If there were an all-star game of action heroes, the Expendables franchise would be it. A new generation of stars join the world’s top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in Expend4bles. Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone are joined for the first time by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world’s last line of defence and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. The new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give “new blood” a whole new meaning.
The Expendables team is the world’s elite ‘off-books’ mercenary team, here to save the day. It’s been close to ten years since the last sequel came out… many notable stars didn’t make their return. That said, the lack of cameos and stars doesn’t stop the movie from making a fun action movie akin to the 80s and 90s over-the-top action.
Expend4bles does a good job at poking fun at itself while keeping a straightforward storyline with the usual action hijinks you are likely here for. When you go into watching an action movie like this you need to remember things are going to get zany… heck, that’s why we love these types of movies. It reminds me of watching ‘Live Free or Die Hard’ when Bruce Willis famously destroys a helicopter by launching a car at it. To which Justin Long exclaims, “You just killed a helicopter with a car!” and Bruce Willis replies, “I was out of bullets”. So absurd, I love it. But that’s another movie, I digress. Back to Expend4bles, One scene stands out as the team utilizes some music as a distraction. Who’s song? 50 Cent of course… how meta.
Now that I’ve set your expectations, the Expend4bles also has its fair share of one-liners and over-the-top moments. The action is mixed in with various comedy and genuine fun from all parties involved. The action is at times bloody but not too bloody as Jason Statham and the team look to avoid an international incident and seek revenge. There is something about Jason Statham in action movies… I could watch him kick butt in any flick. He’s the modern-day Chuck Norris.
New additions Iko Uwais (‘the Raid’) and Tony Jaa (‘Ong Bak’) were great to see. I only wish they got more screen time kicking butt! What legends! What I wish I didn’t get more of were some of the CGI, which at times felt a bit like watching a video game.
All in all, the movie was amusing in an action movie context. The target audience for this flick is definitely action movie fans. If that’s what you are into, you’ll probably get a kick out of it. If you mostly skipped out on the action movies of the 80s, 90s, and so on… this one may not be for you.
