MovieChat Forums > Red Dawn (2012) Discussion > Chinese edited to be N. Korean?

Chinese edited to be N. Korean?

posted 11 years ago by KayDrama
20 replies | jump to latest

So imdb's trivia says the invasion force was called Chinese but in editing, they changed it to Korean so as to keep the box office in China.

Can someone who is Asian please tell me -wouldn't a Chinese audience be able to tell if they're watching Chinese or Korean actors?

I was under the impression that a Japanese person recognizes a Korean (etc.) Just from looking at them, the same way that, as an American I can distinguish black from white and sometimes other Anglo and African features that belong to specific regions of the world.

If I'm wrong, by all means, set me straight. I'm just curious as a few different movies have implied that Asians can identify by appearance alone which nationality they are.

[–] glenmusher 11 years ago

Rather ironic considering the subject matter that they did this to appease China.

Everything will be OK in the end, if it aint OK,it aint the end.

[–] KayDrama 11 years ago

I would think either nation would be offended. "Oh,we'll just slap on and redub any reference to the one with the other".

[–] chanticleer605 11 years ago

Haha well here's the thing. The movie just pulled a bunch of Asian American extras that could be of any East Asian ethnicity, so it's hard for anyone to look at a group of Asian soldiers in the movie and say "Ah-ha! They're supposed to be Korean but they look Chinese!" It is true that Asians can tell other Asians apart, but not all the time. Sometimes the lines do get blurred.

I think that if Chinese audiences watched this movie, the fact that all the enemy soldiers are wearing Chinese army uniforms gives everything away, not how the Asian extras look. However, I don't think that this film made it into the Chinese market anyway.

[–] KayDrama 10 years ago

@chaticleer605 - I don't recall now since it's been a while, but based on that bit of trivia, I thought the uniforms were not specifically Chinese.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] CovertThunder 9 years ago

Oddly enough, it's not really an issue of the ethnicity of the extras that allowed the movie to switch from Red China to North Korea (due to their proximity Koreans and Chinese are generally visually and ethnically similar anyway, although there are subtle differences). The main issue or f!ck-up of this movie was the equipment.

From the get-go (as most people know) the villain was supposed to be the PRC, but unlike the original Red Dawn where the studio went out of its way to realistically recreate the enemies' uniforms and equipment (such as the T-72 or the ZSU-23-4) the remake decided "F!ck it, use the general stuff like the villains in Call of Duty." Think about it, instead of Type-95's they're all using some vague AK variants, probably AK-74M's or AK-100 series.

Can't be too careful with all those weirdos running around.

[–] Hippo9 11 years ago

You just have to suspend belief. Usually you can tell if someone is Celtic-Anglo or Germanic or Mediteranean but you just ignore it for the movie.

Look at the two brothers in this movie. Chris Hemsworth and Josh Peck look nothing alike and we are supposed to believe they are brothers.

[–] KayDrama 11 years ago

I have no problem suspending belief. That is not the topic of this thread that I created.

[–] Hippo9 11 years ago

Well, there's your answer. These dudes look nothing alike. Hemwsworth and Peck are different ethnicities and yet they are playing brothers. Why do you think it would be any different for the north korean actors.

[–] KayDrama 11 years ago

Maybe if you read the OP?

[–] Hippo9 11 years ago

You are in denial if you think Hemswoth and Peck look alike. It's obvious they are different ethnicities just by looking at them.

[–] KayDrama 11 years ago

I never said anything about them at as all. Nothing. Zip.

The point is how the makers of this film could decide, as it says in the trivia section of imdb, to change in post editing by dubbing in one country's name for another so as not to offend China. And the question was - would or wouldn't a Chinese audience recognize the actors' ethnicity (that is, if they used authentic Chinese actors in the first place)?

[–] Maniac-9 11 years ago

I wouldn't say that Hemsworth and Peck don't look like brothers because of ethnicity, that's neglible. But they just in general look nothing alike. They're supposed to be brothers but Chris has 5 inches of height on Peck, plus none of their facial features are even kind of similar.

[–] goju_ukot 10 years ago

I highly doubt other than maybe the few leads the other actors were cast to because they were specifically Chinese/Korean. They were Asian and for Hollywood that's close enough majority of the time. So no, I don't think the Chinese or Korean audience had anything to notice and be angry about.

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[–] KayDrama 10 years ago

As to the title of your post - yep. As to some cultures, I am. But I'm always interested and want to learn about them.

As to #1 - ok

As to #2 - I'm asking because I don't know and, based on what I've seen in various Media that implies that sometimes they can tell without a word being spoken, I still don't know. That's why I was asking for an Asian person to respond and inform me.

Just as there are some characteristics/features that may indicate where a white or black person's ancestors are from, I'm curious, in light of the statement posted in the trivia section of this film if it's true or not.

[–] gingersmurf 10 years ago

Can someone who is Asian please tell me -wouldn't a Chinese audience be able to tell if they're watching Chinese or Korean actors?

Honestly, I live in South Korea and I had a friend here who was full Chinese and Koreans always thought she was Korean.

[–] crazydave682000 10 years ago

Since there fighting North Koreans in the movie they should have cast Bobby Lee, he's of Korean dissent. 😂.

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