I love The Expendables series. Not in any great movie/masterpiece way, but in a pure popcorn, testosterone-filled mode of mindless badassity (had to use a fake word just to describe such feelings). Now I don’t consider myself much a “Spike TV, Rated M for Manly” type of guy, but there’s something about The Expendables series which exhilarates me into a series of joyous, unadulterated giggling (which may reinforce my earlier statement). Strange, considering the series is built upon aspects I usually hate: a poor storyline, flat protagonists, one-dimensional villains and a complete overabundance of every action cliché imaginable…even stranger though, is these reasons are EXACTLY why I love The Expendables.
The films exploit action clichés so profusely it becomes semi-satirical, while providing enough seriousness to avoid pure comedy; becoming a half-parody, half-homage mix to action flicks of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. Take the opening for The Expendables 2 (personal favorite of the films): opening with all our favorite, past-their prime action stars on a crucial mission…well except for one new, all-too-eager rookie sniper who Barney (Stallone) has become fond of and shows a ton of potential for becoming the team’s future leadeAND he’s brutally killed right in front of Barney’s eyes by the main villain (whose name is actually VILAIN)! There’s at least two dozen clichés active in the opening scene alone (which is “played” for full drama), with the entire series thriving on similar action tropes used by the same action stars of past days…AND IT ALL WORKS!
The Expendables 3 is near identical in plot to the first two: action-packed opening against random goons, Expendables go on mission against formidable foe for _____ reason(s) (rescue, revenge, “it’s personal”, etc…), tedious middle section pretending to actually care about plot and character development, and an ALL TOO EPIC action-packed, hilarity-filled finale (jam packed with cheesy one-liners the stars said back in their glory days). The third film differs in two ways: the action-stars participating, and how the fight sequences play out. There’s both pros and cons for the former change; on the down side, Expendables 3 no longer has Bruce Willis or Chuck Norris participating, instead adding the out of place casting choice of Kelsey Grammer (does Sideshow Bob count as an 80s/90s action star?). The film’s casting of a “newer generation of Expendables” is a sub-par idea, yet is surprisingly handled well without taking away from the older stars; it’s also cool to have a female Expendables member who’s actually played by an Olympic winning martial artist (Ronda Rousey).
On the plus side, Expendables 3 has some enjoyable new additions in the form of a bad-ass Wesley Snipes, an incredibly enthusiastic Antonio Banderas and a “badass grandpa” Harrison Ford who replaces Willis’ role as a CIA operative/helicopter pilot (getting to soar in between smokestacks while blowing up tanks). The Expendables 3’s true highlight is its main antagonist played by none other than Mel Gibson, who (simply from viewing his performance) seemed to be having a blast throughout. As should be expected, Gibson plays his character wonderfully over-the top sinister, stealing the show whenever onscreen while becoming The Expendables zaniest main villain.
Pretty much anyone who’s seen (or seen trailers of) the first two films should know what to expect for The Expendables 3. Did you enjoy the first two films? Then I recommend watching the third. Haven’t seen them, but believe you may enjoy? Then go watch all three. Thought the first two were/looked mediocre or trash? Then skip the third and watch something else (preferably something you expect to enjoy). All in all, The Expendables series are exactly what they claim to be, which I’m perfectly content with them continuing for future installments (which is expected to release around 2016).