When the original “Red Dawn” was released in 1984, American fears of the Soviet Union were at their peak — a fear the film smartly picked up on. As stupid and blindly nationalistic as the original film may be, it’s still a staple of the action genre. The film defines “so bad, it’s good.” But the film’s unnecessary 2012 remake cannot stake that same claim. Using North Koreans in place of Russians, the film’s plot is essentially the same as the original, giving no one a reason to see it. With a performance that’s completely phoned-in, star Chris Hemsworth further proves that playing Thor is all he should be doing. But the film’s biggest issue is that it refuses to push any buttons. The original never let its ideology take a backseat to the action, and its ideology is so blindly militaristic that it’s fun. The remake is only concerned with shooting at things and blowing them up, leaving it completely bereft of any of the fun of the original.

Grade: D-