a senseless film... totally wasted time
Really dumb, but at least Dolph Lundgren steals the show by hamming it up to 11.
I have no idea how anyone could enjoy this movie. I went into expecting an absurd amount of action and amusing cheesy one liners. In fact I would have been happy if the whole film was just a series of explosions with no dialog at all. What did I get, a lot of walk-on shots of action stars that don't do anything other than look bad-ass. Granted the walk-on shots are mostly cool (except for Arnold who was miscast as a the movies token government douche bag) but this alone does not make a movie. Stallone is usually a great writer (no sarcasm here, seriously the man can write), I don't know what happen but I'm pretty the script writing involved a great deal of cocaine use. Ironically the film fails because it's not mindless enough. It tries to have character development and story but it fails when it does so. It couldn't even decide what story it was. It starts out like it's a guy protecting an old flame from a violent relationship then it's girl from a far away land needs help to save her people. Movie couldn't even decide who the villains were. Dolf starts off as a good guy, betrays the team, and then at the end he comes back to base to have a brew with the boys, WTF!!!
Even though The Expendables has a stellar cast the film falls short of being great. It's not every film when my opinion aligns with the critics. In fact most of the time the critics get it wrong, but with The Expendables I have to agree with what most of them are saying. Yes this film does makes good on the old-school action they promised which was all excellent and the film brings together some of the best action stars out there today; however with all the top end action stars involved with this film you would think the film would of (as the main consensus reads) "hit harder". Besides the super cast I felt the story line was kind of weak and it was kind of a letdown that every action star (or at least most of them) didn't have enough screen time. I would have enjoyed it more if Willis actually stuck around longer, or Li had more time to shine like Statham and Stallone got. With its faults The Expendables was fun to watch for just the super cast it boosts. It was extremely enjoyable to see them interacting with each other. If this film didn't have a super cast I probably would have rated this film lower.
Fun throwback to 80 testosterone action flicks. The tone is a bit off, and doesn't really match the fun goofiness of those old movies. It kind of takes itself too seriously. But it's still a kick to see all these guys together, blasting and punching everything in their path.
Senseless fun. Great cast - although not sure why Bruce and Arnie were even in the film - only had a few seconds of screen time. Sly and Statham kicked ass, as usual.
Sylvester Stallone - YES
Jason Statham - YES
Dolph Lundgren - HELL YES!
Steve Austin - HELL YEAH!
Randy Couture - NO
Mickey Rourke - Meh
Terry Crews - YES
Jet Li - YES
Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger - Would've been better if they were in the action too.
The Expendables was a fun rewatch. Just an action movie like they made them in the 80s and early 90s. It is the kind of movies I love. Seeing so many of my favorites in one film is always a treat. Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Sly, Stone Cold, Jet Li, Willis and Arnold. So much fun. Loads of explosions, poor cgi gore, still we got gore! One-liners and again loads of explosions.
The Expendables is a nice throwback to old action movies and I like it.
the avengers but it's old guys with guns
Alot of action and a ton of whatevers
The Expendables is the ultimate achievement in action movies, it's the culmination of all of cinema. Every film since the first nickelodeon has been building toward this. Stallone, Statham, Li, Austin, Willis, Schwarzenegger; it's amazing that the film reels didn't explode trying to contain them all. A generation's greatest action stars have come together to rumble; Stallone throws down with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Jet Li opens up on Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham has a knife throwing contest with Mickey Rourke, etc., etc. It’s the Godzilla vs. King Kong of action heroes. Just seeing Stallone, Willis, and Schwarzenegger all on screen together sends chills down the spine. This is a film specifically for action movie buffs. Promising action stars kicking ass, The Expendables delivers in spades.
Sexist, racist. contrived. full of in house jokes and references. Although it's a recent(ish) movie, it really is derived from a different time.
If you are under 40, I can't see why you would watch this.
If you are over 40, only invest your time if you watched the old action movies. It is full off old famous people (once, this movie would have just been too expensive to make). It emphasises stereotypical Hollywood manliness (where all men are sweaty and speak in deep voices, with phrases like "Next time I'll deflate all your balls, friend", and any woman under 30 is viewed as easy prey), with a focus of action and explosions over script, continuity or making sense.
Could I recommend it? I really don't know. It was kind of funny / sad / nostalgic seeing what was once entertainment, but at the end, really left me wondering why so many old action stars did this.
If mindless, bloody, hardcore action with tough guys as the heroes is your fetish, then go see this movie! This is exactly what I hoped for.
It's no secret that I love an old action movie...and by old I mean from when I was a kid. The 80s made a huge impact on my taste in movies, and I still love an over the top action romp as much as the next guy that grew up on them.
The Expendables are an above average homage to the 80s and 90s in action, and when they collect an ensemble of the same stars you grew up watching, well...it has to be good...right?
The Expendables are fun...no doubt about that. The action is over the top, the clips seem to be like the Tardis (bigger on the inside for those of you that don't watch Doctor Who), and both bad guy and hero can take an insane amount of beating before falling.
...and as usual in these kinds of movies, the story takes a backseat to the action. It's barely a framework there to hang the action on. It doesn't hurt the enjoyment all that much, but I tend to want more out of my action movies these days.
The Expendables are an enjoyable reunion of sorts and serves you well for an evening of action.
Somewhat of a disappointment for me: the all-star-action-hero-cast wasn't enough to make a good movie.
But if you can forgive a rather weak and shady plot and like fast action flicks with a lot of body count, this could anyway be something for you. But do NOT expect anything more than 90 minutes of mindless action.
In short: the boys and their toys. I almost drowned in the testosterone.
Definitely some action. Could have been edited a little better, lots of talk and weird close ups that don't help the cause.
Shout by OllyVIP OG 10BlockedParent2012-10-23T16:56:03Z
That's two hours of my life I'm never getting back...