When it comes to disposable action comedies, they don’t come much more disposable than 2010’s "Red" (or "RED" if you’re a title purist).

In case you need a refresher (and I know I certainly did), the original film – based on the DC comic book of the same name – starred Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren as a band of retired government agents being hunted by the CIA. I remember a scene in which Morgan Freeman punched Richard Dreyfuss. I remember what theatre I saw the first "Red" in. I even recall what auditorium number I saw it in, but that is the extent of the impact "Red" had upon my life.

Some movies are made to be remembered, to leave their mark on viewers for better or worse. Others are made to exist, make money and get tossed away like an empty bucket of popcorn as soon as the credits roll. "Red" is in the latter category.

But name recognition, no matter how slight, is an important commodity in Hollywood right now, so audiences have been gifted with "Red 2." And fans of the original will be happy to hear that the sequel is just as dedicated to nondescript competence as its predecessor.

Willis returns as Frank Moses, who’s attempting to settle down and have a normal life of shopping at Costco – what is with this relentless Costco product placement these days? – with his excitable, non-military affiliated girlfriend Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker).

Of course that doesn’t last long. Their unstable friend/former CIA test rat Marvin (John Malkovich) discovers a WikiLeaks file saying that they have knowledge about a mysterious Cold War weapon called Nightshade. Anthony Hopkins plays the device’s mentally scrambled inventor.

As a result, seemingly the entire globe is after them, from a vicious U.S. agent (the chilly-eyed Neal McDonough) to an old rival (Byung-hun Lee, the Korean star of the "G.I. Joe" films) who hates Moses and hates him even more after our heroes steal his fancy jet. Even old friend Victoria (Mirren) is summoned by MI6 to assassinate our heroes.

Adding to Frank’s woes is the presence of Katya (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a sultry Russian spy who Marvin describes as "Frank Moses’ Kryptonite." This is bad news for our star couple, as their relationship is losing a bit of its heat, and everyone – even the berserk Marvin – has advice for them.

Despite the film’s adequateness, there is some fun to be had in "Red 2." Though Willis doesn’t seem all that interested to be there, Malkovich is amusingly unhinged, and Parker (while written as a bit of a nag) is a kooky bright spot. And while repetitious, the film’s one main joke ­– having our assassins talk mundanely about life, death and relationships while brutal assassinations and political games are afoot – turns out a few good lines, namely one late gem from Lee about how espionage and love are one in the same.

Much like its predecessor, however, there’s little to cling onto long after the end titles. The story in "Red 2" is flimsily told and cluttered with characters, arcs and motivations that never lead to all that much.

Taking over for Robert Schwentke (who went off to do "R.I.P.D.," another new release this weekend. Awkward … ), new director Dean Parisot brings little flair and excitement to the proceedings. He gives a cartoonish energy to a few of the early action scenes – one in which Frank picks off henchmen one-by-one in a file room, another where Lee fights off officers while handcuffed to an oven – and I appreciated the brief animated transitions that nod to the film’s source material.

The tiniest amount of invigorating originality in those action scenes, however, eventually evaporates into diverting but unremarkable nothing.

In the end, Parisot and "Red 2" technically get the job done. The movie entertains enough to be passable and doesn’t do anything egregiously insulting to the audience … but that’s about all. It’s content with merely being the second chapter in a wannabe franchise that I’m not convinced wasn’t made entirely out of Teflon.