In 2010, Sylvester Stallone gathered up some of Hollywood’s
biggest action stars, old and new, for the ultimate action team-up, something
that until that time seemed impossible, especially during the days when stars
like Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger were at the top of their
game. The end result was The Expendables and while it may not have fared well
with critics, audiences loved it enough as it was a huge financial success.
Really, in regards to the first film’s more negative reception, it’s just one of
those movies where you don’t go in expecting Oscar material and the film
delivered on what it was supposed to be; good old fashioned action, something
that is lacking in a lot of big budget movies these days. You also have to give
Stallone a lot of credit as even with all of these big action stars, he managed
to give each member a solid part and aside from a few exceptions, no one stole
the spotlight from anyone else. Sure, it’s not perfect, but it’s not supposed
to be. It’s a loving homage to the action films of old and it did its job very
well.
So now we have a sequel. This time, Stallone isn’t behind
the camera directing like he did in the first movie. Now, the reigns are handed
over to Simon West, who previously helmed films like Con Air and The Mechanic.
As with any sequel, the stakes are higher and more of Hollywood’s action
legends are joining in for the fun. When you get down to it, you should go into
this movie the same way you should’ve done with the first film. This isn’t
going to win any major award like an Oscar, but that’s not what this movie is
all about. It’s a fun, exhilarating, and overall quite epic action flick and
it’s also very much aware of how stupid and silly it is. Also, this is actually
even better than the first film in a few areas, from the main villain to some
of the fight scenes. If you’re looking for a great time at the movies or if
you’re someone who loves the old-school action films of the 80’s, then you’re
going to love this film.
The Expendables 2 continues the adventures of a mercenary
group known as The Expendables, consisting of leader Barney Ross (Sylvester
Stallone), knife specialist Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), martial artist Yin
Yang (Jet Li), volatile sniper Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), weapons
specialist Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), and demolitions expert Toll Road (Randy
Couture). Ross is approached by one of the team’s former employers, CIA agent
Mr. Church (Bruce Willis), to take on a job as payback for the last time Church
hired the team. What looks to be an easy job soon goes awry when the team runs
into Jean Vilain (Jean Claude Van Damme), another mercenary leader who murders
one of their members right in front of them. Seeking revenge for their slain
comrade, the Expendables head off to fight Vilain and his men before they intend
to sell valuable plutonium which can very much mean trouble for the world.
If you go into this movie and you’re not having a good time
watching it, then you are very much missing the whole point of this film. This
is pure unadulterated 80’s style action to the extreme. Yes, this film isn’t
perfect. The characters constantly spew out one-liners, both good and bad. Some
of the more serious moments of the film are unintentionally funny, and there
are times where the film defies the laws of physics. But if you decide not to
go by the book and ignore the film’s flaws, this is just one fun movie. The one
major difference when comparing this film to its predecessor is that it is
mostly nonstop action and few scenes when the movie takes a breather. But
again, that’s no problem when you have some of the best shot action sequences
in recent years, particularly during the film’s opening sequence and finale.
Like before, every major star gets solid screen time and everyone is clearly
having fun here.
For the most part, this is actually a much better movie than
the original. Don’t get me wrong, the first Expendables movie was also a really
fun and entertaining movie, but this sequel improves on it in a few areas. The
editing is a bit smoother especially during the fight scenes, the lighting is
much better compared to the first film where it got too dark in a few areas,
and probably most importantly with the main villain himself. Jean Claude Van
Damme is excellent as the villain and proves to be quite an adversary for the
team right from his first appearance on screen. His scenes with Stallone are
among the many highlights of the film and the final fight between them is one
for the ages. The two main villains in the first movie (the general and the
ex-CIA agent played by Eric Roberts) were solid villains too, but Van Damme is
more entertaining to watch.
As for the all-star cast, you know what you’re going to get.
Sure, maybe some of the acting is rather bad, but it’s clear all of the guys
are having fun doing this. There are two standouts in this cast, the first
being Van Damme as the villain and the other is Liam Hemsworth as a new member
of the team, former Afghanistan veteran Billy the Kid. At first glance, you
probably think that he’s not capable of being on a team with guys like Stallone
and Statham but when you get down to it, he’s actually the best actor in this
whole movie. It’s more along the lines of whether or not this guy is too good
of an actor to be in a movie like this. His story arc is also well-done and you
can see how fighting in the war has really affected him. It’s just like in the
first movie with Mickey Rourke’s tale of how one person he could’ve saved
changed his life forever. It’s also great to see Arnold Schwarzenegger back in
action, even if he’s rather rusty (we’ll let it pass because he’s been out of
it for a while) and Chuck Norris’ role in the film is both hilarious and awesome, with a great
line of dialogue spoofing all of those jokes about how Norris is apparently a super-being.
Sadly, Jet Li is underutilized here as he only appears in the opening sequence
and then leaves the movie altogether after that scene.
Is this movie stupid? Yes, it very much is. Is it a fun movie?
Oh hell yeah! This is exactly the movie that you think it’s going to be. It’s
one of the most entertaining movies of the year and it doesn’t have to be the
most well-written or well-acted movie to do so. It’s just a fun time to be had
at the movies. It’s also a big improvement over its predecessor mostly due in
part to its lead villain and a few technical aspects such as editing and
cinematography. Does an ‘Expendables 3’ sound like a good idea? Sure, I’d be
interested in it. They already have Nicolas Cage signed on and are considering
bringing in Harrison Ford and Wesley Snipes (maybe Liam Neeson perhaps?). Stallone
may be an old action star, but he isn’t going down that easily and this movie
is the epitome of great action flicks. Both old-school and newcomer action fans
are sure to love this movie.
Rating: 4.5/5
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