RED 2 Movie Review
So there's a sequel to RED. Not sure why. Oh yeah, because it made $200 million and wasn't half bad. Was anyone clamoring for a sequel? No, but we get one anyway and, somehow, incredibly, astonishingly, it is better than original. RED 2 is funny, action-packed and undoubtedly better than that other Bruce Willis-starring action movie released earlier in the year.
In RED 2, Willis is reunited with John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Mary Louise Parker and screenwriters Jon and Erich Hoeber, with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Anthony Hopkins joining the cast. Willis made the Die Hard franchise look old earlier this year, but here he shows us how, paired with the right script, he is still one of the best action stars working today.
While the plot is nothing to scream home about, and the third act a bit convoluted, RED 2 thrives on what made the first movie so entertaining - the wackiness of the protagonists. Malkovich is once again a blast, Mirren is deliciously sociopathic and Mary Louise Parker is an absolute delight as the wide-eyed tag-along with a weird fetish for danger.
RED 2 has plenty of funny moments, but the movie is also action-packed from beginning to end with some surprisingly decent set pieces, international locations and violence. Unlike the first one, which dragged at times, the pace never lets up.
Though not without its flaws, RED 2 is one of the more entertaining movies of the year so far. It may not have been a necessary sequel, but it's a fun one.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.