Perhaps the most interesting and unknown fact about Red is that it is actually based on a comic book series from DC Comics, and after the unholy failure of Jonah Hex this past summer, it was clear that DC needed Red to be a successful adaptation. While a story about aging superspies may not have the fan appeal of other comic book mainstays like Spider-Man or Batman, what Red lacked in fan-following it more than made up for with strong casting. With audience favorites such as Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, and John Malkovich, Red was sure to generate considerable draw as it showcased these actors with a blend of action and humor. Marketing for the film was fairly straightforward as the first full trailer debuted at July’s Comic-Con and started to build buzz among both comic fans and followers of the ensemble cast. Being a huge comic book fan myself, I confess that I was not familiar with Red’s source material, but regardless, I was still excited to see an action-comedy with some of my favorite actors.
Unfortunately, for all the appeal that Red had as a possible blockbuster, the actual film was thoroughly disappointing, with weak character development and a surprisingly confusing plot coming together to produce a boring action-comedy. With the combined acting talent of award-winners like Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren, the reality is that Red should have been much better, but tragically, their efforts were hampered by predictable and clichéd characters. In fact, it feels like Bruce Willis was the only one whose character was given any kind of background or development that the audience could relate to or sympathize with as the film progressed. I was also expecting a high level of action and comedy, but tragically, the funniest jokes and coolest action scenes had already been revealed in the previews, so there wasn’t much that other plot elements could add to keep audiences engaged without the efforts coming across as forced. Don’t get me wrong, Red is not a bad film, but given all of its potential, the mediocre nature of the end result is pretty hard to forgive.
For more information, please read the full review.
Overall Recommendation: Low
