The Expendables was never going to be an artistic masterpiece (except possibly in the ironic sense) and inevitably some will have a field day tearing its metaphorical limbs apart. As someone who spent his youth watching the likes of Schwarzenegger, Stallone et al, its safe to say this was one of the most anticipated films of the summer for me. Feelings of excitement were high as this real life A-Team (A for Action) appeared all under one roof.
The Expendables can certainly be compared to the recent update of The A-Team in terms of its sheer noisiness and spectacle. Unlike that film it does have a fairly comprehendible plot (not that plots matter hugely in films like this).
However, this nostalgia vehicle is something of a hit and miss affair rather than a consistently fun action adventure. Whilst the main cast of action stars (this excluding Arnie and Bruce Willis) are impressive few are given ample screen time or sufficient character development for us to really care for them. The best example of this is Dolph Longren who seems to wonder randomly from good to bad before disappearing for long sections.
Likewise, whilst the best action films of the past have had antagonists that have almost stole the show from right under the hero’s nose (Die Hard had Alan Rickman, Terminator 2 had Robert Patrick, Demolition Man had Wesley Snipes and Cliffhanger had Jonathan Lithgow), this time the bad guys are relatively bland and forgettable; the best of the bunch perhaps being wrestler Steve Austin who gets to look tough but is strictly confined to a henchman.
Technically, The Expendables falls victim to modern action editing techniques (shakey shakey shots that last no longer than five seconds). Whilst this has proved effective in some contemporary films (the Bourne franchise), here it is (once again) somewhat distracting and some otherwise excellent action sequences are undermined.
Whilst it may sound like I am overly slating a film that makes no pretentions about what it is, I might quickly add that there are moments of strong charm and amusement. “That” short but sweet scene featuring Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger is a joy to watch, particularly as Big Arnie makes his entrance into the church against a background of white light, this almost giving him a god like presence. This sequence is topped off with a brilliantly painful one liner which certainly got the crowd laughing in the screening I attended.
The final showdown however is where fan boys will undoubtedly get the most satisfaction, and it is this sequence that redeems the film significantly. The gloriously over-the-top, tongue in cheek violence (complete with very big guns) being an obvious throwback to the especially cheesy Commando. You certainly get what you pay for in the final, crowd pleasing final twenty minutes.
Is The Expendables as good as the films made during the heyday of the Stallone/Schwarzenegger genre? No, certainly not. However whilst it is deeply flawed and perhaps not quite the rollercoaster ride we were hoping for, The Expendables is still an oddly entertaining trip down memory lane for those who grew up in the 80s and 90s.
