Red 2 movie review

RED 2

"What happens in the Kremlin, stays in the Kremlin." I'd think that Ethan Hunt would agree. 

So, Red 2 is a sequel to the surprise hit of 2011, Red. When a sequel was first announced, I didn't know what to expect. Thankfully, Red 2 lives up to its predecessor and then some. First off, the story is more complex, as it involves a nuclear weapon being smuggled into Moscow, one of Anthony Hopkins's best roles yet, and of course, Bruce Willis teaching Mary Louise-Parker how to use a gun. While it's nothing special, the plot of the movie is decent, though it mostly serves as an excuse to bring the heroes from scenario to scenario.  The dialogue is incredibly well done, especially Marvin's.

Speaking of Marvin, as with the last film, John Malkovich ROCKS. While Willis and Louise-Parker do a good job in the film, Malkovich, Mirren, Hopkins and, believe it or not, Byung Hun-Lee all make this movie. That's right, these 4 actors steal every scene they're in, and they all appear in scenes together. The 7 main leads (including Catherine Zeta-Jones) all have top-notch comedic timing, and yes, Helen Mirren is still a complete badass. Now, at first, I thought Byung Hun-Lee was smuggled into the movie just for some  more martial arts action, and while we do get some martial arts action, he actually ended up being one of my favorite characters. And then, there's Anthony motha-!@#$ing Hopkins. This guy plays one of the film's most interesting characters, and has a ball doing it. That's the thing about the film, all the actors have great chemistry, and they all have a blast.

The action in the movie is over the top, and high octane. This is a popcorn movie, in all definitions. An action scene involving Lee and Mirren is one of the best and most hilarious action scenes I've seen all year.

Red 2 is one of the best movies of the summer yet. While it's not perfect, it's the most fun you'll have this weekend. Tomorrow, look for a review of RIPD, and I'll upload my comic reviews on Monday.

VERDICT: 4/5