Finally Watched "Red Dawn"

So with all the references and seemingly talk about this 1984 film, I decided to pick it up since I saw a new copy for $6. With the seemingly huge impact it had (The U.S. Military called the capture of Saddam "Operation Red Dawn"), and the idea of the U.S. being invaded by a foreign nation... I thought it was an awesome concept.

The movie... the movie left a lot to be desired.

Admittedly, on my part, it most likely because I had fairly high expectations.

The film uses an overall "less-is-more" technique in a few areas. The setting of the film is Kansas and the movie seems more like a bunch of guys going into the woods to make a film, using a few abandoned blocks in a small town to create the idea of a Soviet state, and a ton of explosions lying around. I was having a hard time imagining an actual Soviet Invasion since the full extent of what I saw was a small detention camp, 4 blocks of a town, and a bunch of tanks.

Then again, I'm being fairly picky. The film is less about the invasion and the conflicts and story surrounding it and more about what American's, normal everyday Americans would do in a situation where they were the rebelling army against their imposers for the first time in over 100 years. Granted, 2 of them have survival and hunting tactics, but it still works well. The idea of seeing a group of 10 -12 teenagers rebel against a massive army, losing more and more people along the way, their families, their homes... it's fairly deep stuff.

The problem, though, is that in the end it was less about telling an interesting story that revolved around developing these characters and more about the actual violence. It's worth noting that this film was made in 1984 when the MPAA finally came out with the PG-13 film rating. Because of this, the film may have been in a sort of limbo where either film maker of the studio wanted to get either a PG or R rating. So we get a film that was considered one of the bloodiest at it's time while trying to mix a sense of realism in the characters and how they would function.

But to say there was none to little character development would be wrong. There is some, but not much. One example is when the troop picks up two girls who were put into hiding. Their transformation into members of the group is never actually explained, and their history and path is shrouded in too much secrecy for you to connect with. One of the main characters goes from being scared, to drinking deers blood, to being one of the strongest of the group. His transformation isn't fully explored, but the information we get works and make sense. With so much going on, I can understand the need to cut out certain parts.

There is, though, a lot of the film that works well. The initial 25 minutes of the film, where we see the Soviets paratroopers land and invade Kansas, the getaway by the band of high schoolers, and heading to the shop for ammunition and food while all they know and love is being destroyed... eventually arriving in the woods and creating their new order. It was nothing short of great to watch it and the fact that the rest of the film only had small highlights harmed it in my eyes.

Some other choice parts? The emotional exchange between the father and two brothers at the detention camp, watching them come back to the occupied town, and the meeting of the Soviet leader to his men when he declares the Wolverines are to be hunted were great scenes. They took on the idea, the concept, and the emotion's that one would expect during World War III.
If anything, the overt patriotism was lost on me. I found it cheaply used in the film because, as I've stated before, the film barely gave you an idea of the full scope of what was going on. The interaction between other freedom fighters was minimum, same with those who were captured. Admittedly, again, I have to take into account that this film was released in 1984 when American was in the middle of another "Red Scare" and this film would have been, in a sense, a call to arms or a somber reminder that freedom isn't free.

I'm going to give this film a 3 out of 5 skulls. In the end, the film doesn't entirely disappoint. The ending left a bit to be desired because I didn't feel the film build up to it, but the your left with a feeling of wonder and intrigue about both the plot and what you would do if you were put into a similar situation. Would you be able to hunt and kill your own food? Would you be able to take another life if it meant surviving? The film is worth the price of admission, but don't put your hopes to high.