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The 1980s were an incredible decade for movies, giving audiences a wide range of types of films and delivering some truly iconic greats that we return to over and over four decades later. The decade was particularly great was action films, like Die Hard, Indiana Jones, Lethal Weapon, and more. There were even some greats that brought the action to a younger generation, films that boast a younger, star-studded cast and now, perhaps the most iconic of those films is free to stream — and you’ll like the original better than the 2012 sequel.
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Originally released in 1984, Red Dawn stars Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, and Jennifer Grey and followed a group of teenagers in World War III fighting against an invasion force in Colorado. The film received mixed reviews but was a box office success. It also has the distinction of being the first-ever PG-13 movie and this month, you can stream it for free on Kanopy.
Red Dawn Played on the Cultural Fears of the 1980s
There were a lot of fears about World War II and Communism in the 1980s and Red Dawn leaned heavily into that. In the film, the U.S. is largely isolated after the dissolution of NATO and the removal of nuclear weapons in Western Europe. The Soviet Union, along with allies Cuba and Nicaragua, beef up their militaries and begin invading countries to expand their influence. When the Soviets invade the town of Calumet, Colorado, a group of teens manage to escape into the mountains. When they discover that the Soviets have killed various members of their families, the kids begin launching their own guerilla attacks against the occupation forces, even as they learn about the state of the rest of the world.
While the idea of a group of teens fighting back against the forces of “evil” seems like something that would have even a little bit of feel-good element to it, Red Dawn is actually surprisingly bleak, but an interesting action film and, when watched by a contemporary audiences, offers a glimpse of some of the fears and politics at the time. In the 1980s, the Cold War was still a thing and the Soviet Union our greatest enemy. Seeing how that environment was translated into entertainment is truly fascinating.
And the idea of kids fighting a larger enemy is something of a timeless trope which is why it’s not a huge surprise that Red Dawn got a remake in 2012 and, despite that film also having an impressive cast, it’s not even remotely as good as the original. The 2012 version stars Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianna Palicki, Isabel Lucas, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan and follows a similar plot line, just updating the threat to include North Korea, update the location to Spokane, Washington, and tweaks the circumstances leading up to the North Korean invasion to reflect issues of the 2010s — namely the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. The remake bombed at the box office and got abysmal reviews from critics. It’s currently available to stream on Prime Video, but if you’re going to watch a version of Red Dawn… check out the original.
The original, 1984 Red Dawn is now streaming for free on Kanopy.
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