Poster and Trailer For Red Dawn Crashes The Party

Red Dawn hasn’t had the easiest journey in making it to the big screen, in fact it’s faced a fair amount of trouble and aggravation, initially shot in 2009 when arguably the leads of the film, Josh Hutcherson and Chris Hemsworth were still known names even before Thor, Avengers and The Hunger Games. It started production in 2008 and like Cabin in the Woods (also starring Chris Hemsworth) and Bond, Skyfall it was hit by the huge heap of financial trouble that MGM faced. 

The original Red Dawn, released in 1984, presented a nightmare scenario of the then-Soviet Union invading the United States with the goal of overthrowing the government. This was actually terrifying because the Soviet Union was an actual world power. The remake presents North Korea as the invaders and considering that, as a reality, this is impossible, it’s therefore not frightening. (The original script had China as the aggressors, but was changed.)

The official line on this film which sees US release in November is below: 

“A city in Washington state 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.”

By Amy Gathercole