100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 49: The Expendables 3

Director: Patrick Hughes

Genre: Action/ Adventure

Runtime: 126 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Kelsey Grammer, Antonio Banderas, Glen Powell, Victor Ortiz, Ronda Rousey, Kellan Lutz, Jet Li 

Description: Barney (Sylvester Stallone) augments his team with new blood for a personal battle: to take down Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), the Expendables co-founder and notorious arms trader who is hell bent on wiping out Barney and every single one of his associates.

Review: It’s again time for an adventure with some of our favorite action stars: “The Expendables 3”. As the driving engine behind the film series, Sylvester Stallone managed to find some new actors. Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford are added to the cast. Alongside the ‘oldies’, we also get some new young stars. Kellan Lutz is probably the only one that will ring a bell. Bruce Willis isn’t part of it anymore.

The movie starts with a lot of action. Barney and his team have to save an ex-Expendable, named Doctor Death. During their next mission, Barney finds out that Stonebanks, an Expendable gone bad, is still alive. All he wants is to go up against him one more time, especially after severely injuring Caesar. Barney doesn’t want his other friends to get hurt, so he decides to set up a new team. But it’s not that easy to exchange experience.

Just like how The Rolling Stones still keep coming back and fill concert halls, “The Expendables 3” will attract audience. The storyline is never the strong point, although there is a more emotional side to it this time.

Introducing Wesley Snipes and Antonio Banderas to the franchise is a smart move. Their loud characters often manage to make you laugh. The search for the new generation, led by Kelsey Grammer, is more fun than the new group itself. All of them are easily replaceable. Mel Gibson is very convincing as the villain.

The action is again of a high level. If you liked the previous movies in this series, “The Expedables 3” gives you again what you expect. The formula hasn’t stopped working yet and another sequel isn’t unthinkable.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 134: The Expendables 2

Director: Simon West

Genre: Action/ Adventure

Runtime: 102 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Liam Hemsworth, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, terry Crews, Jean-Claude van Damme, Chuck Norris, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture

Description: Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.

Review: The first movie, “The Expendables” from 2010, was a disappointment for many people. At least for a movie with almost every big action star in Hollywood, fans were expecting a great action no-brainer. I found it highly enjoyable and I was happy to see a sequel.

The stars from the first film are all present. Barney Ross and his companions are send to Eastern Europe to intercept a safe with classified information in it. This simple operation fails and it falls into the wrong hands.

There isn’t anything more to say about the story. From the start of the film, action is all over the place. It’s badass and non-stop entertainment. It’s great to see the old tough guys show their muscles. The movie is filled with humor, shoot outs and explosions. “The Expendables 2” stays fun and especially the combination of action and wit is great. And some cheesy one-liners, (please don’t take them too seriously) are present as well. It’s clear that all the actors enjoyed making this movie.

The story is bad and some scenes are a bit odd. And dialogues with more than five sentences are hard to find. Why is this movie so much fun? It’s an adrenaline rush, pure action from beginning ‘till end. It’s exactly what you would expect from a movie like “The Expendables 2”, so no disappointments.

I don’t feel guilty liking this second movie. It’s very entertaining and a guarantee for a great movie night.

Rating: 3,5/ 5