And I do mean bad. Hoo-ey! There were some stinkers in there - but really? That didn't bother me as much as the missed opportunities. There's this great exchange between Stallone and Van Damme (who is actually billed as Vilain - no, seriously):
VD: You gonna hurt me?
SS: "I'm not gonna hurt you… I'm gonna take your life."
...really? Is this a Rambo reference? If it is, it's obscure; if it isn't, they should have gone with: "I'm not gonna hurt you… I'm gonna kill you."
There was all sorts of clunkers in there:
Schwarzeneggar: I'll be back.
Willis: You've been back enough. I'll be back.
Schwarzeneggar: Yippee ki-yay.
...really? I wish they had given the script to some hardcore action nerds. With all the interaction between these mega-stars, there should have been gold in every exchange.
Okay, I hear you.
You're saying "hey, it's an action flick, not Shakespeare!" And, you're right. Having just watched Resident Evil: Retribution, I had something to which I could compare the action sequences. So, I still think Retribution was better - tighter, edgier and just plain more fun. Expendables has its moments and I did enjoy the realism of the bloodshed (lots of it, but without becoming silly like a horror movie), but in the end, it was just meh.
As for the acting: not bad, really. Liam Hemsworth looks so damn shiny compared to these grizzled veterans, he was a little distracting. And Van Damme makes a great villain (or Vilain) - he looked doing it too, until he took off his sunglasses and reminded us all just how old this cast is.
All in all, I think the first one was better and that this one was okay. 2.5 out of 5 stars. I'm looking forward to E3, where I hope to see Snipes, Russell, and, if we're all very good children, maybe some Jovovich.
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