First Look: Red Dawn ~ Punch Drunk Critics

Even in the midst of war Peta can't stop daydreaming about Katniss

There aren't many movies that inspire nostalgia for my generation the way the 1984 cold war gone hot action flick Red Dawn does. In case you were born too late to know the war cry "WOLVERINEEES!!" it was about a group of high school kids who escape to the mountains when Russia invades the US just to come back and kick some commie butt (sorry if that's politically incorrect nowadays, but it's necessary to get the feel). Oh, and this was no ordinary group of kids mind you. They were led by Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen. A who's who of those that would define 80's mainstream movies including C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson and Jennifer Grey. Like all good things from our past the nuevo-classic is being remade for the next generation. This time though, I think it's warranted.

Having watched the original just two months ago I can tell you that it does NOT hold up. It's not the dated politics, it's the fact that moviegoer's in the 80's apparently did not set the bar very high for believable special effects. I can forgive bad acting or lapses in logic but watching this flick now makes it look like the effects in any movie you'd find on SyFy. Not to mention that the draw of this type of story is timeless. Doesn't every kid under 18 want to prove that they are grown-ups and can cause as much destruction as any national military? Wow...kinda went a little overboard with that intro.

Click through for an awesome hero shot of Chris Hemsworth!

The remake, due in theaters this November, is already doing alot of things right. First and foremost they seem to have nabbed what could become a carbon copy of fame in their casting with pretty much every name on the cusp of superstardom Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers), Josh Peck (Drake & Josh, The Wackness), Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games), Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights, GI Joe: Retaliation), Isabel Lucas (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen). The invading army is now North Korea and I'm sure the clothes will be much cooler but other than that all seems to be familiar (but in the best of ways). Here's the official synopsis:

In Red Dawn, 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.

And now I give you photographic evidence that Chris Hemsworth is the best choice for this generation's action hero.