THE EXPENDABLES 3 (PG-13)
Released by Lionsgate
Review by Adam Mast
The third time is a charm as Sylvester Stallone returns in the all star action icon opus THE EXPENDABLES 3. If Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Randy Couture, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, and Jet Li aren’t enough for you, you’ll be happy to know that Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Antonio Banderas, and Kelsey Grammar are also along for the ride, along with a plethora youthful ass kickers including Kellan Lutz, Glen Powell, Victor Ortiz, and Ronda Rousey.
Since THE EXPENDABLES has always been about sheer star power, going into the plot almost seems unnecessary, but since this is a review, I’ll put forth the effort. As THE EXPENDABLES 3 opens, Stallone’s Expendables founder Barney Ross leads his tough as nails team in a prisoner retrieval mission aboard a speeding train. Following this high octane opener, the real plot begins to unfold as The Expendables head out an even more perilous mission—one that brings Ross face to face with a madman from his past. After said mission goes bad, Ross decides it’s time to disband his crew. He has no interest in getting his brotherhood killed. Instead, he opts to put a new youthful crew together. A crew comprised of individuals he has no emotional attachment to. In short; An expendable crew. The new mission? To hunt down the aforementioned madman from his past and punish him for his sins.
Ok, so, THE EXPENDABLES 3 is incredibly congested. So many characters, not nearly enough time and given that this film is over two hours, that’s a bit of a problem. EXPENDABLES regulars Dolph Lundgren and Randy Couture serve virtually no purpose while charismatic Terry Crews and the legendary Jet Li are sidelined for almost the entire film. Lutz, Powell, Ortiz, and Rousey are there to have the proverbial torch handed to them, but none of these youthful newbies have earned the bone crunching respect of the 80′s legends that audiences have really come to see. And it’s these 80′s stars who make this movie so infectiously entertaining.
Wesley Snipes has charisma to spare here and he’s incredibly funny. He’s even self effacing enough to make a tax evasion joke at his own expense. But since THE EXPENDABLES 3 has so many personalities in the mix, the BLADE star is really only given an opportunity to show his stuff in the first 20 minutes of the picture. In the film’s defense though, each subsequent personality that pops up throughout this action star buffet, brings their own lively persona to the table. A grizzled Harrison Ford makes a fantastic entrance. Seeing him get up in Stallone’s grill and attempting to intimidate him with that face of stone, was a pure joy to watch. Ford even gets to pilot a helicopter in the film’s ridiculously chaotic but perfectly appropriate climax. Kelsey Grammar is a ton of fun as a dry and charming specialist who helps Barney put his new team together. A wonderfully manic Antonio Banderas livens the proceedings as an aging, motor mouth of a mercenary who desperately wants to join Barney’s crew. His swagger and smooth talking demeanor gave me a DESPERADO flashback. Mel Gibson proves to be magnetic as the film’s big baddie. His tense exchange with Ross at the halfway mark is, simply put, badass! Arnold Schwarzenegger is, as expected, a blast and I challenge anyone to not smile when he gleefully utters the famed PREDATOR line; “Get to the chopper.” Stallone and Statahm are back to but because the plot is so congested, their bromance feels like an after thought. Still, Stallone might just be the toughest senior citizen I’ve ever seen and Statahm could kill a man with a steely glance.
Yes, THE EXPENDABLES 3 might have benefited from fewer characters (although some might argue that would defeat the purpose) and a tighter running time, but in the end, the majority of these beloved stars are given the opportunity to display the attributes that made us all fall in love with them in the first place, and that’s really what this movie is all about.
The first picture was a little self serious while the second was little too self referential. This third entry, while overstuffed, still manages to strike up a stronger balance of 80′s inspired carnage (slightly toned down by way of a PG-13 rating) and in joke fun. If you’re a fan of these action icons and you enjoyed the first two movies, it’s safe to say you will be entertained by THE EXPENDABLES 3.
Expendables 3 Trailer:
