Red Dawn is an American action war film released in 2012. It is a remake of the 1984 film directed by John Milius. The film tells the tale of a group of young people who defend their hometown from a North Korean invasion. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was responsible for the remake which they announced in 2008.
The film was originally scheduled to be released on November 24, 2010. However, it wasn’t released due to the production company’s financial troubles. The cast for the invading army and antagonists were also changed from the initial Chinese to North Korean including Chinese symbols to North Korean in order to maintain access to China’s box office. In September 2011, FilmDistrict bought the U.S. distribution rights, and the film was released in the United States on November 21, 2012.
What Is Red Dawn All About?
Red Dawn begins with U.S. Marine Jed Eckert getting home on leave in his hometown Spokane, Washington. He meets his father the Police Sergeant of Spokane, Tom Eckert, and his brother, football player Matt Eckert. Matt’s football team, the Wolverines, suffers a defeat against another team. After the game, they all go to a bar but an unexpected blackout leads to them going home.
Jed and his brother are shocked the next morning when they wake up to see invading North Korean paratroopers dropping from the sky. Without warning, the citizens find themselves prisoners in their town. Police Sergeant Tom sends his sons to their cabin in the woods while he helps the townspeople. There they are joined by Matt’s friends Robert Kitner, Daryl Jenkins, Danny Jackson, Julie, and Greg Goodyear. Amongst themselves, tensions rise as the teens try to decide whether to surrender to the invaders or resist the North Korean soldiers.
The invaders are under the command of Captain Cho. He brings out Sergeant Eckert and Daryl Jenkins’ father, the mayor, to convince the group of teens to surrender. Despite the mayor’s efforts to persuade the boys to give up, Cho executes Sergeant Eckert after he refuses to cooperate. Determined to fight back, the group of teens begins training and reorganizing themselves into a guerilla group of fighters. They called themselves the Wolverines after their school mascot. They band together to protect one another, liberate their town from its captors, and take back their freedom.
Cast Of Red Dawn
The 2012 remake of the film featured some A-list actors. Australian actor Chris Hemsworth played the role of Jed Eckert, a Marine and the son of Spokane’s police Sergeant and Matt Eckert’s brother. He is also the founder of the Wolverines. Matt Eckert was portrayed by American actor and comedian Josh Peck. He is the younger brother of Jed and son of Tom Eckert and a member of the Wolverines.
Brett Cullen played the role of Tom Eckert. He is the father to Jed and Matt and serves as Spokane Police Sergeant. American actor and producer Josh Hutcherson played Robert Kitner Matt’s friend and member of the Wolverines. American actor and martial artist Will Yun Lee played the role of Captain Cho who was the main antagonist. He captained the North Korean army that invaded Spokane.
Themes Explored In The Movie
The action war film by Dan Bradley explores some deep themes. One of which is patriotism. This is portrayed by the sergeant who despite the fact that he was outnumbered by the enemy still took a stand against the North Korean soldiers and in the end went down for it. Another theme explored in Red Dawn is sacrifice. Not only did the sergeant prove his patriotism he also sacrificed himself for his country and to save the lives of his sons and their friends.
The Wolverines’ resilience is another theme explored in the movie. Against all odds and with some of their friends dying during the invasion the Wolverines were still able to stand together against the enemy. Jed’s thirst for revenge for the death of his father also fueled their determination to defeat the North Korean army and take back their hometown.
Comparison Of ‘Red Dawn 2012’ To The Original 1984 Film
There are some notable differences between the original movie released in 1984 and the remake of 2012. The original Red Dawn featured the Soviets as Nazi-like villains, executing civilians in cold blood assisted by Cuban and Nicaraguan forces. However, for the remake, the film conveniently shifts its villains to North Koreans. The duration of the movies also differed with the original lasting for 114 minutes, whereas the 2012 remake lasted for 93 minutes.
Both films featured two entirely different casts. The remake however had a more profound cast compared to the original. The original film was a huge commercial success, grossing $78 million against a budget of $17 million compared to the remake’s $50.9 million against its $65 million budget.
Reception And Reviews Of Red Dawn
Red Dawn received mostly negative reviews upon its release in 2012. It earned a 15% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 5.3/10 on IMDb. The late American film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said, “The story’s time frame is confusingly murky”. The film earned a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel. The film was also a commercial failure, grossing about $50 million against its $65 million budget.
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