has gathered for The Wolverines’ big game, hoping that quarterback Matt Eckert (Josh Peck) can lead the team to the playoffs. Matt’s marine brother, Jed (Chris Hemsworth), is home for a couple weeks before heading back to Iraq. After the game, a blackout rolls across town, but no one seems concerned.

The next morning the Eckerts wake up to find the sky filled with planes dropping paratroopers into their suburban neighborhood—the North Koreans are attacking! Tom Eckert (Brett Cullen), the boys’ father and town policeman, heads into the fray but tells his sons to flee to the family cabin in the woods. They drive out of town as quickly as possible, picking up some other teens along the way, including Robert Kitner (Josh Hutcherson) and Toni Walsh (Adrianne Palicki). However, their escape catches the eye of Captain Cho (Will Yun Lee), who sets his sights on finding and capturing the teens.

Now, with no other help on the way, it is up to Jed to turn this small ragtag group of kids into a army. While Jed trains them in fighting and first aid, they study the Koreans’ movements, learning their routines. The “Wolverines” must utilize guerilla warfare tactics to try to take back their town and rescue their loved ones.

While this remake has a lot of cool action, overall it just didn’t work for me, and I think it starts with the implausible plot. It has been decades since I’ve seen the original 1984 Red Dawn film, so I can’t really comment on how closely this remake follows that storyline. However, I can say that I recall finding the original plot a lot more believable—perhaps because at the time, it was the heart of the Cold War and the idea that the Russians would attack the US actually seemed like a possibility. The opening sequence of this remake states that the US is so busy fighting elsewhere that it has no troops around to guard its own borders. However, I find it hard to believe that in all the time the teens spent training and preparing that the US would not have deployed troops to stop this threat.

I also found the story to be very inconsistent and full of plot holes. While some people were rounded up and put in detention camps (including Erica (Isabel Lucas), Matt Eckert’s girlfriend), others were just living in town like nothing happened. There was one scene where some of the teens go into a Subway and it is filled with patrons eating like its business as usual. Why are these people not in the camps? If this occupation has been going on for weeks, who is supplying Subway with all of their food? And why wouldn’t the Koreans have shut down this piece of American culture? The motivation of the North Koreans is never really made clear.

The visual look of the film is also a bit distracting—the camera movements are very jerky and some of the action is so fast that at times it’s difficult to tell what’s happening. Several times I double-checked my PS3 to be sure I hadn’t accidentally switched it to 1.5x playback mode.

The fact that this film was originally shot and completed in 2009 and sat on the shelf for three years is telling. I wonder if it even would have got a theatrical release if not for the recent box office blockbusters starring Helmsworth (Thor, The Avengers) and Hutcherson (The Hunger Games).

While I did enjoy the action and the humor, and there were a couple moments that surprised me, with its talented young cast, I had much higher hopes for this film. I remember enjoying the original film as a kid, but this remake ended up being just a mediocre action film set on a foundation of a very weak, implausible plot.

What’s Included:

Film (1:33:21)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD MA
• English SDH, Spanish, French subtitles

DVD:

• 480p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• Audio: English DD 5.1
• English SDH, Spanish, French subtitles

Digital Copy (Redemption Deadline 03/05/15):

• iTunes Digital Copy
• Ultraviolet Digital Copy (Vudu or Flixster)

Extras:

• Nothing, not even the trailer!
• UV/Digital Copy code sheet contains a coupon for $8.00 off Red Dawn (2012) or The Marine 3: Homefront on Blu-ray (expires June 5, 2013)

Final Thoughts:

The picture on this blu-ray looked really good—when the cameras stopped shaking around. The dialog was clear and the audio captured all of the excitement of the battle scenes.

I find it inexcusable to not include any extras whatsoever on this blu-ray—not even the trailer! This is a new film—there should have at least been some sort of audio commentary or featurette talking about remaking the original film for a new generation.

Overall I had higher hopes for this film given its talented cast, but the film was mediocre at best and I don’t see myself re-watching it over and over. I think I would probably check out the 80’s Red Dawn or the similarly-themed 90’s Toy Solders before I watch this again. I would suggest renting this film before making a purchase.