The Expendables 3 Review

The Expendables 3, yet another entry in Sylvester Stallone's attempt to take a bunch of old action heroes and throw them all into one movie to cash in on the viewers' nostalgia.

The Expendables franchise has always had an identity crisis. Sometimes it wants to be a serious action film, while other times it tries to be a self-aware parody that makes jokes about the cast. For me, the parody route of the second film is what worked the best in my opinion, while the more serious moments always suffered from poor writing. The Expendables needs to be a fun nostalgic romp with plenty of humor, blood, and absurd action sequences. Unfortunately, The Expendables 3 tries yet again try to make a serious film, and the results are mixed.

Directed by: Patrick Hughes

Genre: Action, 

Release Date: August 15, 2014

Running Time: 126 minutes

MMPA rating: PG-13

The Good: Epic final action set piece, Mel Gibson is the best part of the movie, Harrison Ford (nuff said), A few fun references to previous films, Antonio Banderas is not that bad, 

The Bad: Novelty is wearing off, Why do you need the young cast?, Lacks the fun factor of previous films, Incredibly dumb plot, No one aside from Mel Gibson actually acts, Tonally conflicted, 

Plot: 2.9/10- The Expendables 3 continues to have a completely pointless and incredibly stupid plot. It is the typical takedown the evil War Lord plot. There are a ton of plot holes and just dumb moments. None of the Expendables films have had competent plots, but since the director is trying to portray a serious movie, the dumb moments are blatantly evident and distract from the overall enjoyment. Another negative plot point is that the movie focuses on a new crew of young characters. The reason in the story for introducing the younger cast is fine, but why would you want to?

Characterization: 5.0/10- As before, most of the characters are thinly defined charactertures with little to no development. However, Mel Gibson's villain, Conrad Stonebanks, is the highlight of the film, although that is mostly due to Gibson's acting. 

Action: 8.1/10- The Expendables 3 features two notable action sequences. The first action scene is decent, but rarely impressive, especially by current hollywood standards. However, the final action sequence is mostly top notch. Of course, you have to completely disregard physics and logic, but that is more or less expected from the franchise.

One controversial aspect of the film is that this third entry is rated PG-13 and not R. While there are a few moments where there could have been more blood, the PG-13 rating did little to affect the film in a negative way. 

Acting: 4.7/10- Most of the old cast like Statham and Kelsey Grammer phone in their performances. Stallone seems be trying, albeit unsuccessfully, to act, and even Harrison Ford is clearly phoning it in. As for the young members of the cast, they range from mediocre to bad, and their lack of acting experience is clearly seen. Thankfully, the film is saved by Mel Gibson as he relishes the evilness of his role. He often seems like the only guy actually acting, which makes the rest of the cast look even worse, and it is almost as though he knows it. Antonio Banderas is often cited as being the "Jar Jar Binks" of the film, and while he is occasionally annoying, he provided a great sense of fun and humor that the film was sorely lacking. 

Special effects: 7.1/10- Generally, the special effects looked alright. However, some of the CGI looked cheap at times.

Soundtrack: 7.5/10- Brian Tyler's score adds a degree of fun and energy to the action sequences, even when the action itself is not the best.

Humor: 7.8/10- The Expendables 3's humor works when they try to be funny, especially the references to the off-the-camera problems and jokes about the actors' iconic films. Antonio Banderas' jokes manage to be another high point in the humor. With that said, the film could have definitely used more humor.

Entertainment Value: 7.3/10- Due several factors, including the novelty wearing off, the unnecessarily serious tone, and a terribly dumb plot, The Expendables 3 is not nearly as entertaining as the previous entry, although it is still more fun than the first film. 

Overall: 6.2/10- Overall, The Expendables 3 is a fun, albeit dumb, action film. Unfortunately, there is not enough humor to be an action comedy, but it is not well written enough to be a competent action film, so it ultimately falls somewhere in limbo. 

Closing comments: Despite my problems with the movie, it is still worth watching if you enjoyed the previous movies, and it is at least better than the first Expendables.

Recommended for: Action fans, If you watched the previous films,

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New Expendables 3 Trailer

A new trailer for The Expendables 3 is here, and it still looks like it is going to be a blast! Even though Harrison Ford is not going to have a large role in the movie, finally seeing the best action hero of all-time in a movie with the rest of the top action movies stars like Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to be a lot of fun. Maybe when the movie comes out I should make a Top 25 Action Movie list. Anyway, as for the trailer itself, it looks like a lot of fun! The Expendables 2 was a lot of fun, largely thanks to the meta-humor and great cast; however, the movie took itself a little too seriously, so I hope that the third entry does not. Honestly, who watches the Expendables for the plot? The use of the whistle theme from The Bridge on the River Kwai was, again, a nice touch. Overall, fun trailer, which will hopefully result in a fun movie. What do you think? Please comment below and let me know.

