Posted on 09/03/2012 6:23:31 PM PDT by RightOnline
OK....a rainy day; decided to go see "The Expendables 2" today with my lady friend and my son. Just thought, for those who haven't seen it and are maybe thinking about it, I'd drop a thought or two here.
First, if you haven't seen the original..."The Expendables"...get it on Netflix or rent the DVD. This one won't make much sense, really, unless you see it in the context of the first movie. The films' plots have zip to do with each other, but the characters, etc. need to be understood first.
It opens with a serious 'bang'....literally. Very violent, VERY fast paced, lots of shoot-'em-up, explosions, bad guys' heads being blown off (literally), lots of blood splattering. Overall, a lot of fun. :)
It slows down a bit to set up the film's premise, introduce a couple of new characters, etc. Let's just say I never got the Chinese girl; no clue who she was supposed to be, why she gets attached to the crew (forcibly), etc. Terrible character development. The other new member of the team was eminently likeable...but I'll say no more to avoid giving away too much.
You have, as in the original, a virtual pantheon of film action heroes....Stallone (most prominent; co-wrote the movie), Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis (playing parodies of themselves; they could have and should have phoned it in), Jason Statham (a real badass, when they LET him be one), Jet Li (disappointingly little screen time; always awesome to see), Dolph Lundgren (who was even spacier in this film than the first), Randy Couture (a real-life badass who says, does VERY little here), Terry Crews (remember the huge black dude in Sandler's remake of "The Longest Yard" that loved McDonald's burgers? That guy....and he's even bigger now)....and even Chuck Norris pops in and out (and much as I love the guy and admire his real skills....my God what a wimpy voice for such an ass-kicker).
The bad guy is gamely played by Jean-Claude Van Damme. I hated him. Good sign there; he can play a bad guy quite convincingly. Great job with what he was given to work with (horrible syntax....let is slide).
Overall, much as I seem to be taking potshots....one hell of a fun ride; a great popcorn movie. The "R" rating is clearly for the violence; no nudity, very little to almost no foul language. The guys clearly had fun making this (as they did the first one). It's also crystal clear that Sly Stallone is the king of the pack, NO doubt. Not just in the script....you can see it in the interaction with the others. He's the big dog....not Arnold.
There are a LOT of gags in the film....obvious references to each others' more famous film roles, etc., etc....they break the glass wall continuously, but you don't care since they pull it off....damned funny, too. That's quite a feat, since usually I find that kind of thing self-serving and annoying. Not here, and I really can't even say why.....just that they can be funny as hell.
No one takes the film or themselves too seriously, and you shouldn't, either. Just check your brain at the door, get a large buttered popcorn and a huge soda, and park your carcass in that big, thick, semi-reclining chair....and have a blast.
A fun ride, worth the $$$ and the time. Definitely recommend.
Forgot to mention....and no plot spoiler here....in light of Clint Eastwood’s RNC appearance, it was SO funny to me (even though this movie was in the can LONG before the convention) that every time Chuck appeared, they played that famous “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly” theme. It fit, even though it was an Eastwood thing vs. a Norris thing....and no one cared. Got laughs from the audience every time. :)
He even told a Chuck Norris joke during the movie.
Thanks for the review. Sounds like a fun movie to see.
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