I was 14 when it came out. Loved it back then for all the action, violence and its general "un-PC-ness". Today it's a gu
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Red Dawn
sascha-17 — 13 years ago(November 14, 2012 03:46 AM)
I was 14 when it came out. Loved it back then for all the action, violence and its general "un-PC-ness". Today it's a guilty pleasure and a reminder of simpler times when the world was still divided into two camps.
Let's not kid ourselves though: The premise is so far fetched as to border on fantasy/alternate reality (kinda like "Fatherland").
Casualties there were, but as to the rest.ever hear of the Vietnam conflict?
Err. while you could certainly compare this to Vietnam in that a bunch of primitively equipped peasants took on a technologically superior enemy and won, on the whole, this comparison doesn't hold up.- The Vietnamese people were very experienced at fighting the kind of war they fought against the US. They had been fighting against foreign powers for years and years before any US soldier ever set foot in the country. In Red Dawn, the kids go pretty much straight from highschool-students to insurgents to hardened guerillas. Jed and his brother being outdoors-men is all well and good, but being able to hunt deer doesn't make you a good guerilla. And an AF-pilot teaching them about small unit- and ambush-tactics? How would he be an expert on such things, when his job is to fly F-15s and shoot down enemy planes? Should've made the guy an infantry officer .. like a special ops guy caught behind enemy lines.
- Unlike Vietnam, there still must've been a huge and very modern army/navy/air force present fighting on the same side as the kids. The Vietcong didn't have that either.
S.
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jimelek — 13 years ago(November 20, 2012 02:15 PM)
Today it's a guilty pleasure and a reminder of simpler times when the world was still divided into two camps.
That's exactly how I feel. I really don't care how "realistic" the story is.
"Good night, and grease for peace." -
HippieDrillSealOfApproval — 13 years ago(December 03, 2012 03:36 AM)
It's entertaining in a so bad it's good/unintentional comedy kind of way but certainly not a good film in my opinion. It's way too melodramatic for me.
What are words for when no one listens anymore -
Astrid2266 — 13 years ago(January 27, 2013 01:10 PM)
I saw it for the first time as an adult. I found it to be an unusual concept that is put together in a compelling way. It's one of my favorite movies now and I feel that the writing and acting are done very well considering the surreal kind of scenario.
The US is safe not because of any evolution in humanity, but simply because neither of the United States' neighbours have ever been capable of an invasion on their own and because an invasion from overseas has simply not been possible sine before the middle of the nineteenth century. You'd need to scrap most of the US navy and a great deal of the Army and Air Force for it to be at all feasible. Nothing at all like that is being contemplated.
You have heard of 9/11 right?
Do ya love him Loretta?
Ah Ma I love im awful.
Oh God, you poor thing. -
bpjoyce10 — 13 years ago(January 27, 2013 03:29 PM)
9/11 was an isolated terrorist attack, not an invasion. i could go anywhere in the world and detonate a bomb in a high density area, it doesn't mean i could occupy the country and try to set up a new government
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Astrid2266 — 13 years ago(January 28, 2013 03:15 PM)
^^^Yeah, I don't see anything like a widespread invasion happening like that. If it did, it would have to occur under extreme circumstances. Something would have to happen here prior that would significantly weaken us before anyone would have the power to do that but that's not to say that we are totally invulnerable either or that other kinds of attacks couldn't happen.
Do ya love him Loretta?
Ah Ma I love im awful.
Oh God, you poor thing. -
ewc66-1 — 12 years ago(April 15, 2013 11:33 AM)
I was 17 at the time I saw this movie and was blown away. I loved it. The "War" album and "Live At Red Rocks" movie both by U2 were very fresh in my mind at the time Red Dawn came out. All three were released within a year of each other I think. It's almost as if the War album could have been a soundtrack to Red Dawn. The winter images of Red Dawn were eerily similar to the winter images of the New Years Day video. There was even a similar look between Swayze and Bono at the time as well.
When I watch the movie today I still love it. -
smokehill retrievers — 13 years ago(March 30, 2013 01:04 AM)
The first sign that it's a great movie is that all the limp-wristed Hollywood reviewers hated it, and it's usually rates as a one-star movie, though it's one of the most popular cable staples available. No matter what the time, they know they've got a large built-in audience.
Drives the commies absolutely crazy (not a very long trip anyway). -
RSBonos — 12 years ago(June 02, 2013 01:52 PM)
It strikes an interesting balance between intentional goofiness and visceral violence. The first half is excellent but it does lose a little steam in the second part with the repeated attacks and even in a fantasy situation they should have scaled down the success of the guerrillas.
Overall it was fun and entertaining. 7.5/10. -
skinnyjoeymerlino — 12 years ago(October 31, 2013 08:37 AM)
I was 13 when Red Dawn was released. As I recall it was the first PG-13 film. It is NOT an excellent film, and it is hurt by what was probably a very small budget and some wooden acting. It's not as bad as some would have you believe, but history has not been kind to it.
We know now but didn't know then that the Soviet Union was collapsing under its own weight and was not capable of launching a full scale invasion of the US. History will be unkind to the 2012 remake. North Korea will not invade us. The Chinese probably won't either. What we should fear the most these days is our own government. -
ms-zanadu — 12 years ago(November 14, 2013 06:30 PM)
Most definitely agree I just gave this movie a 10
. Surprisingly I didn't discover this classic gem until the 1990's and was also a teenager in the 1980's ( oh well better late than never right ?
) . Thanks hugh750 for your subject post
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averagejoeman2013 — 12 years ago(November 18, 2013 11:09 AM)
It wasnt Oscar worthy, but it was entertaining. My favorite character was Powers Boothe. I usually like his roles and he provided a lot more development to the team. I really liked his line when they first met him "It was five to one, I got four".
"Freedom and morality do not go hand in hand. In fact, they are usually devoid of one another."