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The Expendables 2 Review.

With the trailer for the upcoming Expendables 3 released, here is my review for the Expendables 2.

Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jason Statham, Jet Li, and Liam Hemsworth are just a few of the star studded action hero cast of the Expendables 2 but is the final produce as awesome as it sounds? Heck yeah!

Although the first Expendables was decent and had its moments, the script was bad, the jokes mostly fell flat, and it took itself far too seriously considering the ridiculousness of the action. However, The Expendables 2 mostly delivered on what we what we wanted from the first, an action-packed, clichéd, movie full of your favorite action heroes from the 80s and 90s; nothing more, nothing less.
In the first Expendables, Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger were on screen for about 4 minutes just talking, in the Expendables 2, however, we finally get to see ultimate Trifecta of 80s action heroes in action in the final battle of the movie, however Arnold and Willis are only in the beginning and end of the movie, not major parts. Plus Chuck Norris is awesome in his few scenes, which were hilarious. The only 80s action stars missing are Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford, who will be featured in the next Expendables.

Directed by: Simon West
Genre: Action,
Release Date: August 17, 2012
Running Time: 103 minutes
MMPA rating: R


The Good: Awesome actions scenes, Hilarious 80s action movie jokes and references, Arnold, Stallone, and Willis on screen together!, Tons of fun,

The Bad: Bad acting throughout, Clichéd plot and dialogue,

Plot: 3.1/10- Wait, was there a plot? OK, the plot was clichéd as action movies get with “The Expendables” trying to stop some plutonium from getting the wrong hands ect. ect. While the plot most certainly dumb, it would have been more effective if the movie did not take itself too seriously at certain points throughout the movie. At about the half-way point of the movie, it slows down, and since the plot and characters are understandably weak, the movie drags a little. Fortunately, the movie is not slow the entire time and the pacing is a lot better than the first Expendables. Also, the dialogue can be horrible at times to the point of hilarity, but hey, who really cares?

Action: 9.7/10- Although a few of the scenes were slightly too dark and the middle part of the movie slowed down some, the action scenes were absolutely freaking awesome! It had some of the best shooting action I have seen in quite some time, despite being outrageously unrealistic. The final action scene with Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Willis and one other action star, which I will not spoil, was pure awesomeness. It was everything that any action movie fan could ever wish for. Although the Expendables 2 is ridiculously unrealistic in terms of the action, I did not find it to be distracting compared to other movies because of the lack of the seriousness, which worked surprisingly well.

Acting: 4.2/10- While Liam Hemsworth, and Willis gave solid yet brief performances, most of the other cast members were mediocre to terrible. Yu Nan as Maggie Chan was just awful, either her voiced was dubbed over or she is just a terrible actress but her scenes were awkward. Stallone was average, not up to his previous Rocky and Rambo performance and Jason Statham was well, Jason Statham. Overall, you do not watch the movie for the acting.

Special effects: 7.0/10- A lot of the CGI effects are obviously fake, but they worked well enough to keep the movie fun. The blood and gore effects are a big improvement over the first movie in terms of both believability and amount. While I do not consider myself a “gore hound” by any means, I do like my violence in action movies, and The Expendables 2 delivered.

Soundtrack: 7.2/10- The soundtrack was actually quite good and fitting for the movie.

Humor: 8.6/10- While there are not laughs throughout, the movie is basically self aware, with characters saying things that reference each other’s movies. The Chuck Norris scene is an instant classic of ridiculous hilariousness, and Arnold and Willis have great dialogue that fans of their movies will love.

Overall: 7.6/10- While The Expendables 2 does have some noticeable flaws, it is exactly what we expected and wanted it to be: a fun, action-packed, and horribly clichéd movie, but in the best way possible. If you are a fan of any of the actors or 80s action movies, do yourself a favor and watch The Expendables 2; it is a blast.

Closing comments: Come on, how could John McClaine (Die Hard), The Terminator, and Rambo in the same movie not be awesome?

Recommended for: Action fans, Fan of any of the actors, 80s action movie fans,

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Expendables 3 Trailer Review

Another new trailer for The Expendables 3 has been released with actual footage of all the actors this time, and it has one heck of a cast. Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and a ton of others are all here, and the movie looks like it is going to be a lot of fun like the second Expendables. My first impression of the trailer is that budget is higher and the look of the movie is a little more modern and polished. Unfortunately, Chuck Norris and Bruce Willis will not be returning but anytime you replace someone with Harrison Ford, it is a win-win situation. My second impression of the is that the movie is basically saying "Look at all the big name actors, go watch the movie!" The clips of all the actors look a little odd; almost more like a fan edit trailer than an official release. But other than that, it looks like the movie is going to be dumb fun. Hopefully the movie will not try and take itself too seriously like the last two Expendables movies (not as much a problem for the second one). Also, the trailers says"For one last ride," which means this is the last Expendables I suppose. An Expendabelles movie is in the works, which is about the female version of The Expendables. All I have to say about that movie is that Sigourney Weaver and Carrie-Anne Moss need to be in that movie. What are your thoughts on the Expendables 3 trailer? Please comment below and let me know. Also, please check back tomorrow or the next day for my review of The Expendables 2.

