The trailer for RED 2, the sequel to the surprise hit 2011 action comedy RED, was just released in the past few days. Once again, Dave and Dru give their impressions of the upcoming sequel, which is again based on the comic by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner.
DAVE: Nobody in Hollywood ever learns, do they? After watching that trailer, my first reaction to RED 2 is that this is going to be The Whole Ten Yards all over again, a pointless sequel that stretches the premise and characters of the first film well beyond the snapping point. Everything about this looks tired, from the getting the gang back together premise, the bound to be pointless romantic struggles of Frank and Sarah brought upon by an old love interest, and the obvious, painful gags about trying to live an everyday life only to get pulled back in.
Look, the original RED was a film I enjoyed, but it was a simple one-off action film, not the start of a major franchise. That film delievered exactly what it promised: a baby boomer revenge fantasy in which the old pros show the young'ns a thing or two. All this trailer seems to show off is that RED 2 will offer more of the same, except with less skill and dragging a few other A-list actors into the muck with the original stars.
DRU: I guess I'm not as offended by this as you are, but I'm not exactly enthused either. It looks about as good as the first one looked to me - I ultimately found the original mildly enjoyable but forgettable - and some of the gags in this trailer made me chuckle (particularly Malkovich's delivery of the trailer's final word). The "bigger and better" model rarely works for comedy sequels, though, and I fear your Whole Ten Yards comparison is probably apt, given Willis' tendency to sleepwalk through these kinds of projects. (It's never a good idea to get your hopes up after Willis makes a good movie. He inevitably follows up every Looper with an unnecessary franchise instalment.)
Look, the original RED was a film I enjoyed, but it was a simple one-off action film, not the start of a major franchise. That film delievered exactly what it promised: a baby boomer revenge fantasy in which the old pros show the young'ns a thing or two. All this trailer seems to show off is that RED 2 will offer more of the same, except with less skill and dragging a few other A-list actors into the muck with the original stars.
DRU: I guess I'm not as offended by this as you are, but I'm not exactly enthused either. It looks about as good as the first one looked to me - I ultimately found the original mildly enjoyable but forgettable - and some of the gags in this trailer made me chuckle (particularly Malkovich's delivery of the trailer's final word). The "bigger and better" model rarely works for comedy sequels, though, and I fear your Whole Ten Yards comparison is probably apt, given Willis' tendency to sleepwalk through these kinds of projects. (It's never a good idea to get your hopes up after Willis makes a good movie. He inevitably follows up every Looper with an unnecessary franchise instalment.)
Will I see this? Probably not until it shows up on Netflix Instant. When we cover this flick, listeners, expect it to get slotted into a series of "Sequels Nobody Asked For" alongside Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and the upcoming 300: Rise of an Empire.
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