RED 2 DVD (2013)




SYNOPSIS: In RED 2, the high-octane action-comedy sequel to the worldwide sleeper hit, retired black-ops CIA agent Frank Moses reunites his unlikely team of elite operatives for a global quest to track down a missing portable nuclear device. To succeed, they’ll need to survive an army of relentless assassins, ruthless terrorists and power-crazed government officials, all eager to get their hands on the next-generation weapon. The mission takes Frank and his motley crew to Paris, London and Moscow. Outgunned and outmanned, they have only their cunning wits, their old-school skills, and each other to rely on as they try to save the world — and stay alive in the process.

MOVIE REVIEW:

You can never stop old people from having fun and Bruce Willis for one is a shining example. Let’s see he just appeared in the fifth instalment of Die Hard, was a regular member of the The Expendables and he is also a retired, extremely dangerous CIA agent in Red.

Woah. This aging Hollywood actor star sure is busy. In Red 2, he is back once again as Frank Moses with his cohort of ex-agents and this time he is lured back to the field by his fellow wacky partner, Marvin (John Malkovich) to track down a nuclear device.  

Written by original scribers, the Hoeber brothers and directed by Dean Parisot, Red 2 attempts to replicate the magic of the first at the same time, conjured up a series of major action set pieces in this globetrotting adventure. Just when you thought Parisot delivered the perfect satirical, laugh-out-loud Galaxy Quest and probably the best person to turn the material around. The end result turned out to be a generic action comedy devoid of any fun and wit despite the introduction of Korean star Lee Byun Hun, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Anthony Hopkins as a crazed scientist, Bailey to the already busy cast list.

Red 2 throws up too much characters, plot twists and occurrences that doesn’t really make much of a sense. We are supposed to believe a shady agent Jack Horton (Neal McDonough) who works for the government can kill a General in an official premise. Bailey kept in a secured premise for 30 years by MI6 can be easily rescued by Moses and gang and what’s up with Moses’ almost annoying girlfriend, Sarah (Mary Louise-Parker) in the tow. Other than accidentally setting the gun off and kissing random men in the movie, the character of Sarah is almost redundant. There is too much stuff that is meant to be funny but it’s not. What’s really works in fact is still John Malkovich’s paranoid, advice spouting Marvin and Helen Mirren’s ultra-cool Victoria. Willis the most prolific and likely highest paid star simply went through the motion for the umpteenth time.

The explosion does get bigger not better here. Unfortunately except for the rather entertaining scene in the beginning where Frank is attacked by Horton and his team, the rest are pretty unimaginative especially the Lotus chase with Victoria shooting in the spinning car a la Angelina Jolie inWanted but came across as mundane. The formula of Red has definitely weakened in the sequel and we really hoped the filmmakers inject some really strong serum into the third before every cast members checked themselves into an old folk’s home. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are 4 minutes of Deleted Scenes, none significantly important and a Gag Reel. The Red 2 Experience is a 33 minutes feature that is further divided into segments where the cast and crew talks about the story, stunts and weapons. There is more talk than actual making of footages involved so beware.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The DVD looks sharp and pristine while the Dolby Digital 5.1 makes great use of directional effects balancing action with dialogue.

MOVIE RATING:



DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee



Back

 ABOUT THE MOVIE

Genre: Comedy/Action
Starring: Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Mary-Louise Parker, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lee Byung-hun, David Thewlis, Anthony Hopkins, Neal McDonough
Director: Dean Parisot
Rating: PG (Violence)
Year Made: 2013

 SPECIAL FEATURES

- The Red 2 Experience
- Gag Reel
- Deleted Scenes

 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Languages: English
Subtitles: English/Chinese
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Widescreen
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1/2.0
Running Time: 1 hr 51 mins
Region Code: 3
Distributor: InnoForm Media