(2012-04-28 23:04:42)

Great Movie

This review is from: The Expendables (DVD) Great Movie, loved seeing all the super heroes together on one screen. Have watched it twice already and it is already loaned out to family. Hope that I get it back.

M. O.

(2012-04-28 11:57:31)

Testosterone celebration...

Brazil was one of the filming locations of The Expendables and afterthat Stallone did an awful joke about Brazilians at Comic Con which hada very bad repercussion worldwide. Later he apologized for the jokeinconvenience but it was too late, people here just did a massiveboycott to his new action flick, even me... until now.Anyway... besides all that press stuff, Stallone proves one more timewith The Expendables that he can finally and officially be passing histestosterone belt to the new generation, but he knows how to make oldschool action movies like no one without being old fashion or out ofdate.The movie has all the classic elements that made him the king of bloodypunches and explosion in the 80's and is a lot entertaining and alsonostalgic see this kind of thing nowadays when action movies have had alot of changes thru the decades. He's still in shape, get some injurieshere and there, but he's tough enough to hold it for the sake ofentertainment, as another one said.He also cannot be the best director or writer in the world but we haveto admit that his direction and writing is more effective and superiorthan most of other action directors that are hitting box office sincelate 90's. Also it's obvious that this is the realization of a dreamand a fun time he always wanted and always talked about joiningtogether most of the old and new Hollywood action icons, a project hehad in mind since the 90's but only now he could make it true.All the tough ones are there, even as guest appearances likeSchwarzenegger and Willis (with a few exceptions like Van Dame andSteven Seagal). Also references are there too, mainly of Stallone'sclassics like 'Rambo'.You cannot expect anything more than explosions, gun shots,mutilations, real bad ass man fist-fight and bloody+sweat everywhere.Is a movie for the men and made for the male audience with nointeresting story, just no remorse fighting and killing.The movie is a clear intent to be a testosterone celebration like mendrinking cheap beer in a nasty bar and there's no way to watch it in adifferent way.Forget John Woo's lame American titles, forget Michael Bay's awfuldirection and all Brukheimer's terrible taste... get a beer and someundercooked meat and have some fun with Stallone once more.

marty_comroe

(2012-04-26 18:25:12)

It could not have been worse

Dialogue.... dull, flat Characters.... boring, without heart Plot....old, usedThe single upside to this movie is that the constant explosions ofsound drown out the snoring of the movie goers. No twists. No wit. Aone minute visit from the Governator, only forgetting to say "pleasecome visit California."Disconnected scenes, no background to make the characters interesting.In the end, on an action movie, who you gonna love? You would hope thatthere are likable characters, someone to cheer for. At the end of thismovie, if a final explosion took out the entire cast, I think theaudience would have simply been relieved to know that there would notbe a sequel.

Kelchubordnor

(2012-04-26 06:44:37)

Good tongue in cheek cheese

Well first thing I enjoyed this movie but I have to say that both of myfriends who I went with did not recognise a few of the stars. RandyCouture and Gary Daniels (who is wasted) and also I had to explainSteve Austins credentials.There is homage paid to everything from Rambo to cobra in this movie aswell as a little joke for Arnold and you know the surname. Essentiallya mercenary team who do what mercenaries do for money, the leaderdecides to save a girl who he falls for and you can work out the restof the movie from there. I still love the way that Dolph Lundgren isportrayed as a meat-head but has a degree in engineering (I think) anamazing IQ and was also captain of his nations Karate Team (I know heis at least a 2nd Dan now, please somebody correct me if I am wrong).My main and only problems with this movie are observations that myfriend madeNobody got seriously injured (for the expendables) and the cameraangles for the hand to hand combat scenes were all over the place.I have to agree the guys in this movie do not need silly camera anglesto look good. A good movie overall but definitely for the action andmartial art geek like me who know all of their film stars.

mysticmstudio

(2012-04-20 05:40:00)

Best Action Movie of 2010 So Far!

