The remake of "Red Dawn" comes out on DVD and streaming today. Although the original was wooden and ham-fisted, it looked like a good candidate for a remake. Critic Bill Hagen wrote in the San Diego Union-Tribune in 1984, "Director [John] Milius has here the makings of a crackling action movie, a throwback to the countless Hollywood salutes to courageous guerrillas fighting Nazi hordes in World War II."
Here's a trailer for the original:
Unfortunately, the new movie didn't fare much better than the Patrick Swayze version. From Mark Olsen in the Los Angeles Times:
"If the original, with its premise of American teenagers fighting off a Russian invasion, was something like 'The Outsiders Fight Back' steeped in last-gasp Cold War anxiety, this update never finds an equivalent relevance or hook, failing to connect fully with our here and now."
Here's a look at the remake:
Kerri and Stephanie will talk about good remakes of bad films and bad remakes of good films.