The Expendables 2
Director: Simon West
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and Randy Couture
New Release Review
Another August, another surprise movie hit. The Expendables 2 was everything I wanted a movie like this to be. Funny, action packed and just plain fun!
The plot picks up from the first Expendables movie - a group of mercenaries come together "one last time" to save the world. What more do you expect from a movie that boasts action stars from the 80s, 90s and even today? We don't want any complicated plot lines - just give us a basic story and fill it in with humour and action - and this film delivers on both accounts.
I have to say - from the moment the movie started, I was in stitches. The actors fully embraced their "80s action hero" personae and made the audience remember why we loved them all so much. Whether it was Chuck Norris playing up the "Chuck Norris facts" phenomenon or Arnold Schwarzenegger ripping the door off of a Smart Car, there was never a dull moment in this film. Unlike the first installment in this series that seemed to take itself too seriously for the majority of the film.
Best casting addition in this film: Jean-Claude Van Damme as the main antagonist. A-MAZ-ING. You still can't understand a word he's saying and he can still kick ass. I've got no complaints!
Another great addition (or change) was that Stallone removed himself from the director's helm and brought in Simon West, who's previous films Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and most recently The Mechanic, make him the perfect "action genre director" to steer this film towards the right direction (no pun intended).
In true Hollywood money making fashion - there is another sequel in the works. Honestly, I would love to see another film if it is anything like this addition in the franchise. (I guess it's safe to say it is a franchise now) There are so many more actors that can be used in the next film: Steven Seagel, John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Antonio Banderas, Jackie Chan and of course - Wesley Snipes (who Stallone has been hoping he can get into one of these films but hasn't fulfilled that dream due to Snipes current incarceration). The well of 80s and 90s action stars is unending!
*Update* - I forgot to mention how conveniently released this film was - over the next few months we will see new films from Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis!) Can you say, "Re-starting careers?"
Final Verdict: A must see for any fan of any of these actors and their previous franchises (or films) that made them a bonafide action star (Willis - Die Hard, Schwarzenegger - Terminator, Stallone - Rocky, etc). Lots of fun and no thinking required! A great "movie" that captures its genre perfectly. A film that is "excellent crap, fine junk, an exercise in campy movie nostalgia" (Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly)
See it.
Rotten Tomatoes
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