Thies movie brings back nostalgia of the 80's run and gun action movie,and here, its a GOOD thing! All the acting is great, and all thecharacters are fun and interesting. I was smiling the whole movie, thedialog is fantastic. It's like Die Hard was mixed with pulp fiction,and had a baby with Kill Bill; Its very good and fluent, almost likeits all just improv, or like its real mercenaries talking. I wont giveaway the plot, but the action and dialog really keep it going.The cast is the best too. All characters are perfect, they allcompliment each other in the best way. Jet Li, Jason Statham, andStallone are the perfect three heroes for any movie. By the final act,the main characters are pretty well developed, with plenty of backstory for them. The action choreography is some of the best I've seenin a while, all the action sequences are very fun to see and arethrilling. The movie keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering whatwould happen next.Closing Comments: Its a very good movie, the perfect action film. Thesound, acting, dialog, and action come together to make the best actionfilm of 2010 so far. GO SEE IT NOW!!!

wlee08

(2012-04-19 09:53:28)

Much Less Than I Expected, (and I didn't expect much)

All the great action sequences in the world cannot save a movie thathas no character. With all the veteran talent coming together Iexpected a lot more character, humour, and perhaps a bit of a developedstory. I didn't get a lot of this. Instead I got the feel that a lot ofthe dialogue was improvised - which is the difference between stand-upcomedy and comedy improv. I got the feeling that there was not a wholelot of chemistry amongst these guys that we are supposed to be cheeringfor. The great Bruce Willis was given a role that was so far beneathhis abilities and talent that it left me feeling a bit confused as tohow this script was written. They try for a little mock sentimentalityin the character portrayed by Mickey Rourke but this doesn't really flyeither within the 1-dimensional action storyline. The irony is that itis usually in the nature of these movies that anyone speaking Englishwith an accent is a bad guy; well the worst butchering of the Englishlanguage in this movie comes from the mumbling protagonists.

(2012-04-15 00:19:32)

Great Movie package

This review is from: The Expendables (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (Blu-ray) This was a great movie and this Blu-Ray edition captures all of it in perfect detail. The Audio and Visuals were awesome and was able to take me back to how I felt when I was watching it in the theatres. It includes a bonus disc with deleted scenes and other good stuff, which I can't wait to watch. You also get a DVD copy of the film and instructions on how to download free from iTunes. It's a great price for all that and you can't beat the entertainment.

(2012-04-14 05:41:57)

The Expendables DVD

This review is from: The Expendables (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (Blu-ray) Both my husband and I really enjoyed this movie. It was filled with top actors and very action packed with a twist of love.

cake_tin_11

(2012-04-10 14:55:22)

All the things you expect, but more of it

Going into this movie, I expected it to be pretty fun, action packedand a real throw back to those great 90s actions flicks. This isabsolutely exactly what I expected it to be, but just more of it.I guess the main idea was "Lets get a bunch of massive, old, roided uplegends, one little Chinese bloke, JASON "I'm dead set awesome"Statham, throw in a few really really really big cameos, and shoot lotsof bullets and throw lots of grenades. Oh and Mr Plastic himself,Mickey Rourke" They nailed it!! I must say, this was prettyentertaining. Obviously, don't expect too much intelligent dialogue,intelligent plot line, or in fact, any intelligence (from any of theexpendables).The "BIGGER" guy was the most expendable guy in the movie, but justadded that extra zing!!! But all in all, one of the memorable andexciting action flicks you will see.Definitely worth $10 - $15 at the cinema.

beaconb

(2012-04-10 10:02:48)

Worst movie I have seen in years!

I didn't give this a "1" because it at least didn't include thedepravity of so many movies these days. But that is the only positivething about this monstrosity! It featured horrible acting, horribledialog, and a pretty ridiculous plot. This was truly a case of mewanting those two hours of my life back! How anyone could seriouslyrank this load of crap as better than a 7 may be biggest mystery of theuniverse! I assume 10's are posted by people associated with themovies, because a movie worthy of a "10" come along so rarely. "10" issupposed to mean perfect people! How could anyone think this is aperfect movie? (how can 99% of all movies be considered perfect?) Butthe fact that so many ranked it as a "9" has me wondering ifcivilization has officially come to an end.

