# RED 2 – Blu-ray Review



## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/news/redc.jpg[/img] 
*Title: Red 2* 

*Movie:* :4stars:
*Video:* :4.5stars:
*Audio:* :4.5stars: 
*Extras:* :2stars: 

*HTS Overall Score:*83




[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/news/red1.jpg[/img]*Summary*
DC Comics based _RED_ was one of 2010’s more intriguing films, hitting audiences with a hammer of action-comedy that was surprisingly fresh. Loaded with stars, the film was lauded by critics and fans alike which can only lead to one thing: a sequel. Not surprisingly, Hollywood delivered. _ RED 2_ finds former CIA operative Frank Mosses (Bruce Willis) still “Retired, Extremely Dangerous.” But that doesn’t stop him and his gang of unsuspecting creators of chaos from charging into action once again. In the process, they create a film full of predictable charm and exciting sequences, allowing a few aged acting veterans to work their magic one more time. The end result is an enjoyable ride that falls short of excellent...but it ain’t too shabby, either.

The word of the film is “Nightshade” and it has intelligence officials around the world clinching their teeth. It turns out this is the code word for a Cold War nuclear device, cooked-up by a man referred to as “The Da Vinci of Death,” planted somewhere near Moscow. Frank Mosses and his über-paranoid friend, Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), have been linked to Nightshade and a bulldog of an agent named Jack Horton (Neal McDonough) is willing to stop at nothing to capture or kill them. 

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/news/red2.jpg[/img]
This is all bad timing for Frank. He’s doing his best to simply lead a “normal” life with his excitable girlfriend Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker). Frank wants to embrace trips to Costco and plan barbecues, but it seems Sarah is looking for more than just the ordinary and her ears perk when Marvin tells Frank that they might be in danger. Following a failed attempt at capturing and interrogating Frank, Agent Horton convinces the world that Frank and Marvin are terrorists that must be killed. MI-6 contacts Frank’s old friend Victoria (Hellen Mirren) to execute the hit and Horton contracts with super-assassin Han-Cho-Bai (Lee Byung-hun) to go after them as well. 

The excessively confident Han is looking at 20 million large for nailing Frank and instantly hops on his plane, destination: The United States. Keeping in line with the ever-present underlying humor of this action-comedy, Frank, Marvin, and Sarah undermine Han by stealing his plane for a trip to France; Han explodes with anger and vows more than blood. He wants revenge. The group, meanwhile, is in search of a man they amusingly call “The Frog.” They eventually come across information that points them in the direction of Nighshade’s creator (Anthony Hopkins), a man that has been jailed by the British government for over 30 years. Their job is free him and establish the location of the bomb before any other element can do the same.

_RED 2_ is a fun film on a number of levels. Willis, Malcovich, and Parker have great chemistry and Helen Miren (Victoria) and Catherine Zeta-Jones (Katja) deliver convincing roles as wise female forces in a cut-throat cloak and dagger world. In many ways, the film seems like a natural extension of Willis‘ former ventures in the _Die Hard_ series, loved for loaded action sequences laced with comedic quips and humor. Willis looks comfortable staring as a seasoned veteran of cleverness and weaponry, and this fits perfectly with Parker’s character (Sarah) that is green, youthful, exuberant and adorably ignorant. There’s also entertaining interplay between Sarah Rose and Frank’s former romantic interest (and current Russian secret agent) that leads to a catty competition.

*Rating:* 
PG-13 for pervasive action and violence including frenetic gunplay, and for some language and drug material.

*Video* :4.5stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/news/red3.jpg[/img] Summit Entertainment has produced a visual gem. _Red 2_ is delivered with an excellent MPEG-4 AVC Hi-Def transfer, providing a stunning film-like 2.40:1 image. The film’s palate has colors that fall on the cool side which results in a beautifully crisp image with a mild blueish push; yellows pop and reds literally drip from the screen in delicious fashion. Flesh tones are natural in both light and dark scenes. There are a few moments where images loaded with whites come across a bit too bright, but this a minor complaint. Image quality walks the line of amazing clarity and a cinematic softness with some minor noise. Detail is absolutely jaw dropping with the most minute characteristics – think subtle smears on a wine glass or small hairs illuminated by backlighting – on full display. Contrast and blacks are sublime with dark image and shadow detail loaded to the max. In fact, treatment of shadow detail is one of the highlights of the visual presentation. 








