Holy Christmas, the Expendables are back! It’s the fourth Expendables film to date, in case you didn’t notice the “4” boldly sticking out in the new film’s official title. Expend4bles brings back fan-favorites Sly Stallone and Jason Statham, but interestingly doesn’t include many of the other big names from past films. Expendables 3 was a disappointment, not just for the dulled-down PG-13 violence but also because many of the A-listers on-hand were merely there to give seemingly useless, cheesy cameos. Don’t get me started on those Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jet Li moments. One of the few highlights of this fourth addition to the franchise is that every elite mercenary contributes in some way to the team’s overall mission, versus just standing around.
Apart from that, it’s business as usual with gritty bar fights, subpar acting (even by action-movie standards), impressive combat sequences, and reliable but expected banter between household names like Stallone and Statham.
Throwback Vibes with a Splash of the New
Sly Stallone has a new documentary hitting the masses soon about his career of churning out popcorn flicks, but in the meantime, he’s clearly still fronting the action hero persona at the ripe age of 77. The third Expendables installment was an overall box office disappointment, no thanks to the film having been leaked three weeks early at the time. And its PG-13 rating is certainly telling of the times back in 2014, when a more family-friendly MPAA rating might have better guaranteed box-office success. Emphasis on “might” there, mind you.
But since then, almost 10 years later, there have been a plethora of R-rated success stories, ranging from Deadpool to the more recent Oppenheimer. It’s no wonder that director Scott Waugh (Need for Speed) and the writers behind Expend4bles sought to return to O.G. franchise fashion: bloody violence, bone-crunching fights, expletives galore. It must be said, without sounding like a gore junkie, this more adult-suited rating allows for more genuine thrills and actual excitement, which is what people want from The Expendables.
Plus, who is it that Beyoncé says rule the world? Women! And the Expendables are finally taking note. The new film welcomes Megan Fox (Transformers) and a standout Levy Tran (MacGyver) to the mix, with Fox even taking on the daunting role of mercenary leader at one point. But before her appointment, the film centers on the infamous Christmas (Statham) and Barney (Stallone) after a suspenseful opening that introduces Iko Uwais (Snake Eyes, Mile 22) as Rahmat, the new villain at hand. The two leading Expendables are tasked by a mysterious new head honcho named Marsh (Andy Garcia) to travel overseas and neutralize this budding terror threat. Alongside the dynamic duo are returning vets Gunner (the timeless Dolph Lundgren) and Toll Road (mixed martial artist Randy Couture) with new additions Easy Day (rapper 50 Cent) plus the aforementioned, butt-kicking female highlights. It’s a noticeably smaller cast that might initially throw off fans of the franchise, but I stand by the notion that less is more here when it comes to body count!
50 Cent and Couture still may not know their way around acting, but it’s fun seeing them in action on the big screen. And Lundgren — again teaming up with Stallone following their Rocky projects over the years — provides genuine comic relief across the board as a newly sober and pensive individual who dons a laugh-out-loud wig to appease his (potentially fake) online girlfriend. Another hilarious highlight is when Christmas takes a new gig as private security for an overly obnoxious influencer. You can only imagine how it goes once this new boss starts grinding Statham’s gears…
Martial Arts Save the Day
There’s a reason Stallone isn’t top billed in the new Expendables film, but that’s not to say he doesn’t provide plenty of reliable banter with Statham, especially whenever they man their infamous chopper with hopes of saving the day. He reportedly weighed in on the writing of these scenes, according to our recent interviews with the producers. Things go haywire in Christmas and Barney’s first attempt to quell the seemingly unstoppable Rahmat overseas, and during his solo second attempty, Christmas ultimately crosses paths in Asia with Decha (the terrific and crowd-pleasing Tony Jaa), who knows Barney and wants to help; the rest of the crew has been captured aboard a dangerous enemy ship carrying nuclear weapons at that point. Christmas must save the day, of course, and thank gosh he’s got Decha’s unbelievably impressive martial arts skills to led a hand. Sure, there are guns galore in Expend4bles, but the real highlights come from those entertaining hand-to-hand combat sequences in the thrilling third act.
Andy Garcia isn’t exactly an action star these days, though his younger self was terrific in acclaimed classics like The Untouchables and The Godfather: Part III, so I can see why the folks behind Expend4bles would want him on board. Mel Gibson was the villain in the third installment, and who knows what will come if a fifth film is greenlit? It’s a dicey shot at box-office glory this weekend, as “franchise fatigue” might play a factor in a possibly disappointing theater run. Expend4bles also falters in the often formulaic shootout sequences early on, especially since many of them look quite obviously filmed in front of green screens. I’m no tech expert, so I could be wrong, but that’s certainly how it looks more often than not — 50 Cent manning a turret during an epic chase is just one example. And besides the clunky dialogue dished by the various supporting players, I will say there are a couple fun plot twists and turns along the way that help keep the vehicle that is Expend4bles moving along. But I won’t spoil them here!
From Lionsgate, Expend4bles hits theaters Friday.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