(2012-04-07 23:13:21)

Awesome movie!

I bought this movie on blue-ray the day it came out. This is one of my favorite movies, and if you are a fan of Rambo, Crank, or any other action packed movie, then you will love this. I like having the three disc combo for convenience, and it isn't all that expensive either. I would definitely suggest buying this movie as it is a great movie that I intend to rewatch a lot.

freemantle_uk

(2012-04-07 13:39:02)

A bloody enjoyable film

Sylvester Stallone had a major comeback when he wrote and directedRocky Balboa and Rambo, both being popular hits. With his career backon track he set out to make pretty much the ultimate action film with acast of 80s, 90s and 00s action stars like Jason Statham, Jet Li, DolphLundgren, Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts. The Expendables is set out tobe a deliberate throwback to the 80s and is a unashameably enjoyable.After rescuing a ship crew from Somali pirates, Barney Ross (Stallone)and his team of mercenaries are offered a tough mission to assassin amilitary dictator of a small island by Mr. Church (Bruce Willis). Whenexploring the island with Lee Christmas (Statham) the team believe themission is a suicide mission to kill a rogue CIA agent James Munroe(Roberts). But when their contact Sandra (Gisele Itie) is capturedBarney feels compelled to save her. His team, Christmas, Yin Yang (Li),Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) and Toll Road (Randy Couture) go to save thewoman and complete the mission.The Expendables does have problems: some of the acting is bad,particularly Itie and David Zayas who are both wooden, terribledialogue and plot was a minor inconvenience. But The Expendables wasnever set out to be a Shakespeare: 80s films are not known for beingheavy on plot. Stallone is a skilled action director and with TheExpendables there were many delicious sequences, from fall blown gunbattles to material arts fights. Many moments are over-the-top, likethe use of plane and the final battle scene: but that is part of thefun. The film is very violence and enjoyable: Stallone does not holdback but I don't know why The Expendables got a 15 rating in the UK butRambo was an 18. Both were as violence as each other.The film felt like that it had 80 minutes of material and that Stallonehad to find way to stretch it: such as the fight seen between LeeChristmas and a group of men at a basketball court and the chase scenein the city. Many of the characters lack depth, with moments involvingChristmas and his girlfriend (Charisma Carpenter) felt forced and we donot really understand why Barney gets a conscience to go to save awoman. There are moments of humour which are fun, but some othermoments were funny when Stallone set it out to be serious.The Expendables sets out what it is meant to do: be an old-skoolactioneer. It is a fun filled action film, with a lot of blood and agreat film for men to watch together.

(2012-03-31 09:42:27)

Give us a break

A group of mercenaries take a job on a South American island tooverthrow dictator General Garza (Zayas), but they find something elseis going on there. If you want to see many of your Action Heroes in one place this is themovie for you. And, if you add Karate fights, car/truck chases,explosions and gunfire for about 95% of the time, this is the movie foryou. And, if you like seeing (or not seeing) most of the fighting,shooting and killing actions that occur in the dark, this is the moviefor you. Give us a break. This was like an action video game. The acting and dialogue were pretty good what little there was,however, the movie seemed more intent on getting back tofighting/killing and blowing things up; and the explosions werespectacular. But, like too much CGI in Transformers, too muchhand-to-hand fighting, vehicle chases, gunfire, killings and explosionsdo not a good movie make. And, since most of the action was in dimlylighted areas we really didn't care who was doing what to whom. Themovie's Continuity Person had an easy job in here. In fact, we didn'tcare about any of the characters regardless of the times when nokilling actions were on the screen. We just didn't care.What did we like? The car/truck chases appeared to be actual stunts andthey were spectacular and some of the best we have ever seen. We likedEric Roberts and why don't we see him in movies where he is the goodguy? Yes, many actors prefer the bad guy role, but too often we seeEric Roberts in a bad guy role and we want that changed. He is alwaysOscar Worthy and one of the best actors Hollywood has ever had. There is one thing the movie got absolutely right, the title. Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, but not too manyF-bombs

(2012-03-30 20:05:22)

Just needed Chuck Norris, Jean Claude Van Dame, Charles Bronson, Jackie Chan, Mr. T, The Rock, Harrison Ford and J. Earle J.

