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.