Rating: 
Summary: An extremely disappointing DVD release
Review: I rather enjoyed this movie, despite it's unrealistic premise (Russians and Cubans invading in Colorado, a stupid concept actually). It is a real revealing window on the tension America felt during the 1980's and the height of the Cold War.Given the mass amount of reviews on this particular movie, I'm going to pass on reviewing the movie itself, to reviewing the DVD version and it's features and flaws. The DVD Version of "Red Dawn" is definately sub-par and a result of mass-marketing. There was clearly very little effort made to improve the quality of the sound, or picture. I tend to watch my DVD's on a high-res computer screen. The poor quality of the picture and sound was painfully obvious in this format. It was little better than a regular Video cassette. I'm almost inclined to believe that it was simply copied over from cassette format onto DVD. As for features of the DVD. The film comes on a double-sided DVD, containing a Widescreen and pan and scan version. It also contains one of the theatrical trailers and is translated into French (French is a decent language for an American and Canadian release of this film, but I'm left to wondering, why not Spanish?) In the case itself is a short pamphlet giving a short background of the film. There are no extra features, period. It's a shame, because cast interviews now 20 years later now that the Cold War is over would have been interesting. Overall, (The movie itself aside) given the quality and extra features most DVD releases have these days, this one ranks very low. I give it three stars (would have been lower, but I want to be fair to the movie itself). MGM should know better.
Rating: 
Summary: The truth is stranger than fiction!
Review: After the events of sept.11th of this year, this 'realistic' movie shows how fragile this country is to attack by other countries. The one thing I did not like is that they used charlie sheen to act in it. He is a very outspoken left wing liberal(like his father martin sheen), who fights to take 'american's' rights away such as but not limited to the passing of laws against the right to keep and bear arms. This movie has happened to us in a sense. This is a classic 80's movie. It is very pro-american even though you may find it to be a little gung-ho.These days though it's not at all unrealistic to be this way for real unfortunately due to this countries current tragic events. Trust me, you won't be sorry if you rented or even bought this movie. See it and you be the judge, what have you got to loose?
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe some have forgotten it's original broadcast ...
Review: This movie was first seen on television, not in theaters. I remember its original broadcast well, a large family gathering around the TV watching a movie that really scared the hell out of us. Because we did think such a scenario possible some day. Current events have shown us that things we never thought could happen CAN indeed happen. That has sparked new interest in this movie, and whether it's dated or not, it still presents a chilling picture of what could happen. No, a bunch of kids alone didn't "save the world" or anything ... it's more realistic than that. I recommend the movie.
Rating:
Summary: A good yarn and nothing more
Review: I find the debate among many of the reviewers amusing. This is nothing more than a mildly entertaining war movie with a twist that WW III is won by high school kids. Far fetched? Just a smidgen. But debating geopolitics and the Second Amendment based on this film is like debating the plight of American farmers based on an episode of "Green Acres". You get an entertaining (sometimes unintentionally amusing) Cold War era war movie and a chance to see a number of future stars testing out their acting chops - Swayze, Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson, Jennifer Grey. Have fun and rent it on a rainy afternoon!
Rating:
Summary: Some of these reviewers need to watch the movie again!
Review: I remember watching this movie when it first came out on VHS. As a kid, I thought it was a frightening movie, a possible scenario of World War III. After buying the DVD and watching it again, I must say that it still stirs emotions in me. This depiction of an attack on U.S. soil is possible, but improbable. To watch this movie and say that the events shown could NEVER happen is foolish and ignorant. One previous reviewer asks what happened to NATO in the movie. Well, if the reviewer had paid attention, NATO had dissolved in the movie. Another IMPORTANT detail that some reviewers left out was the nuclear attack on most bases and federal headquarters. The communists did not just take all their planes and tanks and just march in. A nuclear "first-strike" was initiated to throw the U.S. completely off-balance. Powers Boothe, who plays a downed F-15 pilot, explains all of these events to the kids that are now acting as guerillas in the movie. As someone who served in the Air Force as a missle launch control officer, I got to see how strategies like the ones portrayed in this movie could work. The whole story in this movie is about Russians and Cubans (along with Nicaraguans) invading the U.S. and how it affects the lives of some high school kids. These kids become "The Wolverines". Named after their high school mascot, they become guerillas, slowly taking out small enemy installations and equipment. They do not single-handedly destroy all the commies as some other reviewers think that was depicted! There were other guerilla units, too. The film portrays war in a somewhat negative light, but preserves patriotism and acknowledges the legitimacy of the Second Amendment. I highly recommend buying this DVD because of that! The only blemish that it has is the sound quality. I expected better sound with Dolby Digital and DVD quality.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad
Review: A pretty watchable movie w/a great cast.
Rating: 
Summary: Too badly dated to be a classic
Review: One has to admire director John Milius for making a film like RED DAWN. Perhaps the most politically correct movie of its time, the film's story of Russians and Cubans taking over a small Colorado town must have felt right in an era of Reagan's "evil empire" mentality. The action scenes, inspired to a large extent by Peckinpah, are also well choreographed. But it's precisely because of its politics and Milius' well-known penchant for loving war, guns, and right-wing jingoism that RED DAWN has dated so badly that there is no way it could ever have become a classic. And that is really a shame, given those action scenes and the cast assembled--young ones (Charlie Sheen, Patrick Swayze, etc.) and vets (Ben Johnson, Powers Boothe, etc.). Much like THE GREEN BERETS, a certain political slant has largely poisoned this movie. But whereas THE GREEN BERETS is now more of a joke than ever before, RED DAWN's demise is more complex. It simply doesn't hold up well under the scrutiny of better war films made either prior to it or after it, despite its good cinematic intentions.
Rating: 
Summary: If I could give this a zero...
Review: One of the worst movies I have ever had the misfortune to endure!
Rating:
Summary: What If?
Review: What if Communist Russians invade the United States? Teens from America's heartland take on the Reds as guerrilla fighters in this fairytale action-war movie. This seems like a plot that somebody made up for a High School short story. Not a bad cast, which includes Patrick Swayze, Lea Thompson, Ben Johnson, Charlie Sheen, Powers Boothe and Harry Dean Stanton, make the film interesting but John Milius' direction is very pedestrian.
Rating:
Summary: Great action flick, overly melodramatic
Review: I enjoyed this movie probably more as a statement than for the quality of the movie itself. When this came out it drove the leftist media absolutely nuts similar to the way Mel Gibson's brilliant Patriot drove them nuts more recently: kids with guns. Is a foreign takeover of the USA possible? I would say not, the movie's critics bash the notion of it, but the delicious irony of it all is the lefties are right, but because of the thing they hate the most - private ownership of firearms. I loved the part when the soldiers ransacked the records of the sporting good stores looking for the gun sales records as a means of disarming any possible resistance. The picture itself was a bit farfetched in some ways, but moving in others, and leaves every viewer with at least a few things to ponder ( at least the ones still capable of independant thought). In the long run, the actual nationality of the oppressors is not that important. Change the color of the uniforms if you must, the story and the message of resistance to tyranny stays the same. Whether they are wearing a red star or a blue one, the movie can serve as as a warning as well as an inspiration.
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