PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
RED 2 (2013)

RED 2 (2013)

If you create a user account, you can add your own review of this DVD

Released 8-Jan-2014

Cover Art

This review is sponsored by
BUY IT

Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Action Comedy Menu Animation & Audio
Featurette-Making Of
Deleted Scenes
Outtakes
Rating Rated M
Year Of Production 2013
Running Time 111:04
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered Cast & Crew
Start Up Ads Then Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Dean Parisot
Studio
Distributor
Icon Entertainment Starring Bruce Willis
Mary-Louise Parker
John Malkovich
Helen Mirren
Anthony Hopkins
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Case ?
RPI $39.95 Music Alan Silvestri


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English for the Hearing Impaired Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    Back in 2011, I reviewed RED here which has now been followed by a sequel, RED 2. In this review I will be covering the DVD release of this new film.

    As you may recall RED stands for Retired Extremely Dangerous and most of the main characters in the first film are back for another action-packed, wise-cracking escapade. As this films starts Frank (Bruce Willis) has settled down with the ex-public servant Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) but life has become a bit unexciting for her and she is keen to get Frank back into some sort of action. When Marvin (John Malkovich) turns up out of the blue to tell Frank that the CIA are trying to eliminate them because they have been implicated in a case from years before, it may be the opportunity that Sarah is after. They go on the run as they are pursued by Jack Horton (Neil McDonough) from the CIA. He soon brings in help from Victoria (Helen Mirren) hiring her to kill Frank. He follows this up by hiring Korean hitman, Han (Byung-hun Lee) and the chase continues in earnest. Frank & Marvin decide the only way for them to get out of this is to track down a scientist, Bailey (Anthony Hopkins) who was involved in the previous case. He created a portable bomb which they managed to sneak into the Kremlin many years earlier. This of course brings another character from the first film back into the action, Ivan (Brian Cox), former Russian agent and Katja (Catherine Zeta-Jones), current Russian agent. Also appearing is David Thewlis as information seller, The Frog.

    If you saw the first film, you know what to expect here, wisecracks, great stunts, explosions, gunplay and more wisecracks. This one is just as good as the first one, with lots of fun to be had. There are some fun new character interactions especially the running joke about Marvin giving Sarah weapons and Frank getting upset about it. Anthony Hopkins is a wonderful new addition adding loads to the mix as the seemingly completely potty, Dr Bailey. There are also some great action sequences with another similar stunt to the one in the first film where Willis steps out of a moving car. The plot is a little slight once again but probably a bit better than the first film plot. There are some nice graphic novel style scene transitions which remind you of the source of these characters.

   A whole lot of fun!

Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.

Transfer Quality

Video

    The video quality is excellent for DVD.

    The feature is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced.

    The picture was very clear and sharp throughout for DVD.

    The colour is very good with no issues to report.

    There were no noticeable artefacts beyond a little motion blur.

    There are English for the Hearing Impaired subtitles available which are clear and easy to read.

    The layer change at 83:20 caused a bad pause.


Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The audio quality is very good.

    This disc contains a English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1.

    Dialogue was generally clear and easy to understand although a little too low in the mix making the subtitles useful.

    The music featured a pumping score by Alan Silvestri and a variety of songs.

    The surround speakers were used a lot for explosions, gunfire and various other action sequences.

    The subwoofer also got a pretty good workout for explosions, gunshots and the music.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

    A decent selection of extras.

Menu

    The menu featured music.

The Red 2 Experience (33:17)

    An extensive multi-part making of feature including casting, characters, weapons, spy gear and stunts. Well worth a watch.

Gag Reel (4:14)

    Decent but not hysterically funny.

Deleted Scenes (4:17)

    A set of 5 deleted scenes including some alternate versions which are worth watching. They don;t add too much but are worth a look.


R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    As far as I can tell the Region 1 release does not include the special features but I have not been able to locate a reliable DVD review. This movie is also available on Blu-ray both here and in the US. Buy Local

Summary

    Another fun installment of Retired Extremely Dangerous.

    The video quality is excellent.

    The audio quality is very good.

    The extras are worthwhile.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Daniel Bruce (Do you need a bio break?)
Friday, January 10, 2014
Review Equipment
DVDSONY BDP-S760 Blu-ray, using HDMI output
DisplaySharp LC52LE820X Quattron 52" Full HD LED-LCD TV . Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderBuilt into amplifier. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum.
AmplificationMarantz SR5005
SpeakersMonitor Audio Bronze 2 (Front), Bronze Centre & Bronze FX (Rears) + Sony SAW2500M Subwoofer

Other Reviews NONE