Director: John Milius
Screenplay: John Milius and Kevin Reynolds
Starring: Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson, Jennifer Grey, Harry Dean Stanton and Powers Boothe
Country: United States
Running Time: 114 min
Year: 1984
When it comes to iconic 80s action films, Red Dawn is a title that’s always been on my radar but I never got around to. Nowadays, the film’s reputation is more of a mixed bag due to the social commentary of the film and how it tackles some world issues, but nevertheless, I’ve always been curious about seeing it. When I caught wind of the film getting a 4K UHD release from Altitude and Capelight Pictures, porting over Capelight’s 2024 German release for UK audiences, I decided to bite the bullet and finally check the film out.
The film follows a series of teenagers in the midst of World War III, where the Soviets have taken over the United States of America. We follow the teenagers as they rebel against the control of the Soviets and end up creating a team of guerrilla soldiers called the Wolverines. Immediately, the first thing that caught my eye was the stacked cast. Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Jennifer Grey, Charlie Sheen, Harry Dean Stanton and Powers Boothe are just some of the names in this film. It’s a dream cast for any fans of 80s film. The issue, unfortunately arises with the screenplay that they’re working with.
The film’s politics have been up for contention for years, and depending on where you align with, this film is either an action staple or one of the most misguided and tonally inconsistent films of the decade. That’s for you to decide, but where my problems lie are with how messy the characterisation is. With such a packed cast, it feels like there’s almost nothing to really differentiate each of the Wolverines, with all of them having the same end goal of kicking the ass of the Soviets and nothing else really. Some of them have parents that they want to rescue, some of them are cold-hearted badasses but I never found myself all too compelled by any of the many, many characters in the future.
Action-wise, it’s a decent watch. Directed by Conan the Barbarian’s John Milius, who also wrote some of the Dirty Harry films as well as Apocalypse Now, it’s clear that Millius has an eye for realistic, yet bombastic action and whenever things get intense, it’s well-directed. The same can’t be said for the dialogue scenes, although there’s a particularly memorable scene with Harry Dean Stanton where he’s giving it his all.
For people who grew up with it, Red Dawn is more than likely an 80s favourite but I found myself fairly disappointed by how inconsistent the film was, mainly due to its poor screenplay. I didn’t hate my time with it whatsoever and found the opening act to be incredibly compelling. When the takeover initially occurs, it’s thrilling, intense and everything you’d want the film to be. It’s when the film switches focus to the Wolverines in the woods where it gets dry, repetitive and a bit of a chore to sit through. As it stands, it’s alright. Not the worst film ever made, but by no means the best.
Film: 
Red Dawn arrived on 4K UHD and Blu-ray Steelbook and Mediabook February 3rd via Altitude and Capelight Pictures. The film is housed on a 100-GB 4K disc and looks fantastic. I don’t have any prior releases to compare it to, but film grain is intact and the Dolby Vision HDR compliments the film nicely. On the audio side of things, there’s three tracks: English DTS HD-MA 5.1 and 2.0 stereo, as well as German dub. I viewed the film with the 5.1 track and it sounded fantastic, with all of the action sequences sounding incredible on my set-up. I tested out the 2.0 track, which was great too and may be the preferred track for purists. All in all, it’s a great A/V presentation. The following extras are included:
Bonus Features / Extras:
Original Theatrical Trailer
US Teaser
German Trailer
Bonus Disc:
Red Dawn Rising: Making-of
Training for WWIII
Building the Red Menace
WWIII Comes to Town
Four featurettes are included on the bonus Blu-ray, equating to almost an hour of archival bonus features. Red Dawn Rising is a making-of featurette that runs for 23 minutes and features interviews with the cast and crew, discussing the process of making the film. Training for WWIII runs for 9 minutes and as expected, focuses on the actors and their preparation for Red Dawn. Building the Red Menace is 10 minutes long and describes the enemies of the film and how they were brought to life. WWIII Comes to Town runs for 14 minutes and highlights the production design of the film, how they transformed the town into the one you see in the final film.
Unfortunately, the 2017 feature length documentary A Look Back at Red Dawn, featured on the Shout! Factory releases of the film is nowhere to be seen.
A series of trailers are included.
I was provided with a retail copy of the steelbook and it’s a lovely design, similar to their recent Project Silence title, with the back of the steelbook housing an image of the cast together. It’s a gorgeous steelbook that will please collectors. I can’t comment on the mediabook.
Altitude and Capelight’s release of Red Dawn is great, perfectly complimenting the film with a solid array of bonus features and a brilliant transfer. While I wish I enjoyed the film more, fans should be pleased with the efforts made on this release.
Disc/Packaging: