Directed by Simon West
Expendables was a huge riot of nonstop action without much purpose beyond reveling in its own masculinity. So the only thing you can do with the sequel is make it bigger, badder, and bolder. That’s just what Expendables 2 tries to do, but it’s honestly hard to top the intensity of the first one. It does manage to succeed at this lofty goal, but by how much? Well, not a whole lot. Expendables 2 is a better movie, but your opinion of the first one will probably be the same the second time around.
One major improvement I do have to mention is the FX. The first film had some of the ugliest CG to ever ruin a bloody killing spree. Thankfully, those ridiculous looking exploding bodies, that laughable man on fire, and the worst, to me at least, that wince inducing scene where Stallone stabbed a dude in the neck were not used this time around. I apologize for dredging up bad memories, but I want you to realize just how much easier it is to watch the film because of the improved FX work. I spent the first film waiting for the next terrible CG effect to pop up, but in this film I forgot to think about the FX after the first ten minutes. That alone makes this movie superior to the original.
Another good thing about part two is the big toys. The first film had some big guns, but not a whole lot of unique and weird stuff. All it had to stand out was the rapid-fire shotgun and that tricked out airplane. Both of those return for some fun action, but we also get some great armored cars in the beginning. They’ve got battering rams and folding armor plates that make the opening scene one of abnormal and amusing action. It’s probably the best action piece in the film. But you know when you hear the first part of the movie is the best, there’s going to be some problems. Which brings us to the bad news. For every bit of fun inventiveness the film throws out, it has another two scenes that are merely humdrum and average.
This film has a great collection of action stars in it, but they all feel like cameos. Not because they don’t get much screen time, but because they do so little with the time they have. Chuck Norris gets the worst of this. Sure he’s there, but all he does is stand around shooting a gun or swaggering around calmly in the aftermath of mayhem and destruction. Come on, this is the guy that went toe to toe with Bruce Lee! I want to see him do more than sit there holding a gun. Expendables expects you to be in love with it for simply having your favorite stars in it even though they don’t do much of the stuff that you love them for.
There certainly is some fun to be had from the huge ensemble cast beyond just seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis sitting next to each other. In fact, my favorite moment of the film is the conversation they have while ducking behind cover together towards the end. It’s one of the highlights of the movie, playing off the trademark lines of both actors to hilarious effect. Thankfully, the film never takes itself too seriously and is never afraid to toss in a fun reference to the past roles of its actors.
As the battles kept coming I couldn’t tell where everyone was coming from or how they got there. The good guys run around a corner and find the bad guys waiting for them; the bad guys run around a corner and find the good guys waiting for them; some guys I can’t tell whose side are on run around a corner and get attacked by whoever happened to be there. How did they get ahead of each other? When did they get in that room? Just where the hell did that airport (at least I think it’s an airport) come from? No, seriously. We were in the middle of nowhere five minutes ago. That crowded airport has no business being there. After a while I realized that no good would come of thinking about anything. This movie isn’t about thinking; it’s about blowing stuff up and killing as many people as possible. Just sit back and enjoy the sound and the fury. There’s no other way to watch this movie.
As long as you go into it expecting nothing more than an adrenaline rush, there is a fair amount of fun to be found, and overall it is a better film than the first. It’s still not good enough to rise above the realm of average, though. Like the first film it gets by on sheer intensity rather than quality. I suppose it’s impressive just how far it manages on only that one factor, but this is by no means a return to the glory days of last century’s action films. Instead, it’s a collection of old men reminiscing about those glory days.
[Editor’s Note: Because The Expendables are all about excess, we’re following suit once again and having two reviews of the same movie on the same day! So come back later on today for my take on this one!]