While it retains a good deal of the quirky, deadpan humor and ups the action ante, this second entry still feels inconsequential compared to the first one. Part of this is due to the complicated plot, which feels episodic and is filled with a few twists and alliance changes too many. If the goal was to top the first one in terms of ridiculous and cartoon-y action, then bravo they succeeded. However, this also feels like a hollow attempt at outdoing what worked so well about the first one. Whereas the first one was understated and spent some time developing the characters (to a degree), this throws a lot of that out of the window and goes for a full-on explosion and shoot-out fest. Still the movie is entertaining, and the cast seem like they're having fun with the material. Too bad the material wasn't a little better, because this feels like a missed opportunity despite the enjoyable thrills.
Review of RED 2