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The Expendables 3 Trailer

The Expendables 3 teaser trailer is here, and while not much is shown, it is very well executed. In addition to the cast from the previous Expendables, Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson have been added to the cast. However, Bruce Willis will not be returning because he asked for way too much money and Stallone told him to take a hike, but it worked out in the end because Ford came on-board since Willis left. If you do not recognize the tune that is played, it is from the film The Bridge on the River Kwai, which is one of the best war movies ever made. The trailer itself only shows all of the actors walking out and standing there, but it is epic since many of those guys are action movie legends. What did you think? Please comment below and check back tomorrow for a big announcement with my 1000th Post.

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Expendables 2 Released Today!

The Expendables 2 has been released in theaters today. Although I do not plan to watch the movie in theaters, it should be good to rent. From the reviews so far, it is better than the first Expendables, but still full of cheesy dialogue and bad acting that you would expect.  However, the action is awesome and it has just about every action movie star from the 80s and a few from the 90s. Below I will be listing my favorite movies from each of the main action hero cast of The Expendables 2.

Bruce Willis

Favorite Movies: Die Hard, Red,

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Favorite Movies: Terminator 1 and 2, Predator

Sylvester Stallone

Favorite Movies: Rambo: First Blood

Chuck Norris

Favorite Movie: Delta Force

 What are your favorite movies of these actors? And who os these is your favorite actor?

P.S. For some reason Blogger will not let me add pictures to this post.

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The Expendables rewiew.

This is the review for The Expendables extended cut.

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
Genre: Action, Shoot'em up,
Running Time: 105mins, 120(extended cut)
MMPA rating: R


The Good: Tons of action, Tons of explosions, A-list actors, Did we mention explosions.


The Bad: Dull plot, Bad acting by a few minor characters.






Plot:
A team of elite, highly-trained mercenaries, the Expendables, are deployed to the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia to halt local pirates from executing the hostages on a merchant vessel. The team consists of leader Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), former SAS soldier and blades specialist Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), martial artist Yin Yang (Jet Li), sniper Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), weapons specialist Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) and demolitions expert Toll Road (Randy Couture). Jensen instigates a firefight, causing casualties for the pirates. Yang and Jensen fight over a moral disagreement about hanging a pirate, with Ross finally intervening. As a result of his psychological problems and drug use, Ross reluctantly releases Jensen from the Expendables. The team then travels to New Orleans where they are based.
Ross and rival mercenary leader Trent Mauser (Arnold Schwarzenegger) visit a church to meet a man, who takes the name "Mr. Church" (Bruce Willis). Church offers them a mission in Vilena, an island in between the Gulf of Mexico and South America, to overthrow a brutal dictator, General Garza (David Zayas). Busy with other things, Trent gives the contract to Ross. Meanwhile, Christmas visits his girlfriend, Lacy (Charisma Carpenter), who he discovers has left him for another man. He leaves in a fit of rage, while Lacy insists her actions occurred because she does not see Christmas often and does not even know what he does for a living.
Ross and Christmas fly to Vilena to do initial reconnaissance after meeting their contact, Sandra (Gisele Itié), only for the mission to go awry. Ross learns that Garza is backed by ruthless ex-CIA agent James Munroe (Eric Roberts) as well as his henchmen Paine (Steve Austin) and The Brit (Gary Daniels), who manipulate and keep Garza in power by making his people fear him. Sandra is revealed to be Garza's daughter. Ross decides to abort and causes multiple casualties among the army as they escape, but Sandra refuses to leave. Meanwhile, a vengeful Jensen approaches Garza and Munroe to help their side.


Plot: 6.5/10- The plot was OK but nothing special.

Action: 9.9/10- Gunfire, explosions, hand to hand fight scenes this an action packed movie(viewer discretion is advise).

Acting: 7.5/10- The Stars of the movie were great but a few minor characters were not so good.

Special effects:8.0/10- Tons of awesome explosions.

Soundtrack: 8.0/10- A very good soundtrack.

Comedy:7.5/10 The Expendables is not a comedy but it has a good many funny parts and a really funny Arnold Schwarzenegger joke.

Overall: 7.7- This is a pure action film.

Closing comments: The Expendables is a cool action movie that is sure to satisfy your action crave but lacks in plot.

Recommended for: Action movie fans, Sylvester Stallone fans, Rambo fans.