frankly, mr. moses, the position you’re in

As part of the series Ten Days of Comic Book Movies.

#7: RED (2010)

Trade Paperback Tickets:  Okay, I’m cheating with this one. It is, however, the only one where I’m cheating. By cheating, I mean I’ve never read RED.  Eee. (I swear I’ve read books for the other nine movies. Really!) This movie was seen on a whim one lazy Sunday afternoon after some delicious Greek food and a nice walk to the theater. I had few expectations so essentially I had no negative counterpoints to my high-minded comic book ideals. I think Mary-Louise Parker is adorable and her inclusion in this movie was adorable, too. (Note that I’m not calling her “hot” <- comic book fans aren’t all teenage boys, drrr, but I am saying she does adorable things with her face.)  In all, the actors provided a well-rounded cast and I like that the film isn’t just a bunch of twenty or thirty somethings dressed in spandex costumes while they’re being badass.

What I truly like about this movie version:

  1. The setup. Having no introduction to the story via comics, I can honestly say that I didn’t feel lost by the film story. It worked, clearly, even for those of us who had none of the written story. I believed Bruce Willis as a retired spy/assassin/special agent/secret agent/whatever you want to term it. He had just the right amount of displayed listless loneliness and continued brute strength and itch for adventure.
  2. Helen Mirren is so great at playing this type of character. She’s stoic, patrician, hoity-toity and reserved but she is a bloody hands-on killer. I suppose I ultimately just enjoy her duality. She’s funny and likeable because she actually seems less like a believable version of this person. She’s also exceedingly funny. She and Karl Urban both made this movie so great.
  3. I laughed so much. I really did. I don’t laugh loudly a lot when I watch things. Usually my laughter is pretty reserved but I was unable to hold back while I was watching this movie.

What I think may not be so good:

  1. My comparison list is hard to pull out, as mentioned, with the lack of comic book knowledge, but if anything I’d say it’s that we occasionally get jostled from activity to activity a little too quickly. Then again, that seems to be necessary to the pace of the movie.

Endorsements & Prohibitions:

(R)eally (E)ntertaining (D)rama = 8 points. Yay, 8 points! (I’m scared of Bruce Willis.)

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