RED 2

I enjoyed the original film for a variety of reasons but the sequel didn't seem to bring anything new and special to the table. It had some moments but not enough to make it special. "Red 2" had a new director and new members of the crew it seems with the exception of producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Maybe that is the reason. The new cast members were enjoyable at least.

Ironically, I went to Costco after watching this film. I also enjoyed the reference at the funeral to the final scene of the first film in Moldova. My favorite scene of the whole film was Helen Mirren pretending to be an insane queen. The irony is palpable, especially considering her Oscar win a few years earlier. The movie had a nice story twist and the reason why it works is that you had a great actor present to pull it off. I won't say which one in order to not spoil the surprise. I don't fully accept how Han joins up with Frank so easily. Maybe it is more about the plane than about killing Frank. I also don't believe in Sarah's powers of seduction. Much of the plot was predicable such as the climax. The cast members fit nicely back into their roles. The character of Marvin however isn't as paranoid as on the first film and that is what makes him so entertaining. This is no fault of John Malkovich but rather on the screenwriters. Brian Cox's first appearance was awesome and Lee Byung-hun from the "G.I. Joe" films was fun. The childhood photo of Han and his father is an actual photo of Byung-hun and his late father. Byung-hun's father was even listened in the end credits. Anthony Hopkins was even more fun, from his first scene to his last. I am glad he and Mirren had at least one scene together because they were the lead actors in "Hitchcock". Other noteworthy actors in this sequel were David Thewlis and Neal McDonough. I also noticed the names of editor Don Zimmerman and compose Alan Silvestri in the opening credits.

I think the reason why the sequel doesn't work perfectly is that originality was such a big part of the first film. As fun as some moments and qualities were, I didn't have nearly as much fun as with the first film.

3 Stars