Stellar cast gives 'Red 2' all its color

xSequel retains some vitality thanks to pros such as Helen Mirren and
Anthony Hopkins.
Red 2 is one of those sequels that's easier to follow if you've seen
the original but more entertaining if you haven't.

Derivative and more bombastic than its 2010 predecessor, which was a
minor hit at $90 million, the follow-up (* * ½ out of four; rated
PG-13; opens Friday nationwide) lacks the novelty of the first, and
the visual punch line of geezers with guns can get old fast.

Still, when polished action is mixed with a cast that includes Oscar
winners such as Helen Mirren and Anthony Hopkins, the result is
passable summer entertainment — an Expendables with people who can
act.

Red 2 wastes little time rushing audiences back to the characters who
either survived or just appeared to die in the first film, which
informed us that RED stands for "Retired, Extremely Dangerous."
Things don't look so perilous this time around for Frank Moses (Bruce
Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent who retired for the quiet life
with civilian and assassin wannabe Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker).
The two are spending a dull day at Costco when they bump into ex-agent
Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), who is fond of feigning his demise.

The first half-hour is less a reintroduction than a setup for a flimsy
premise: Our graying agents must beat villains, hit men and government
agents to "Nightshade," a Cold War weapon of unimaginable destruction.
Directed by Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest, Fun With Dick and Jane), Red 2
is in such a rush to get the characters into a globe-trotting chase
that it doesn't take the time, even by sequel standards, to flesh out
its heroes.

Instead, they're thrust into madcap vignettes. Want to break into the
Kremlin? Just throw on some collar patches and crack a hole in the
wall of a pizzeria bathroom next door. Need inside an insane asylum?
Put Mirren in a crown and have her pretend to be the queen of England.

That last scene, though, is what makes Red 2 palatable popcorn fare.
It could have been wince-inducing, but Mirren clearly is having fun
parodying her more serious characters.

Similarly, the cast seems to genuinely enjoy the age-busting material,
as well as working with each other. Parker and Catherine Zeta-Jones,
in particular, are terrific as competing women who know how to break a
heart as well as a nose.

It all nearly comes undone in the third act as our heroes and
antagonists engage in increasingly ludicrous combat scenes.

But credit Willis and Malkovich for keeping a grinning game face
throughout. The two have the good-natured chemistry of buddy cops who
have seen their share of doughnut shops. They may qualify for the
senior discount movie ticket, but when it comes to action films, they
still have one in the chamber.