Red Dawn Forum

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I just finished reviewing a game called Homefront, a game written by Red Dawn creator John Milius. In it, America of 2027 is invaded by a newly strengthened army of Korea, which has reunified and taken control of Japan and several other nearby nations. Originally, the developers of that game had intended the villains to be the Chinese, but after researching the economic ties America has with China--specifically, the amount of US debt owned by China--the plausibility of them as perpetrators of a violent takeover just didn't seem particularly sound, nor appropriately terrifying. So after extensive rewrites and adjustments, the fictional bad guys were changed to North Korea, and a whole massive back story was written to support their rise to power.
 
All that hard work seems unnecessary when you consider what MGM is doing with its upcoming Red Dawn remake. According to the L.A. Times, the studio is a little freaked out about the idea of angering the Chinese with their updated-for-modern-times remake, specifically because of all the money distributors make releasing films in China. So, with the help of $1 million's worth of digital trickery, all the Chinese symbols and flags will be replaced by North Korean ones. No word on whether or not they'll be overdubbing the previously Chinese dialogue with Korean, or if MGM just assumes that anyone who would go see a remake of Red Dawn is just some permutation of the Asians in the Library girl.
 
None of this comes at the behest of the Chinese government, but rather purely out of fear of some kind of future behest that could come from the Chinese government down the road. No word on Kim Jong-Il's opinion on the matter, but you can expect that he'll probably still watch the movie in his massive private screening room while sipping expensive brandy and sitting on a chair made from the bones of the failed 2010 North Korean World Cup team.

" watch the movie in his massive private screening room while sipping expensive brandy and sitting on a chair made from the bones of the failed 2010 North Korean World Cup team." 
 
thanks for making my day.

Wow, now the comparison that Homefront is just a retelling of Red Dawn are even more apt. Hell, Homefront was written by the original writer of Red Dawn. I can't imagine that this will have any positive impact on the quality of the film. That much digital overwriting and dubbing is just going to be horribly distracting. I also imagine it will make the story nearly non-sensical.

What's more insulting, making the Chinese the bad guys in a FICTIONAL movie, or making the Chinese the bad guys in your fictional movie, only to stumble all over yourself trying to make the Chinese into North Koreans at the 11th hour?
 
The lack of spine, over abundance of misplaced guilt, and our ability to fall all over ourselves trying to clean up a mess that isn't there, makes me think the United States is becoming the meme of Planet Earth. Where's my looping YouTube clip of Uncle Sam taking a nut shot while 'Yakkity Sax' is playing in the background?

sooo an army of 5' N'Koreans invade us and we're supposed to feel threatened. they wouldnt get CLOSE to US before we bitched slapped their hungry asses

The only thought that ran through my head while reading this article was "Welcome to second place, America."  Times, they are a changin'.

This is incredibly crazy. I'd have to assume it would cost a lot more than 1 million dollars to change all the references, at least convincingly. I bet it's going to be super noticeable. 

Hopefully the movie is better than Homefront. Eff.

If the new Captain America movie is any sign, and Nazis are no longer "okay" to paint as the bad guys, I guess North Korea is the last safe enemy for film heroes to kill without hesitation.  

"No word on whether or not they'll be overdubbing the previously Chinese dialogue with Korean..."    

Ha-ha, yeah that would be the kicker if they just let it all slide.  I'm sure the North Koreans just came to do their laundry, buy their food and cook some meals.  

They should have just gone balls out and made the villains time traveling Nazis, far more likely to invade America than North Korea. 

eh why not with Homefront coming out its not to bad. 

@TwoOneFive:  Well, North Korea does have an amazingly huge standing army, estimated to be around the fourth in the world, maybe the second if you consider their reserves (basically every able-bodied citizen in the country). Of course, getting them over here without anyone noticing would be a bit tricky.

@Rorie said:

" @TwoOneFive:  Well, North Korea does have an amazingly huge standing army, estimated to be around the fourth in the world, maybe the second if you consider their reserves (basically every able-bodied citizen in the country). Of course, getting them over here without anyone noticing would be a bit tricky. "

It couldn't be any more or less plausible than Russians magically parachuting into an American midwestern town and gunning down a high school teacher as their first act of agression.

@Hailinel: 
At least Russia had, you know, A NAVY.  North Korea has about as much a chance of invading the US as a bird has getting into space.

The idea that China wouldn't completely destroy North Korea if they try to expand is laughable. 
 
As to the lack of Nazis, that has more to do with the fact that getting approval for Nazi imagery in movies is really hard to do in Germany and other places in Europe.  So many movies just drop them.  Check the guards at the concentration camp at the beginning of X-Men, they aren't wearing any Nazi badges.

Oh god this will end badly. They have to redub every time someone says China or Chinese which will probably be a lot given they have to explain who the bad guys are. This might just be hilarious when it comes out why don't they just open the film with a Homefront trailer. I really can't get over how stupid this is I mean holy shit no one thought of this when they were making the film and now they decide to change it.

This is the dumbest shit I've seen today. An army of raggedy, malnourished soldiers with armed with decrepit Soviet-era weaponry is supposed to march right in and start taking over? It was retarded when they did it in Homefront and it's especially ridiculous here.

@nk19 said:

" " watch the movie in his massive private screening room while sipping expensive brandy and sitting on a chair made from the bones of the failed 2010 North Korean World Cup team."  thanks for making my day. "

That is exactly what I thought when North Korea was taken out of the World Cup. "I bet they're gonna be executed and turned into furniture or something"

Why not just change it to Homefront the movie.

TOPICAL. 
 
I predict Kim Jong Il will be in it. He will wear a tracksuit and will be killed by one of the kids in the climatic final moments, a la Modern Warfare 2 Soap knife kill.  
 
Edit: I prematurely posted and didn't realize they just edited the movie. Ha! Look forward to the walkie talkie version coming soon.