FilmDistrict recently posted a clip teasing its upcoming war-fantasy remake.
Red Dawn depicts the story of a group of Americans resisting a foreign invasion after waking to a surprise assault. The plot basically reads like an argument for private gun ownership rights, but found a strong audience when the original film was released in 1984. It launched the careers of Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, and Jennifer Grey, while becoming a classic of modern action filmmaking.
This new clip depicts the momment of realization that the small town is under attack. It provides a glimpse into both of the production values of the film and the type of role that Chris Hemsworth will be playing as the protagonist, the role that Swayze took on in the original movie.
In addition to Hemsworth, the new film stars Josh Peck and Adrianne Palacki in the same respective roles as Sheen and Grey. Though none of them are in real need of a career kick-off, Peck and Palacki could use help getting away from television if that’s where they want to take their careers.
The official synopsis is thus:
In Red Dawn, an American city awakens to the surreal sight of foreign paratroopers dropping from the sky – shockingly, the U.S. has been invaded and their hometown is the initial target. Quickly and without warning, the citizens find themselves prisoners and their town under enemy occupation. Determined to fight back, a group of young patriots seek refuge in the surrounding woods, training and reorganizing themselves into a guerilla group of fighters. Taking inspiration from their high school mascot, they call themselves the Wolverines, banding together to protect one another, liberate their town from its captors, and take back their freedom.
There is a obviously quite a bit that can be done with this film, and with any remake, a lot of the themes will change. The original dealt mostly with communism and the Cold War of that time period. According to reports, the invading army of the reboot was originally going to be Chinese, but the studio changed it to North Korean in post-production.
I’m just hoping that they don’t turn what could be a cool resistance fantasy into a doom & gloom political message. Though I suppose that wouldn’t be inappropriate, considering the first film. It would just be different since the nation is currently so polarized, unlike the era of the first film.
Besides, the film won’t be released in time for election day.
Red Dawn invades theaters on November 21, 2012.