For all my reviews visit my websiteI am NOT reviewing the DVD. Just the movies unless otherwise stated.Please note that the rating above might not accurately reflect my thoughts, you will see a rating sentence at the end of the review.I've given a lot of recent movies as some of my favorites. A good amount of classics too. But not just me, but the people I personally know who grew up during the time of The Terminator and Rocky, call this...[THIS REVIEW MIGHT HAVE MINOR TO MEDIUM SPOILERS.]One of the greatest action movies they've ever seen. Back when I first read about this movie on Wikipedia, I thought this was going to be The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny. I saw the first trailer in the theaters, it didn't give me the impression I hoped for, but it did deliver in the Hall of Fame way. When they finally started showing some action, I thought this was gonna be awesome. Then my friend said "you know, I've seen a lot of men, and a lot of explosions, but where's the plot? I mean, that's not the strong point of any action movie, but it hast to at least exist!" So I thought about it, and got worried. Both me and him had medium-low expectations, Ironically we saw this in the theater together.No I am not telling you what my friends name is. So we go too see it, and it seems pretty cool. It's relate-able, just a bunch of people hanging' around doing stuff as...you get the picture. Just sitting around smoking, drinking, and drawing tattoos for Mickey Rourke. (Okay...I don't know why.) Then, Bruce Willis (I believe, could have been Jason Statham, I never can remember the two's faces,) is talking to Sylvester Stallone, when Arnold Schwarzenegger comes in the room. Now, seeing this on a TV screen or even a preview doesn't give you much adrenaline. But when you see them talk and even the line "he wants to be president," your balls get locked and loaded. (Don't take that too seriously, this is a man movie.)That marked the key moment. Seeing Rocky Balboa and The Terminator in the same room made me go insane. But what made Chester A. Bum and My balls eat a wild boar was the second half in Brazil. BOOM!!! BOOOOM!!!! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!And this doesn't suffer from The A-Team's comedy relief. Instead, it gets you pumped with more meaningful action. Gazara (if that is how you spell his name,) played by a Chavo Guerrero wanna be has a wonderfully dark presence, unlike Chavo Guerrero. Each villain has a wonderfully dark presence, including STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN. So lemme give you a little: Boxer on Wrestler MEGA ACTION!!!! Yeah, let's just say Sly had to get a metal plate in his neck after the shooting of the film. That is all. And the things in here you might think are spoilers, are just hints. There's so much I am just DYING to talk about, but I am holding myself back hoping that you will go see this film. It is absolutely mind blowing! Seriously.The action is great, the characters are great, the actors are pretty much a give away fantastic, the scripting is masterful, the explosions, stabbings and gunshots are crafted beautifully besides the CGI, and the pounding is spot on MAXIMUM ENTERTAINMENT KHAN!! With that said, I could go on and on, but it would spoil the film. With that said, have you ever heard of the man who must hike a boulder up a mountain forever? Yeah, this is a punishment that Hades gave a horrid man in the Greek readings. The man, whenever he would get half way, would always fall to the ground.With that said, I feel this is similar to Action Movies these days. Whenever they get halfway to glory, they always ruin it by a token character, abandoning any plot, toning down the violence and getting it a PG-13 rating, too much $3X or Drama, you get the picture. No, this movie told Hades to go to He11!!! (Ironic.) THEY PUT IT ON AN R-RATING, THEY GOT ACTION AS CRAZY AS EVER, NO TOKEN CHARACTERS THAT REALLY STUCK OUT, THE DRAMA IS IN IT'S PLACE, BOOM!!! Not to mention, the hype also did this and finally reached the mountain. Just getting all these actors is an impossible achievement in itself. This movie is a feat of human trial and accomplishment. Go see this movie, one of the best action movies ever. The Rating? You might not get this from this review, but you will when you see the film, 6/5.

Jack Gattanella

(2012-03-22 03:52:55)

for a dumb, 80's-inspired ULTRA-violent action movie... it could be better

You'll get what you expect when you go see The Expendables. It's justone of those movies: if you're expecting it to be a non-stop actionextravaganza with (almost) every big action dude, large or small, fromthe past thirty years, you'd get that, but if you're expecting it to bea big steaming pile of stupid action movie-ness taking from the dumbestof 80's action movies (at least in "plot"), you'll get that. For me,and I don't think I'm entirely alone- you may think different lookingat the message board and whatnot online, but just look closer- it's inthe middle. It's neither a triumph nor a failure. It has such a castthat it makes it impossible to dislike, if only on guilty pleasuregrounds. But it also doesn't really have the kind of gusto to take itsBIG status and do something really interesting with it.The Expendables rides on its mega-action, which includes muchULTRA-violence, but really the people who will be most psyched will bethose wanting to see the cast blow ***t up real good. There is some ofthat... maybe TOO much of that, but hey, what can you do when Rambo:First Blood Part 2 and Commando are the main influences. But the movie,as enjoyable as it can be, has its share of problems. For one thing,the villain(s) can't rise to the occasion. One of them, Eric Roberts,is a slimy guy who can't grow poppy on the ground that theGeneral/Dictator of a small island in the Gulf controls- that other guy(David Zayas of Dexter) is also a kind of good-bad guy. You get thesense if the Expendables didn't come back to kick ass and, uh, kickmore ass and blow ***t up real good, the two villains would take careof themselves, regardless of the factor of the General/Dictator'sdaughter.But yeah, cardboard plot: Expendables get assigned to take out aGeneral on an island, his daughter is the contact, they get spotted andneed to leave, she stays, Stallone feels guilt leaving her behind,brings back the guys to get her back. Beat for beat, this is just thestory, with a few surprise appearances (Schwarzenegger, Willis) - thatis, if you haven't seen the torrent of TV commercials that hype upAh-nuld to be the main star with Stallone, when it's simply a walk-on.Sadly, his scene is one of the highlights in an otherwise decent butlacking action picture. There is bang for the buck, but it's such acartoonish-numbing buck. The combination of drama and action that onesaw so strong, at one time, in Rocky or First Blood, is much morediluted, much more concerned with such frenetic action - to the point,I should add, that it dulls the senses. The fast editing is far fromthe kind of pacing, yes, from even those 80's action movies. It's moreBourne than Cobra.Again, the actors, when they're effective, do do what they can. DolphLundgren, of all people, gets to shine in a character that, as written,is kind of confused as to his allegiance. Mickey Rourke gets a coupleof great scenes, even if he doesn't get full camera-eye-line. But forthe most part other supporting actor people, like Terry Crews, who onehas really admired as of late, get only a few moments here and there.Oddly enough Stallone's character is given the least to do, except tosort of reprise his last conflict in 2008-Rambo (going back to save thegirl, yada-yada). Statham has a quirk with his girl, and Jet Li isshort. Randy Couture (yeah, does okay with little as the oneleast-known in the cast) has some ear tick. And Stone Cold Steve Austin(yes, Stone Cold) is just a heavy.I really did go into the Expendables hoping to have a good time. Up toa point, I did. I had some laughs. I felt like cheering once or twice.Other times I just got annoyed by, oddly enough for a movie assuming tobe ambitious with its cast, how lax it is. Its one big BANG is to keepthe violence and explosions going for twenty minutes at the end. Dumbaction movie violence is dandy, even if it's repetitive andunimaginative after so long (hey, again the 80's). However, bad CGIblood plus bad editing plus no plot and dialog that is just barelypuncho and overly macho, turns into something that is kind ofunpleasant. It met somewhat the expectations, and at the same time Iwonder how long it will linger in the mind. 5.5/10

bgaccardo

(2012-03-21 07:07:41)

A Good OL' Man Movie

This is a movie that is meant for men, and i guess their teenage sonsas well.....its action-packed, VERY load, bloody, violent and just anall around good time. Its fast pace keeps you glued to your seat, andleaves you in awe as you watch the constant explosions and visceralfight scenes. This movie is just an all around fun time.Of course, it has a few flaws that hold it from greatness. First off,the camera angles are constantly changing, making some of the fightscenes confusing and maybe even hard to watch.The acting can bemediocre at times, and the plot is a bit shallow.But all and all, who cares about this stuff. If you go see this movie,it wont be the story that hooks you, or the acting, it will be seeingall the big action stars causing explosions and kicking butt. I believe that Michael Philips of the Chicago Tribune said it best: "Ifthis movie had anymore testosterone, it would start to grow hair"Please, do yourself a favor and go see this movie...you wont leavedisappointed.

bonsai-superstar

(2012-03-12 02:43:26)

Waste of talent

Yeah, all the big names are here, but there is absolutely no story. Iguess it's a "classic" 80's type action movie in that:• the storyline is predictable (Hmm, what will happen with the Gunnercharacter? the general's daughter?)• what little dialogue there is, is cheesy• the editing is bad (lots of useless shots of people walking, planeslanding, etc.)• there is absolutely no character development (unless you count theembarrassing soliloquy by "Tool")• there's lots of "American savior" stereotypes (including some fairlyobvious symbolism in a church)All of this could be forgiven if the action scenes were worth it, butthey simply aren't. Recent flicks such as "Taken" or even the A-Teamremake had better action than this. There's simply no excuse when youconsider the big names involved. This movie currently has a high rating here. Check back in a year whenthe hoopla after the big names has died down. Will this movie be worthwatching again? I'm betting no.

John

(2012-03-11 15:55:03)

Non-stop action....loved it!

Seeing all these action stars on one screen was awesome! There are moments throughout that make you laugh and squirm in your seat with excitement from the action sequences and original fight scenes. Have new-found respect for Stallone as a director after seeing this one! Most memorable part of the movie is played by Terry Crews & his "loud gun"! The way these guys kick ass one minute & then take the time to bust each other's balls (and even their own) is a realistic perspective of a combat unit with years of training/fighting together & the comradarie that develops from that.....

Christian

(2012-03-10 21:58:27)

Stallone Did It!!

A true gem in the action film genre! Sly said he was going to make an amazing action film with an all star cast and that's EXACTLY what he did! Great fight sequences (where the camera is steady and you can actually see what's going on!) awesome explosions, and handguns that sound like canon fire! What more could you ask for? How about Terry Crews firing an automatic shotgun from hell? Great flick! Sly, you did it!!

thekyles99

(2012-03-10 03:09:12)

wow im very disappointed

The most anticipated movie of this summer was a total let down. How canthis be??? The script was trash. Non interesting dialogue between verycool stars. i shouldve known this would happen as it usually does withmovies loaded to the brim with star power. Dolph lundgren makes ArnoldSchwartzenegger look like an academy award winning actor. Hardly anymartial arts with Jet Li and the main stars were Stallone and Stathum.Although i did enjoy the game at the end of knife darts between thealways cool no matter what he does Mickey Rourke and Stathum. Stallonehas directed and written very cool movies before such as Rocky Balboaand the newest Rambo so i don't know what the hell went wrong withthis? Randy couture was surprisingly good for the short time he is onscreen, i even chuckled about his ufc conditioned cauliflower ears asto which he explains comically in the film. Once again very verydisappointed in this damn!!!