The Expendables 2 wastes literally no time getting the action underway. The scene is set and with a location, a hooded prisoner, then the familiar crew starts busting in. You get exactly what you expect in a film of this type.
Packed with action stars the film is a testosterone-filled love letter to the types of action films that packed audiences into theaters in the 80s and 90s. Alright, so that may have been the heyday for many of the stars featured in the film, but that’s sort of the point. Action films are different now, and while it’s not necessarily a feeling of nostalgia, it is fun to watch a film that harkens back to the days when the only weakness the leading men was due to a bullet wound.
In-jokes? The film has ’em. Fans of the actors will appreciate a number of moments in the script that allude to films of the past as well as incorporating touches of humor. There are moments when I laughed out loud, but the film never was “jokey” or devolved into a caricature of action films. Everybody is clearly having fun, and that just makes it all the more enjoyable.
If you’re a fan of the main actors you’ll appreciate the film so much more. Chuck Norris’ character could be the same one he portrayed over 30 years ago. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a couple of the best callback lines in the film. Jean-Claude Van Damme is the clear bad guy. The scene with Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone walking together and firing off round after round is certainly a highlight, esepcially after having such a possibility teased in the first film.
Set in various parts of the globe, the location isn’t really important. The places are desolate backdrops for the most part for the action to be set against. There are some nice set pieces though, such as the plutonium mine.
It’s almost too bad that Van Damme is the clear bad guy here with no possible redemption. That means he dies and can not appear in the next film. No, that’s not a spoiler. If you’re at all familiar with these types of films, you know the bad guy doesn’t win. It’s how it goes down that is fun.
There’s that word again – fun. The Expendables 2 is fun, and everybody knows it. It may not be innovative, but it isn’t trying to be. It may not be the most nourishing meal, but it’s comfort food.
The Blu-ray comes with plenty of special features. There’s an audio commentary with director Simon West, and it’s decent, but Stallone should have been in the booth as well. Just over an hour and a half of featurettes are present, one looking at the weapons used, another on the real-life security and mercenary personnel, and two on the cast and the movies that made them the action icons they are. And check out the blooper reel.
If you want to see a film featuring bad ass men doing bad ass things in a bad ass way, The Expendables 2 is for you.