Review: The Expendables (Slyvester Stallone, 2010)

Monumental

Sylvester Stallone.
Jason Statham.
Jet Li.
Mickey Rourke.
Randy Couture.
Dolph Lundgren.
Eric Roberts.
Steve "Stone Cold" Austin.
Bruce Willis.
and Arnold Schwarzennegger.

This movie doesn't just have one action hero...it has them all. Seriously, the cast alone already thrusts the film to top class status. But does it deliver? HELL YES. This is the action movie like how I remember it...like what I grew up on...pure 80s style...no watered down action, no PC liberal bullcrap, no pussies- just in your face, ballsy, hardcore R-rated entertainment; macho middle-aged manly men kicking and shooting the crap out of everything they see. And I FUCKING LOVED IT!

Pros:

-Just the fact that you have all the top action stars in this and they all work really well together! Stallone may be in his 60s but he sure knows how to kick ass. He runs, dives, jumps, fights and shoots his way through terrifically paced action scenes- he looks amazingly fit for his age and can still show that he is one of the legends of the action genre. He proved to us with Rocky Balboa in 2006 that he's still got it, he cemented it with Rambo in 2008 and now, with The Expendables, he has earned his right to be at the top. Welcome back!

-Excellent action scenes, well choreographed and intense with hardcore gore and carnage- with the finale being one of the most badass showdowns i've seen in a long time.

-Bare minimum CGI which was great for a film these days

-Kickass score by Brian Tyler.

-Old skool 80s style action dialogue with quoteable lines! Some people won't get it- the rest will love it. Just the kind of stuff we grew up on!

-Great relationships between the characters and each one being cool. Lundgren was my favourite along with Crewes. Steve Austin was also great!

-The Arnie cameo was just brilliant- easily one of the most memorable and now iconic scenes ever done in an action film. Just the fact that you have two action legends trying to one up each other was loveable and hilarious, it was a crowd pleaser and the whole audience loved it. The film would a 10/10 from me just for this scene! It was like Sonic and Mario being in the same game for the first time- a truly magical moment. Willis is also excellent here.

-It's more than just an action film- it is also surprisingly deep with some good drama elements and good performances- Micky Rourke telling us his past was actually quite touching.

-All in all a celebration of the action genre and a film for the guys!



Cons:

Shaky cam- a little too much, but it's not as bad as the Bourne movies. You can see what is happening but i still wish it was not in here.

-CGI blood and gore. I don't like it, but it's here. Thankfully it's very minimum. Some of it looks fake...but at the end of it, i didn't care...because the action scenes were so badass!

-It's a little slow at times when the action takes a break and there were
editing issues regarding this. It's good to have some drama in it but at times
it went on for a bit too long. But i'm glad it's there because it's a nice juxtaposition from that intense action scenes, even though sometimes it doesn't work that well and goes on a bit as it tries to take itself a bit too "seriously".

-Some of the interaction between the characters is hit and miss. You have to be in the right mood for it..but i liked it as i was in a great mood.

So love it or hate it- this film was unashamed in what it was- not only was it a great action film that bought balls back to the genre but it was also pretty deep with a message as well. Good fun on one side, non-PC ethics on the other.

Thank you Sly for bringing guts back to the fleeting action
movie! This was a dream movie that i have longed for since I was a child. Stallone proves once again that he is an 80s action God, and he has finally bought balls back to the action movie with this epic beast of a film. The boys are back in town...and it's about time!

10/10