The Expendables 2

Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!



Today's review is The Expendables 2.



Directed by Simon West.

Written by Richard Wenk & Sylvester Stallone.



Screen Story by Ken Kaufman, David Agosto & Richard Wenk.

Based on characters created by Dave Callaham.

Review #170

MPAA Rating: R for strong bloody violence throughout.

Run Time: 103 min

Cast

Sylvester Stallone ...Barney Ross

Jason Statham ...Lee Christmas

Jet Li ...Yin Yang

Dolph Lundgren ...Gunner Jensen

Chuck Norris ...Booker

Jean-Claude Van Damme ...Vilain

Bruce Willis ...Church

Arnold Schwarzenegger ...Trench

Terry Crews ...Hale Caesar

Randy Couture ...Toll Road

Liam Hemsworth ...Bill The Kid

Scott Adkins ...Hector

Nan Yu ...Maggie

The Expendables was a fun movie that brought back the action stars from the days of old. It was a highly flawed yet fun film to watch. It carried quite a bit of nostalgia which brought you back to the days of Rambo, Die Hard and Commando. It didn't matter that the main players were WAY past their action primes. What mattered was that these guys had fun making this film and I had fun watching it. The marginal success of the first film naturally segued into a sequel. A sequel that promised bigger and badder action with more former legends of the silver screen.

Plot

Mr. Church reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.  

The most important thing to remember going into this film is that it's a parody of all the action films these guys made in the past. The script is cheesy. The dialogue is cheesier and the action at times demands suspension of disbelief. All of those things is what makes The Expendables 2 so much more fun than it's predecessor.

The first film tried to be more serious than this updated retread. That's one of the biggest problems with The Expendables. The story gets too mired in it's attempt to be legitimate while also playing the over the top card. This time all of the unwanted sub plots and messy narrative is stripped away and replaced with a bare bones action packed ride that is meant for pure entertainment. You're not supposed to take this film at face value. You're supposed to watch stuff get blown to pieces. And do it with a big smile on your face. If you can do that then this will be a very rewarding experience for you.

As expected this film is balls to the wall action. In fact it showcases some pretty damn impressive set pieces. The ante is upped to a high degree here and it shows in every possible way. From the camera work to the editing to the stunt work. All of the action blends nicely while giving us the thrills of the impossible.

All of this gets amplified by the appearances and performances of the 3 greatest action legends of our time. Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger all look and feel absurd in this film. They have no business doing any of the things they do. But man was it fun watching them do it. The rest of the cast do their part by blending in and giving the team the extra weight they need to pull off the missions they are on. The plot if you can call it that does a ridiculous job introducing Chuck Norris' character but who care.

It's Chuck Norris.

Not to beat a dead horse but that's what makes this movie so much fun. Everyone involved knows and accepts the fact that they are now cartoon characters. That fact is not only embraced. It's used to it's highest caliber. An example is in the opening scene. The team rescues their target and run into Schwarzenneger's character Trench. He asks for a gun and when Terry Crews' Caesar gives him one, here's the banter between the two.'

Caesar - "If I don't get this back from you. Your ass is terminated!"

Trench - "In your dreams."

They don't care that they are being fun of. It's recognized and spread throughout. There are even some Chuck Norris jokes in there too. You know the ones I mean. The Chuck Norris jokes that make fun of how tough he's supposed to be. Like Superman wears Chuck Norris' pajamas. It's stuff like that that brought a nice grin on my kisser.

The thing that really made me smile was the performance of Jean Claude Van Damme. He was absolutely bad ass as the villain named Villain. Get it....villain....Villain? Nice touch by the writers on that one. JCVD channels his first ever role as the Russian villain in No Retreat No Surrender and brings that and much more to the table. His screen time is limited but his charisma and bad attitude are commanding and a very acceptable antagonist to the Expendables unit.

His opening introduction to the film was a kick (no pun intended) to watch. Then to cap it off, his final fight with Stallone or should I say Stallone and Van Dammne's stuntmen was a blast to behold. Their ages wasn't that obvious in the contest. It was a real treat. Van Damme finally had a role worth playing. He made the right choice passing on the first film.

All told The Expendables 2 is not going to win any awards. It's not supposed to. It's supposed to be 90 minutes of explosions. bullets and bodies flying everywhere. Can't wait to see what and who's in store for The Expendables 3.

On the 5 star scale. The Expendables 2 gets 3.5 stars with a "Go See It!" recommendation.

That's a wrap for today. Up next is Paranorman.

Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"