RED 2

I was really excited for this one. 

So excited I was even willing to pay  for a $10.25 matinee showing. The ticket taker gave a sympathetic chortle when I asked if there was a student discount. There isn't one apparently. 

If you have seen RED, the original movie released in 2010, then you understand my excitement for it's sequel- some of my favorite classics (Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, I could go on and on) all in one entertaining ensemble, witty dialogue, great action sequences and unbelievable fun-all can be found in RED. 

The basic premise in the first movie is that retired assassins/spies/contract killers have been labeled RED (Retired, Extremely Dangerous), and must therefore be eliminated, with the necessary amount of political intrigue. Add a bit of quirky romance, a strong dollop of we-know-this-is-a-completely-preposterous-plot...and-we-don't-care attitude, and you've got awesome. 

The sequel wasn't disappointing. It just wasn't the original. 

Part of RED's charm (the first one) was that it was completely unexpected. 

He stepped out of a spinning car! HE JUST STEPPED OUT OF IT!!!!

Of course John Malkovich would go up against a rocket launcher with a handgun.
I mean, WHY NOT?!?!

RED 2 tried to accomplish that same sense of "don't underestimate what these retired killers can do!" that the first one so playfully presented, but it couldn't be unpredictable like the first one. I honestly felt the same sensation about the Matrix sequels- you can't replicate originality if you use the same gimmicks and tricks. Yes, there is the addition of how to hold on to a relationship that's gotten past the "He's a spy. I like spies" stage, the premise that Frank Moses (Bruce Willis' character) must save the world instead of just America, and kung fu, but it just wasn't as new as the first. 

My one true complaint has to do with the music- the funky soundtrack from the original (lead instruments- harmonica and banjo) was replaced by sadly commonplace THIS IS AN ACTION MOVIE! music that sounded just like every other action movie out there. What a waste. 

That being said, I did enjoy myself. I laughed- a lot. I was wrapped up in the spy story (of which I will not reveal the twists and turns- that would just be rude). The action sequences were exciting and the dialogue was decent. In short, I enjoyed myself, and what else are movies for, really?

The additions of Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Byung-hun Lee to the cast (among others) was on the verge of feeling like Ocean's 12/13, but it never got too silly or full of its self like those sequels did. The silliness felt unabashed, not embarrassing, and I've got to respect something that is so completely itself, no explanations needed. Yeah, let's have a car chase that leads to this scene:

The car is spinning, of course.

All in all, I give this movie three stars- worth seeing, but as a rental. Save that $10.25 for something that is not a sequel.