Who couldn't remember "The Expendables"? Minus the all-star cast, the film literally bombed. The story was crap (even for action film standards) and even the action was lame. But two years after that disappointing film, we find ourselves in the same sordid situation. The legends of action in another ensemble film. A sequel we could easily pass up as totally unnecessary. But you know what? "The Expendables 2" is actually palatable this time around and it just proves that sometimes, second time's the charm.
The rag tag group known as The Expendables are of to a mission in Nepal to rescue a kidnapped Chinese businessman. The mission proves to be successful but when they arrive back in America, Ross (Sylvester Stallone) is confronted by Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) and forced into a retrieval mission in Albania. At first, the retrieval of a computer proves to be easy but before the group is able to extract themselves from the site, they are ambushed by Jean Vilain (Jean-Claude Van Damme) who gets the compuer and kills their newest recruit, Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth). Now, Ross and his team are on a revenge mission to not only get back the computer from Jean but also avenge the death of one of their colleagues.
"The Expendables 2" has improved its predecessor's glaring problems and with it comes a much deserving tribute to the old action stars of yore. It's still not the be all end all action film but it does enough to make this sequel at least enjoyable. First off, the film did improve on its story. Yes, it's still stupid to say the least but what do you expect from a hardcore action film? This time around though, there's no beating around the bush. The plot is simple and from there develops simply. The action sequences this time around is way better showcasing a cinematography that is both creative and fun. But the biggest thing that "The Expendables 2" have is its script. It's humorous and the simple odes to each specific action star is both nostalgic and funny at the same time. "The Expendables 2" proves that sequels can be sometimes better than predecessors. Yeah, the first being one ugly film did help but at least they learned from their mistakes and did way better this time around.
Rating: 4 reels
Why you should watch it:
- the action sequences are finally worthy of this ensemble film
- the script is funny and rife with references to the action stars' past films
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the story is better but it still lacks any serious material
The rag tag group known as The Expendables are of to a mission in Nepal to rescue a kidnapped Chinese businessman. The mission proves to be successful but when they arrive back in America, Ross (Sylvester Stallone) is confronted by Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) and forced into a retrieval mission in Albania. At first, the retrieval of a computer proves to be easy but before the group is able to extract themselves from the site, they are ambushed by Jean Vilain (Jean-Claude Van Damme) who gets the compuer and kills their newest recruit, Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth). Now, Ross and his team are on a revenge mission to not only get back the computer from Jean but also avenge the death of one of their colleagues.
"The Expendables 2" has improved its predecessor's glaring problems and with it comes a much deserving tribute to the old action stars of yore. It's still not the be all end all action film but it does enough to make this sequel at least enjoyable. First off, the film did improve on its story. Yes, it's still stupid to say the least but what do you expect from a hardcore action film? This time around though, there's no beating around the bush. The plot is simple and from there develops simply. The action sequences this time around is way better showcasing a cinematography that is both creative and fun. But the biggest thing that "The Expendables 2" have is its script. It's humorous and the simple odes to each specific action star is both nostalgic and funny at the same time. "The Expendables 2" proves that sequels can be sometimes better than predecessors. Yeah, the first being one ugly film did help but at least they learned from their mistakes and did way better this time around.
Rating: 4 reels
Why you should watch it:
- the action sequences are finally worthy of this ensemble film
- the script is funny and rife with references to the action stars' past films
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the story is better but it still lacks any serious material
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