Vanessa Williams giving up her Miss America Crown….the Summer Olympics in LA….The Cars stealing MTV’s Best Video Award from Michael Jackson….and Tommy Howell drinking deer blood on Red Dawn.  These were things I distinctly remember from 1984.

I can’t even tell you how many times I watched Red Dawn around that time….nor do I really remember why.  Could it have been because my best friend loved Darren Dalton?  Was it because I was fascinated seeing Ponyboy Curtis from The Outsiders (Howell) turn into a cold-hearted Wolverine?  Was it the newly introduced PG-13 rating?  Maybe it was because young women (Jennifer Grey, Lea Thompson) got to help take down the Russians?  (This was the era of the Cold War after all).  So when I heard that they were coming out with a collector’s edition of Red Dawn, I was all over it.

For those who can’t remember the 23-year-old film, here’s a quick refresher:  The movie begins with Soviet paratroopers landing behind a high school.  They immediately start shooting at the students gawking through their classroom window.  It seems the Soviets and Cubans have invaded the US and have basically started WWIII.  A group of teens drives into the woods with the weapons they have stockpiled.  Although they struggle being away from their families, they eventually create their own insurgency and do their best to wreak havoc on the foreign troops.

I forced my husband watch this movie for the first time several years ago—but he just didn’t seem to get it (the grainy quality of the VHS didn’t help either).  I was bummed that he didn’t share my enthusiasm, but I did understand why.  Although the movie is exactly the way I remembered it—those experiencing it now can’t appreciate it for what it was.  It would be like trying to watch Rocky IV for the first time in 2007.  We all loved it when Rocky took down Ivan Drago and scored a win for our country….but the movie is quite ridiculous in retrospect.

So this review is really for those who have already watched and loved the movie.  Should you make the effort to watch the Collector’s Edition?  I wholeheartedly say yes.  The movie looks great on DVD and still manages to inspire.  You want to believe that a group of kids could make a dent on foreign troops (especially now).  And despite all the guns, the movie really does have heart.  I still teared up in the scenes between Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen.

Here’s a sampling of what else you’d get:

Carnage Counter
This is actually a feature that you should turn on before you watch the main movie.  It’s a ticker at the bottom of your screen that keeps a running tally of all the violent acts.  You will now know how many Soviets, Civilians and Wolverines were killed as the film progresses.  You can also keep track of the number of grenades, RPGs and explosions throughout.

Red Dawn Rising
Great interviews from today with Charlie Sheen, Patrick Swayze, Lea Thompson, C. Thomas Howell, Powers Boothe and director John Milius.  Despite their future roles in Dirty Dancing, we learn that Jennifer Grey and Patrick did not get along during the making of this movie.

Building The Red Menace
The detail-oriented process behind the creation of all the Soviet military equipment (tanks, etc).

Training for WWIII
How the actors trained for their physical roles.

WWIII Comes to Town
Interviews from the residents of Las Vegas, New Mexico on what it was like to have a big production take over their town.

Theatrical Trailer
Extremely interesting refresher of the original theatrical trailer.  It would have been great to see a side-by-side comparison of what a trailer for the same movie would look like today.

DIRECTOR:  John Milius
STARRING:  Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, Leah Thompson, Jennifer Grey, Powers Boothe
RUNNING TIME:  114 minutes (not including special features)
RATING:  PG-13