RED 2 - Blu-ray Review

Details: By Loron Hays; 06 December 2013

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Red 2 - Blu-ray Review

When RED, the sleeper hit comedy of 2010, opened, the over-50 audience finally has something to cheer for. So did the all the young turks. That’s certainly an accomplishment when the most of the cast sports AARP cards and walkers. Based off the limited comic book series of the same name created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, RED, as an adaptation, felt refreshing. It was inspired and ridiculous; manic if you will. Whatever went on behind the scenes, everything on the screen, surprisingly, worked and left people wanting to see more.

RED 2 seems like a sure thing. The same screenwriters - Jon and Erich Hoeber – are back, the cast returns, too. But something is missing in the formula. This picture doesn’t limp across the finish line as much as it does groans. RED 2 feels like the obligatory, generic sequel. And that, given the madness of the first film, is a giant letdown.

CIA retiree Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) has returned to the quiet life, shopping at Costco with his girlfriend, Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker). She craves deadly adventure; exactly what Frank is trying to keep her away from. When Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich) reappears, then disappears, only to reappear again in their life, a whole new adventure begins. The trio travels from the aisles of Costco to Paris, then Moscow and London trying to discern the meaning of Operation Nightshade.

New enemies have cropped up to take the three heroes down, including the world’s best contract killer, Han (Byung-hun Lee), the sadistic Jack (Neal McDonough) and even their old friend Victoria (Helen Mirren). Adding to the mix is Catherine Zeta-Jones as Katja, Frank’s ex-love interest and apparent kryptonite. And Anthony Hopkins shows up in the role of an institutionalized scientist who may be the key to the Nightshade puzzle.

If it sounds busy, well, it is and, with little payoff, it basically is a sequel for its own sake. There’s little of spunk that ignited the spirit of the first and, while some of Malkovich’s quirks are good for a chuckle, this is nowhere near the accomplishment of the first. Maybe director Dean Parisot (last seen at the helm of Fun with Dick and Jane) should have brought more of the satire that underlined his superb Galaxy Quest instead of trying to make just another action flick.

But it is the lazy script itself that sucks the joy out of the picture. This is piecemealed Hollywood stuff. Rushed to make a quick buck with very little thought going into it and, ironically enough, if they do this again it will probably kill the franchise off. Even Willis seems to know something is off.

RED 2 is a mixed bag. There are some good moments at the top of the heap but mostly the film is filler. It’s a sequel but it sure as hell isn’t equal to what came before.[/tab]

[tab title="Film Details"]

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for pervasive action and violence including frenetic gunplay, and for some language and drug material.
Runtime: 116 mins
Director: Dean Parisot
Writer: Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber
Cast: Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich
Genre: Comedy | Action
Tagline: The best never rest.
Memorable Movie Quote: "What happens in the Kremlin stays in the Kremlin!"
Distributor: Summit Entertainment
Official Site: red-themovie.com
Release Date: July 19, 2013
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: November 26, 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.[/tab]

[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Red 2 - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - November 26, 2013
Screen Formats: 2.40:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1; English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD); UV digital copy; iTunes digital copy; DVD copy
Region Encoding: A

Courtesy of Lionsgate Films and Summit Entertainment, RED 2's AVC encoded 1080p transfer 2.40:1 offers a beautiful picture. Filmic and well saturated, there’s definitely not a sour note in the texture of the film. It’s also a nice postcard representation of Paris and London. The CGI effects are another matter. They are far too soft and highly distinguishable from the practical effects in the film. On the whole, though, this is a clear, sharp and very precise looking transfer that suffers from no egregious compression artifacts. The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix is as deadly as Mirren with a bazooka.

Supplements:

Commentary:

None

Special Features:

I suppose the Blu-ray combo pack is a worthy purchase for fans of the franchise only. It includes an informative and fun multi-part making of documentary titled The RED 2 Experience. Also included in the pack are deleted scenes and a gag reel. Nothing major to be found here.