Chris Hemsworth's Remake Of An '80s Movie Was Rightfully Deemed 'Terrible' By The Original Director

I definitely saw Dan Bradley's 2012 remake of "Red Dawn," but I can't tell you much about it. "Red Dawn" is an insubstantial film, one that can pass through the human brain without leaving any memory residue behind. It's vaguely entertaining while you are watching it, but no characters, no moments, no actual themes will be taken out of the theater once it ends. It was one of many ill-advised remakes to hit theaters in the mid-2000s and early 2010s. "Red Dawn" was rejected by critics and avoided by audiences. It garnered a mere 15% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 143 reviews), and earned less than $51 million on a $65 million budget. 

The one thing anyone may be able to recall about the "Red Dawn" remake was how it had to change the origin of its central antagonists. Bradley's film is about a small community in Spokane, Washington that is suddenly and unexpectedly invaded by the North Korean military. A prologue explains, not very convincingly, that the American military has been weakened by too many conflicts abroad, leaving cities like Spokane vulnerable to invasion. The film follows a soldier named Jed (a pre-"Thor" Chris Hemsworth) as he leads a group of unprepared civilians, mostly high school kids, in a strike against the invading North Koreans. 

But "Red Dawn" was filmed with Chinese invaders, not Korean ones. When MGM realized they didn't want to alienate their potential Chinese audience, they used extensive post-production trickery and VFX to transform them into North Koreans. The film was shot in 2010, but its release was delayed until 2012. 

It should come as no surprise that John Milius, the director of the original 1984 "Red Dawn," hated the remake. He said as much in a 2010 interview with the Los Angeles Times. 

The original "Red Dawn" (the first film to be rated PG-13!) came out in the middle of the Ronald Reagan administration, when the United States was cresting through a prolonged period of conservatism. American military might was often touted loudly in films of this era, with "Red Dawn" being one of the trend's noisiest trumpeters. The original was set in Calumet, Colorado, and followed its teen characters more closely as they fended off an attack from invading Soviets. The Soviets were also joined by Cubans and Nicaraguans, creating an evil super-group of anti-American boogeymen. "Red Dawn" isn't just about resourceful teens fighting off evil Commies, but about jingoistic righteousness. 

The remake lacked the righteousness and political underpinnings. The politics of the original aren't exactly responsible, but at least it was an ethos. 

Milius felt that remaking "Red Dawn" in 2010 was unnecessary, as his film was still a ripping actioner anyone could get into. At that point, Milius hadn't seen the remake, but he'd read the script and hated it. In his words: 

"I think it's a stupid thing to do. [My] movie is not very old. [The remake's script] was terrible. There was a strange feeling to the whole thing. They were fans of the movie, so they put in stuff they thought was neat. It's all about neat action scenes and has nothing to do with story."

Indeed, the story of the "Red Dawn" remake is where it's the most lacking. The filmmakers focused on the immediacy of the action and the tension of the scenario, rather than focus on the story or the politics. If a film's antagonists can be altered in post-production, it's a clear sign that a film isn't as political as it thinks.