History YMMV / RedDawn1984

* ValuesDissonance: The ''whole premise''. One could argue that the film is something of a deconstruction of this trope, with several instances of GrayAndGrayMorality as the harshness of war catches up with The Wolverines.

** Once the Soviets take over Calumet, we see a close up of a paratrooper who bends down to take a pistol from a gunned down civilian as a "you can have my gun when you pry it from my cold dead fingers" bumper sticker is seen in the background. This was probably meant to be seen as BadAssBoast from someone who was DefiantToTheEnd, instead, it came off as someone who foolishly tried to be a lone hero and got killed for his trouble.

** As far as the pro-gun message the only time they actually use the guns they took with initially is when they’re hunting the deer, and the first time they engage Soviet Soldiers when they were accidentally seen by a lightly armed patrol. After that, they use assault rifles and other higher-powered weapons they steal and/or take from the enemy.

* CultClassic: Every 80s anti-communist cliche in one film, which is partly what makes it so enjoyable

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: American actors Ron O'Neal, Creator/WilliamSmith and Judd Omen were very believably convincing in their roles as the {{Dirty Communist}}s, with their lines mostly in the language their characters' heritage were supposed to be and a few in English. Smith's character, due to the actor's military past involving speaking Russian fluently, played his role to the hilt and never spoke a line in English at all in the film. It can be easy to forget that these roles that involves speaking a foreign language in the majority of their screen time were played by 100% American actors.

* ShockingMoments: If the invasion itself isn't this, Tanner's implication that the Soviet Union outright slaughtered ''four hundred million'' Chinese with their nuclear weapons is definitely this.
** The invasion seen in the opening pulls no punches whatsoever when not only is a teacher mercilessly gunned down after attempting to figure out what's happening, but one of his students ends up taking a bullet to the head after the invaders then proceed to immediately open fire on the classroom.

* TooCoolToLive: [[spoiler:Colonel Tanner.]]

* HilariousInHindsight:
** Well as much humor can be found in real war, the VDV and Spetsnaz were both deployed heavily in the early weeks of Russian invasion of Ukraine, both usually coming into conflict with Ukrainian reservists, police, and armed civilians rather than the military. ''And both Russian forces were slaughtered,'' providing a ray of hope in the gloomy early weeks of the war. It's almost hard to take these units being presented as threats in Red Dawn seriously anymore.
** The Eckerts' father's last line is to demand that they "[[Film/SpiderMan2 AVENGE ME!]]" Eighteen years later, [[Creator/HarryDeanStanton his actor]] would make a [[OneSceneWonder memorable cameo]] talking to a dazed and naked Bruce Banner in ''Film/TheAvengers2012.''

* SocietyMarchesOn: A very sad meta example in that a scene where Russian soldiers go to Mcdonald’s, which was prominently featured in the trailers, was cut after a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Ysidro_McDonald%27s_massacre mass shooting in San Ysidro, California]]. Sadly mass shootings in America have become so common that it’s doubtful such a scene would be cut today.

* SocietyMarchesOn: A very sad meta example in that a scene where Russian soldiers go to Mcdonald’s, which was prominently featured in the trailers, was cut after a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Ysidro_McDonald%27s_massacre mass shooting in San Ysidro, California]]. Sadly mass shootings in America have become so common that the it’s doubtful such a scene would be cut today.

** The Eckerts' father's last line is to demand that they "[[MemeticMutation AVENGE ME!]]" Eighteen years later, [[Creator/HarryDeanStanton his actor]] would make a [[OneSceneWonder memorable cameo]] talking to a dazed and naked Bruce Banner in ''Film/TheAvengers2012.''

* HilariousInHindsight: Well as much humor can be found in real war, the VDV and Spetsnaz were both deployed heavily in the early weeks of Russian invasion of Ukraine, both usually coming into conflict with Ukrainian reservists, police, and armed civilians rather than the military. ''And both Russian forces were slaughtered,'' providing a ray of hope in the gloomy early weeks of the war. It's almost hard to take these units being presented as threats in Red Dawn seriously anymore.

** Right after the Soviets first shoot up the school, the Eckett brothers, Robert and Arturo "Aardvark" climb onto the truck, only for "Aardvark" and his father tho tearfully call for each other as the truck speeds away, and then for "Aardvark" to see his father getting captured by paratroopers.

** The invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022 has drawn many parallels with the plot of this movie, even causing a [[https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/red-dawn-rising-1984-film-150000830.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9kdWNrZHVja2dvLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANt40B4xvC_drGiF0dHe9enGqWu17Y8X7jhf25KiVjmaim7Ljn4qC-T6e2P4tEEZMC9w7-JxMDab0JwHuvyB4w7NJjzvf71oDN6abB9A9ZIpOmaWUdDma2b3kzM4R1gRptlH3vGqKezLB416NEjAjeu1guboj81Yw7cxqoojOYMY 500% surge in popularity]] in the first week following the initial attack.

** [[http://www.cracked.com/article_18812_5-reasons-red-dawn-secretly-subversive-anti-wr-film.html This Cracked article,]] which makes the movie a largely anti-war film (and points out the IdiotPlot of the film too).

** ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert2'' is an RealTimeStrategy version of the movie with a lot more {{Camp}} intentionally played up a lot and a HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct plot.

** With the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, many of the people began compared the situation of the movie to the plot of the movie.

* HarsherInHindsight: Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022 fall into this for many of those experiencing it, even up to paradrop missions along intentional targetting of schools and hospitals.

** ''VideoGame/FreedomFighters2003'' is ''Red Dawn'' [[RecycledInSpace in New York City]].

* HarsherInHindsight: Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022 fall into this for many of those experiencing it, even up to paratroopers landing.