‘Red Dawn’ reboot a failure

On behalf of the producers of this fall’s “Red Dawn,” I would like to apologize to Kurt Russell, Charlie Sheen and the entire cast of the premiere 1984 action/adventure classic. This reboot of what was an originally controversial picture has no upgrades when compared to the 1980’s version, and much of film’s downfall lands on the shoulders of the movie’s director Dan Bradley and writer Carl Ellsworth. Together these two men create a movie filled with nothing but nauseating clichés and gimmicks.

The main plot of the story is simple enough; North Koreans decide to invade the United States, and a group of young rebels soon unite to fight against the occupying enemy. This uncomplicated storyline has all the makings of a good mind-numbing action film, but leave it to a needy director and writer to try and add unneeded depth and confusion.

Chris Hemsworth, star of “The Marvel’s Avengers” and “Thor,” plays Jed Eckert, a young marine who has just returned from active duty. His brother, played by the former child star (and the now untalented) Josh Peck, has harbored animosity against his sibling due to personal reasons regarding the death of a family member. While this family feud may have seemed like a clever back story in pre-production, it ended up playing out as nothing but just a repeatedly boring saga of whining and anticipated forgiveness. This poor subplot was just one of many unwanted and unnecessary story additions.

Other young actresses and actors such as Adrianne Palicki, Connor Cruise and Josh Hutcherson try to add spark to the film, but not even massive explosions and loud gunshots can silence the criticism the film has received. This 2012 version of “Red Dawn” contains nothing of merit or recognition; instead it just acts as a reminder that rebooting a classic film is almost never a good idea.