*Audio* :4.5stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/news//red4.jpg[/img] _Red 2_ explodes with an authoritative DTS-HD MA 7.1 audio presentation best described as active and dynamic, planting us smack-dab in the middle of utter sonic chaos. The film is anchored by an energetic and, at times, whimsical original score by award winning veteran composer Alan Silvestri (_The Croods_, _The A-Team_). The score helps to stretch a front sound stage that can sound a tad centered, popping it with needed depth and boldness. Dialog and other sound effects have a tendency to sound a bit thin for my liking, falling short of the richness we’ve come to expect from some of the best audio tracks in recent years. That’s not to say there aren’t moments where the audio becomes extraordinarily dynamic, buzzing with directionality. Several action scenes transformed my home theater room into a firing range with bullets whizzing in every direction, deep thuds of LFE, startling explosions, and the warm purr of sports car engines. All four rear channels are fed with plenty of material and deliver some excellent moments including one that has airplane sounds pinned dead center, whizzing overhead. 



[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/news/red5.jpg[/img]*Extras:* :2stars:
• The _Red 2 _Experience 
• Gag Reel 
• Deleted Scenes











*Overall:* :4stars:
_RED 2_ is a fun film. Does it live up to it’s first act? Not quite, but it’s close. Fans of action oriented plots will undoubtedly enjoy its lightness and humor, not to mention a few epic rounds of gun fire and explosions. In fact its plot will likely appease those not usually fond of over-the-top action violence. The cinematography is great fun and the film’s nod to its comic book underpinnings through artistic scene changes are just plain cool. Enthusiasts will undoubtedly find _RED 2_’s image quality to be excellent. While it’s audio stumbles with a slightly thin presentation, it’s still very good. Overall, it’s easy to recommend this film as part of an evening of entertainment. Just don’t expect too much and _RED 2_ will likely deliver.



*Additional Information:*
Starring: Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich 
Directed by: Dean Pariso
Written by: Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 7.1, English Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Studio: Summit Entertainment
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 116 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: November 26, 2013


*Buy Red 2 on Blu-ray at Amazon*

*Recommendation: Watch It​*


----------



## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Thanks for the review Todd!

I still need to watch the first one, but I am definitely planning to do so as I have heard nothing but good things about it. Think I will just plan on making it a double header!


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

I enjoyed RED and this second film was not quite as fun as the first but still worthy of a buy. The best part is the laughs, little odd bits of over the top slyness that makes this movie and it's previous one just fun to watch.


----------



## tripplej (Oct 23, 2011)

Thanks for the review. I actually never heard of this so I never saw the first one. This caught my curiosity so will have to check out the first one and then the sequel. Thanks for the heads up.


----------



## 3dbinCanada (Sep 13, 2012)

Thanks Todd for the review. Your review nailed what I had thought the movie would be like in reference to Red. I'm glad I bought it as it sounds to be a fun escape for a couple of hours.


----------



## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

It's all about expectations. In this case, the film is worth your time. I enjoyed it and the picture quality was the cherry on top. Beautiful!


----------



## B- one (Jan 13, 2013)

Thanks for the review. I was hoping this would be a good pickup and am waiting to pick it up used on blu ray for $9.99. I love Family Video great prices and movies have 30 day defective return policy.


----------



## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

I'm with the consensus, wasn't as good as RED but it was still quite a lot of fun. lots of style and tongue in cheek humor (my only real problem was that I didn't think Anthony Hopkins character really fit in the series)


----------



## 3dbinCanada (Sep 13, 2012)

Sequels are rarely better than the originals and this flick follows suit. However, this is definately worth the asking price as this movie delivers entertainment and laughs in spades. Its an all around good flick.


----------



## Jon Robbins (May 15, 2012)

I enjoyed this one with what the new characters brought to the table but still prefered the original more. Karl Urban was fantastic in the first one.


----------

