Comparing “Red Dawn” and “Breaking Dawn”
If you’re in the movie theater and say you’re seeing “Red Dawn,” I hope you do not accidentally receive a ticket for “Breaking Dawn,” the second movie installment of the “Twilight” saga’s final book.
They are two very different movies and I can say that because I’ve seen them both. Plus, several people have confused the two when I discussed what I did over my Thanksgiving break.
I under no circumstances consider myself a movie critic. I like movies a lot and really enjoy watching them, but most of the movies I watch are the ones I buy from the $5 movie bin at Walmart. I don’t go to the movie theater very often because most of the time I would rather spend $8 on something that I can use daily (or eat since food is important too).
I saw “Breaking Dawn” first. If you don’t know anything about the plot that’s okay, because when it boils down to it, “Breaking Dawn” is about is vampires and wolves. This second installment of the final book gives Team Edward and Team Jacob fans the final conclusion they have been waiting a year to see.
The demographics in the theater during opening weekend were mostly women of various ages. You’d be surprised how many students from Spring Arbor were in the theater. It’s okay to admit you were there; I just did. There was the occasionally placed man, but my guess was that he was dragged there with the promise of a night of “Call of Duty” to protect the retraction of his man card.
The movie had the action that I expected after reading the book, along with the romantic cheesiness that comes from a chick flick. Like the four previous movies, it follows the book closely, acting mostly as a compliment.
The ending was definitely a surprise. Don’t worry; there aren’t any cliffhangers about a possible sixth movie (or what would be a fifth book), but it will more than likely catch you off guard. I walked out of the theater thinking about rereading the books and having to see the movie a second time.
“Breaking Dawn” was extremely successful in its opening weekend, raking in $141,067,634. It continues to top the box office against “Skyfall” and “Lincoln.”
I most recently saw “Red Dawn.” This film is very different than that of “Breaking Dawn.” First, it is a remake of a 1984 version with the same title. The first version stars Patrick Swayze of “Dirty Dancing” fame. Second, it is about the United States being invaded by the North Koreans and how a group of unexpected heroes create mass chaos in their city.
This isn’t the typical star-studded cast. They’re younger men, but they’ve already starred in successful films and television shows. Chris Hemsworth from “Thor,” Josh Hutcherson from “The Hunger Games” and Josh Peck from the television show “Drake and Josh” make up some of the cast of “Red Dawn.”
I have a tendency to choose movies that I know won’t freak me out. I don’t like guts, gore or scary creatures. With “Red Dawn” my main concern was that I’d see someone get their head blown off. It’s an action-packed, adventure movie full of gunfights, car chases and explosions as chaos is created throughout the film.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that the action starts about five minutes into the movie and doesn’t stop until the very end of the film 109 minutes later. Someone is always running from something, hiding from someone, shooting someone or setting something on fire.
For most of the movie, I sat on the edge of my seat and tried to keep it together. The theater was chalk full of testosterone; men filled the seats. There were the few women who were there, myself included, who just wanted to see some of those attractive actors. I’m not going to apologize for wanting to see Josh Peck; I did get to meet him with three other girls while in Chicago a few weeks ago.
“Red Dawn” didn’t make as much as “Breaking Dawn” did for their opening weekend, but the movie did fairly well, pulling in $14,276,688.
I can recommend both movies to you; both had their positives. However, I would not encourage a group of guys to go see “Breaking Dawn” (unless you’re trying to pick up single girls – I might say go for it then).
If you’ve seen one, I suggest you find a friend and take them to see the other. If you’ve seen neither, pick one, find a friend and spend the $7 for a student ticket at the Jackson 10. They’re both worth the money and are a perfect way to stop thinking about finals and homework for two hours.
[WRITER’S NOTE: ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE NOVEMBER 2012 EDITION OF “THE PULSE”]