"Expend4bles" is getting decimated by critics; with a current 5.2 out of 10 rating on IMDb and a 16% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, "Expend4bles" seems to be the worst action film since, well, the third film in the franchise. But, when compared to the third film, this fourth iteration is changing things - going back to basics, you could say. How? By bringing back the coveted, much desired R-rating. A ha! That should do it! I mean, blood, gore, cussing, pole dancers, and Megan Fox wearing a tight, white tank top? That's what everyone wants out of this series..... right?
Here's the thing: "Expend4bles" is by no means a game changer, nor is it a harkening back to the glory days of the first two movies. The R-rating does return - and the slightly over-sexualized tone is a welcome addition when compared to today's trend of making every action film as asexual as possible - but none of it really lives up to the heights of the explosive climax of the first film or the bombastic introduction of the second. From the opening scene, you can tell that "Expend4bles" is made on a budget; the film looks almost like a direct-to-DVD movie, with constantly CGI blood, shoddy green screen, and slight (though not excessive) shaky camera. The dialogue is incomprehensible at times due to mediocre sound mixing, and the film only has a handful of locations compared to its globe-trotting predecessors. Megan Fox isn't the most believable actress, and everyone else, except for Statham, looks like they rolled out of bed directly on set to read lines directly off a script. All of that said, though, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun with this!
Look, if you're going in to see the fourth film in a popular action franchise, then you should already know what you're going to get. And here, what you're going to get is practically two hours of mindless action - and that's all I wanted. Jason Statham blowing people away with assault rifles and slashing people's throats open with huge knives; Sylvester Stallone taking aim at people from the skies while flying a military-grade airplane; Megan Fox wearing revealing clothing while engaging in a suggestive "Mr. And Mrs. Smith"-esque fight scene; Andy Garcia dressed to the nines, chewing tooth pics, and shooting people in the face. Everything in this movie is bigger and more ridiculous than you can possibly imagine, but man oh man is it just so much fun to watch on the big screen.
I'll just say it: I spent $18 on two movie theatre hot dogs and a giant bottle of water, sat down with my mom, chowed down, and enjoyed watching action scene after action scene after action scene for two hours. The plot? Who actually cares about that. The acting? You've seen the other films in this franchise - you already know the acting is the thing that actors care least about when filming this movie. The action? That's what this is all about! And "Expend4bles" doesn't disappoint with a near non-stop barrage of bloody violence. Bullets, knives, grenades, hatchets, and spike chains are just a few of the weapons in people's arsenal in this movie, and you'll be privy to a multitude of ways that people meet their end. Sure, the shaky camera is there, but it's nowhere near as bad as it was in "The Expendables 3" - in that movie, you literally could not tell what was happening or who it was happening to; here, the camera may shake, but the action is shown clearly. And sure, the CGI sticks out like a sore thumb, but at this point the bad CGI is 100% a purposeful choice to not only save money but also poke fun at old 80s action movies. Everything in this movie has been custom built for you to have a good time watching it, and I had a great time watching it.
The critics may be hating on this movie, but that's just one more reason for you to go and watch it. This is an action movie, and it delivers basically constant action from beginning to end. If that's what you want to see, then you'll enjoy yourself.
Here's the thing: "Expend4bles" is by no means a game changer, nor is it a harkening back to the glory days of the first two movies. The R-rating does return - and the slightly over-sexualized tone is a welcome addition when compared to today's trend of making every action film as asexual as possible - but none of it really lives up to the heights of the explosive climax of the first film or the bombastic introduction of the second. From the opening scene, you can tell that "Expend4bles" is made on a budget; the film looks almost like a direct-to-DVD movie, with constantly CGI blood, shoddy green screen, and slight (though not excessive) shaky camera. The dialogue is incomprehensible at times due to mediocre sound mixing, and the film only has a handful of locations compared to its globe-trotting predecessors. Megan Fox isn't the most believable actress, and everyone else, except for Statham, looks like they rolled out of bed directly on set to read lines directly off a script. All of that said, though, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun with this!
Look, if you're going in to see the fourth film in a popular action franchise, then you should already know what you're going to get. And here, what you're going to get is practically two hours of mindless action - and that's all I wanted. Jason Statham blowing people away with assault rifles and slashing people's throats open with huge knives; Sylvester Stallone taking aim at people from the skies while flying a military-grade airplane; Megan Fox wearing revealing clothing while engaging in a suggestive "Mr. And Mrs. Smith"-esque fight scene; Andy Garcia dressed to the nines, chewing tooth pics, and shooting people in the face. Everything in this movie is bigger and more ridiculous than you can possibly imagine, but man oh man is it just so much fun to watch on the big screen.
I'll just say it: I spent $18 on two movie theatre hot dogs and a giant bottle of water, sat down with my mom, chowed down, and enjoyed watching action scene after action scene after action scene for two hours. The plot? Who actually cares about that. The acting? You've seen the other films in this franchise - you already know the acting is the thing that actors care least about when filming this movie. The action? That's what this is all about! And "Expend4bles" doesn't disappoint with a near non-stop barrage of bloody violence. Bullets, knives, grenades, hatchets, and spike chains are just a few of the weapons in people's arsenal in this movie, and you'll be privy to a multitude of ways that people meet their end. Sure, the shaky camera is there, but it's nowhere near as bad as it was in "The Expendables 3" - in that movie, you literally could not tell what was happening or who it was happening to; here, the camera may shake, but the action is shown clearly. And sure, the CGI sticks out like a sore thumb, but at this point the bad CGI is 100% a purposeful choice to not only save money but also poke fun at old 80s action movies. Everything in this movie has been custom built for you to have a good time watching it, and I had a great time watching it.
The critics may be hating on this movie, but that's just one more reason for you to go and watch it. This is an action movie, and it delivers basically constant action from beginning to end. If that's what you want to see, then you'll enjoy yourself.