
Among the usual onslaught of summer sequels..it's time to look at the one with the most actors eligible to join AARP. RED 2 hit the theaters recently and it is definitely more of a cougar than an old lady! Speaking of cougars...Helen Mirren and Mary Louise-Parker are back for this sequel...enough said.
Many of the qualities that made the predecessor a surprise hit are back in force for this sequel. In addition to the ladies, the living legends Bruce Willis and John Malkovich are back. This version also retains much of the timely humor and great dialogue of the first movie. Most importantly, Red 2 has the creatively unique fighting and bombastic explosions that have come to define the franchise.
As important as the returning elements are...there are new twists that make for new surprises. New exotic and foreign locations such as Paris and Moscow give the action a fresh look. New yet old faces such as Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Byung-hun Lee (Storm Shadow in GI Joe franchise) add a definite edge that was not present before.
Though few and far between there were a couple of disappointments this time around. Too much Bruce Willis...at this point in time Brucey is just not reinventing the wheel in his performances...and this one is no different...including some very robotic fight scenes. Second, not enough Helen Mirren...She is by far the hottest woman over 60 in the world...Mirren's sexy action scenes and attitude are amazing in her few and far apart scenes.
Lack of my favorite cougar aside...Red 2 absolutely surpasses the original in quality and pure entertainment. I will give this sequel 8 out of 10 bottles of Geritol. This franchise may need to be renamed Red Wine...because it's getting better with age!