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Half-Good: Red Dawn

Half Rambo, half 80's melodrama, and in Rorie's opinion, half-good.

Video posted by JoeyF on June 2, 2011

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Dig Deeper into Red Dawn

An American town has been occupied by foreign invaders, named the People's Liberation Army. A small group of High School students escape into the mountains, and plan for their counter attack.

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55 Comments
Rorie staff on June 2, 2011 at 1:19 p.m.

I guess my main issue with this film is that the emotional connections we're supposed to feel with these characters just don't take for me. I think everyone has drama films that they find laughable, and this is definitely one of those for me. Better actors and better dialogue probably would've helped.

PLWolfon June 2, 2011 at 1:36 p.m.
I don't know, I thought it was all good at the time. I'd probably tag it as half good now, but I really enjoyed the movie. And C Thomas Howell turning into an unfeeling murderous douche was awesome.
Seraphim84on June 2, 2011 at 1:40 p.m.
Pre-Glasnostian fantasy? I need to take out my monocle and watch this again so I can understand it.
MrMazz is online on June 2, 2011 at 2:02 p.m.
sweet out takes. Man I remember playing Red Dawn when it was called MW2 
TepidSharkon June 2, 2011 at 2:09 p.m.
Australians have a young adult series (that got turned into a movie while I was there) called Tomorrow, When the War Began. When tried to explain to them how it was a giant rip-off of Red Dawn they had no idea what I was talking about.
bybeachon June 2, 2011 at 2:32 p.m.

I've avoided the fuck out of this movie. And I always will. If the Us is invaded by another power in a true military sense, that I would take seriously because..., but not as fantasy for a jack off session. Right now we are dealing with what to do with impoverished ppl. pouring over the border, and yes the wolves among them, not some assholes with the terminity to set foot in the US with their weapons and autocratic gov't, or least more autocratic gov't than we have allowed here. 
 
Very good video, btw Rorie. Pretty articulate.
dvorakon June 2, 2011 at 2:38 p.m.
@Rorie: Pretty much the only thing I can get out of this movie is that it's a kind of bad film about high-schoolers killing russians. I can't process that it was developed with more than just a basic plan like that.
ethan staff on June 2, 2011 at 2:42 p.m.

I was in the 4th grade when this movie came out. Living as a country boy on the east coast I clearly remember going through air raid drills in elementary school where we'd have to get under the table. I doubt they do this now, but yes, in the 80s we were super freaked out by the cold war. This movie was super popular among us kids back then.

HandsomeDeadon June 2, 2011 at 2:49 p.m.
I love this film so much. The first time I saw it, the subtitles on the DVD didn't play whenever it cut to the invaders so it always seemed far more menacing. The end is also one of my favourite ridiculous jump cuts. Heartfelt monologue about the friends lost in the war then almost the second that it's done, it goes right to action music on the credits.
Juanmoweron June 2, 2011 at 2:54 p.m.
Homefront should primarily be in the game list, since it was actually written by John Millus.
crimsonthunder1on June 2, 2011 at 3:04 p.m.

they should totally make a remake of this movie directed by Speilberg
JayCeeon June 2, 2011 at 3:19 p.m.
ok, I'm going to admit. I've never seen this movie.
Flap_jacksonon June 2, 2011 at 3:29 p.m.
I completely agreed with you in my review:
http://www.screened.com/red-dawn/16-173032/user-reviews/?review_id=1223
i8Donutson June 2, 2011 at 3:43 p.m.
Good video Rorie, but it did not feel like a Half-Good video. It did not have the “this is what is good” and “this is what is bad” like the other Half-Good videos. The lack of the half-happy and half-sad faces made me somewhat sad. It felt like you were more focused on how the movie did not age well. Maybe you should start a new feature called Look Back or Is it Still Watchable. You can take movies that are ten years old or older and see if a movie still holds up. That is just my thought. Keep the awesome videos coming dudes.
Lydian_Selon June 2, 2011 at 3:45 p.m.
Oh, America.
CashBaileyon June 2, 2011 at 3:46 p.m.
A far more violent, sleazy and fun variation on this theme is the Chuck Norris masterpiece INVASION USA.
 
That movie's a blast.
Bunnymanon June 2, 2011 at 3:57 p.m.
I saw Red Dawn a couple of years ago for the first time. I found it interesting to see american teenagers becoming insurgents, much like teens in some other countries are actually doing today. I saw it mainly as a film with the message that people in the US would react to an invasion in the same way people of other nations do. I understand that's not really what the producers had in mind. 
Rajuon June 2, 2011 at 4:07 p.m.
@i8Donuts said:
Good video Rorie, but it did not feel like a Half-Good video. It did not have the “this is what is good” and “this is what is bad” like the other Half-Good videos. The lack of the half-happy and half-sad faces made me somewhat sad.
 
I felt the same way. Kept waiting for elevator music with the happy/sad faces and "Half Good" to be on the screen. 
 
Great review though, will probably get round to watching this at some point but it never sounded all that great to me.
blaakmawfon June 2, 2011 at 4:10 p.m.
I like this movie as it is. It's got just the right amount of camp. Love the outtakes, by the way.
JoeyF staff on June 2, 2011 at 4:17 p.m.

@Raju: Sorry about that! Yeah, it's been a crazy couple weeks, we didn't realize till it was too late that we shot this out of format.

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