The Basics
- Official Site: TheExpendables2Film.com
- Release Date: August 17, 2012
- Director: Simon West
- Main Actors: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Arnold Schwarzenegger
77 - Take
The Avengers isn’t the only all-star team-up at the movies this summer. Picking up where the first film left off, The Expendables 2 ups the ante and its roster of aging action heroes for a second round of testosterone-heavy summer entertainment, with a cast straight out of an action fan’s dream. In it, the title team of mercenaries is once again recruited by their old friend Church (Bruce Willis) to take on a seemingly simple job (aren’t they all?). But when things unexpectedly go south, that easy paycheck gets a lot harder, and they’ll need all hands on deck to stop a new adversary (Jean-Claude Van Damme, in vintage form) from getting his hands on five tons of weapons-grade plutonium.
And while guys are sure to enjoy The Expendables 2 more than critics, it certainly doesn’t lack in firepower, as the ageless summer franchise moves one step closer to its goal of assembling the ultimate action movie Dream Team.
And while guys are sure to enjoy The Expendables 2 more than critics, it certainly doesn’t lack in firepower, as the ageless summer franchise moves one step closer to its goal of assembling the ultimate action movie Dream Team.
63 Critical Appeal
Stallone stays in front of the camera this go-around, handing off directing duties to another action movie vet, Con Air’s Simon West. And though The Expendables 2 isn’t much more polished than its all-brawn-and-few-brains predecessor, West does an admirable job of keeping the action blockbuster from collapsing under the weight of its various big names, ensuring there’s enough screen time to go around. The script, once again cowritten by Sly, predictably suffers from the usual cheesy dialogue and is about as subtle as a rocket launcher -- an early movie twist couldn’t be more obviously telegraphed than if they sent it up with a signal flare.
But this is a movie that knows exactly what it is -- an old-school, action-packed guilty pleasure -- and doesn’t attempt to be anything more. Shamelessly self-aware, its big guns take turns spouting one another's catchphrases and winking at the camera. As to be expected, The Expendables 2 is saved by its roster of '80s action heroes, and Van Damme makes a serious upgrade as the movie’s main villain, the “creatively”-named Jean Vilain. Ultimately, the idea behind The Expendables 2 is simple: Pack in as many big names as you can and don’t let up on the action until the credits roll. Everything else, from plot to character development, is expendable.
But this is a movie that knows exactly what it is -- an old-school, action-packed guilty pleasure -- and doesn’t attempt to be anything more. Shamelessly self-aware, its big guns take turns spouting one another's catchphrases and winking at the camera. As to be expected, The Expendables 2 is saved by its roster of '80s action heroes, and Van Damme makes a serious upgrade as the movie’s main villain, the “creatively”-named Jean Vilain. Ultimately, the idea behind The Expendables 2 is simple: Pack in as many big names as you can and don’t let up on the action until the credits roll. Everything else, from plot to character development, is expendable.
91 Guy Appeal
If there was ever a movie that exemplified the sometimes wide divide between critics and fans, it’s The Expendables 2. Because for all its imperfections, the action hero reunion tour is tailor-made for guys, delivering exactly what fans of the first movie want: Another hard-hitting action throwback that they just don’t seem to make anymore, and one that takes the promise of the first Expendables and kicks everything up to 11. And while the movie runs the risk of becoming a sideshow thanks to its Dream Team approach to casting, it’s hard to deny the appeal of watching Arnold Schwarzenegger’s triumphant return to action, Stallone and Van Damme squaring off, or one-time box office competitors like Chuck Norris and Bruce Willis fighting side by side.
Ditching the first movie’s one-on-one throwdowns in favor of more teamwork, the action starts off strong with an opening set piece that most other action movies would save for the final battle. But when it comes to The Expendables 2, there are always more planes to crash, buildings to blow up, henchmen to mow down and big-name action heroes to join the fight. And while Stallone and his fellow legends may not move as quickly as they used to, this is one franchise that looks like it still has a lot more left in the tank. Sometimes you just can’t beat a classic.
Ditching the first movie’s one-on-one throwdowns in favor of more teamwork, the action starts off strong with an opening set piece that most other action movies would save for the final battle. But when it comes to The Expendables 2, there are always more planes to crash, buildings to blow up, henchmen to mow down and big-name action heroes to join the fight. And while Stallone and his fellow legends may not move as quickly as they used to, this is one franchise that looks like it still has a lot more left in the tank. Sometimes you just can’t beat a classic.
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