REVIEW: The Expendables 2

MOVIE
The Expendables 2

CAST
Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham

RATING
R

RELEASE
August 17, 2012

DIRECTOR
Simon West

STUDIO(S)
Lionsgate, Millenium Films

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 43 minutes







STARS
***








REVIEW:

For those who enjoy classic action films from the 1980s including 'Die Hard' and 'Rambo,' then this is the must see event for them. People had hoped that the first 'Expendables' movie would be the action film of their dreams. Unfortunately that film was limited on the action, along with being really boring. Screenwriters Richard Wenk and Sylvester Stallone saw the problems that were made with their first attempt at a 80s action orgy, so they tried again with this new movie. Well for starters, they succeeded at what they were trying to make: an action-packed, gory, and cheesy movie filled with many action stars of the 80's and pop culture references. While there are flaws here, 'The Expendables 2' is a fun time at the movies, especially when you understand the references that are spewed out by the actors.

Not much of a plot, other than a bunch of old badasses kicking ass and killing people with stylized action and tons of gore. Now, let's get onto the acting. It's not right to criticize the acting in this movie, because it was intended to be in the style of the acting in a B-movie. It's supposed to be laughable for the majority of the time, especially when the actors are shooting the most ridiculous one liners. That seemed just what the actors intended to be doing. Plus, it seemed like they were having a lot of fun making this movie. However the three actors who seemed to be having the most fun making this were Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews, and Chuck Norris.

Even though Terry Crews was mostly screaming when shooting people, he still looked like he was enjoying himself and having loads of fun while making this movie. Schwarzenegger has two purposes in this movie: 1.) Killing as many people as possible. 2.) Throwing one liners and references to his other movies. The references are mostly directed from 'The Terminator,' but nevertheless Schwarzenegger's jokes were really funny. However, all of the laughter from Schwarzenegger, Crews, and the other members of the cast don't even measure up to how funny it is when Chuck Norris first arrives on screen.

Not only does Norris kick serious ass playing "The Lone Wolf," but he even has the testosterone and self-pleasure to make a "Chuck Norris joke." When he says it, nothing but laughter can be heard for about 10-20 seconds. Getting Chuck Norris to be in this movie was probably the film's best decision, mainly because that would get a big fan base of his to see him on the big screen once again. Even though he's only in here for 10 minutes, Norris steals the show. Wanna know why? Because he's Chuck Freaking Norris! The cast overall is good and seemed like they were having a crap ton of fun. However the three actors I mentioned seemed to be the ones who knew exactly why they were in this movie: to make the die-hard action fans stand up and cheer.

If someone is looking for a well-developed plot, a well written script, and great acting from the cast, then 'The Expendables 2' is probably not for them. The script is written just for the sake of trying to be a generic action movie with a lot of pop culture references, not that there's anything wrong with that. This is the movie that the kids who grew up in the 80s have been waiting and dreaming for. There are many problems in the film, including the pacing. The pacing goes from being fast to being slow, and it was kind of irritating at times. Also the beginning of the film set the bar high on gore, so when the other action scenes came around, they personally disappointed me. Still though, there may not be another chance to see all of these actors together on the big screen until they make a third 'Expendables' movie, so the time was well spent. 'The Expendables 2' is trying to be nothing but an action lover's wet dream. As a guy who isn't that big a fan of action movies, this is without a doubt a fun two hour ride.




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