Review: The Expendables 2
The Expendables started as an idea, albeit a simple one: Gather all the greatest action movie stars in one movie. It'll be bloody, fun and filled with more bullets than should ever be shot by one group of men at another. But for some, The Expendables didn't deliver. There was way too much dead space and odd pacing, and although the action was good, it certainly wasn't special or on the level promised by the prospect of so much bullet-ridden testosterone. It was almost too cerebral, like it didn't want to perpetuate whatever dismissive stereotypes a more sophisticated moviegoer would label this idea.
Yet the idea was good enough that massive amounts of potential still existed for a film like this to succeed on a level that would make the inner blood-hungry teenager in all of us emit delightful, girly squees. Enter The Expendables 2. Same premise, only this time, more of the greatest of the great would be added to the cast. Greats like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis, who would have bigger roles than the cameos in the first film, plus Chuck Norris and Jean Claude Van Damme, who actually turned down an offer to be in the first film.
The plot is paper thin, and it's not necessary to have seen the first movie to gather what's going on. A CIA operative, Church (Bruce Willis) lays it out in one scene after the insanely bullet-riddled opening of the film. Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his crew are to retrieve a case from a safe stashed inside a gunned down airplane in Albania. The contents of the case aren't any of Ross's business, but it will clear up all of his debts to Church and band of psychotic mutts that are The Expendables will be free to live their lives doing what it is they do best.
The Expendables 2 does its audience a huge favor in the opening of the film. The opening sets the tone perfectly, from an action standpoint and a cheesy standpoint. If the opening doesn't sell you on the movie, you can be thankful that it's a brisk 90-minute sprint to the finish from frame one. If you've seen the first one though, you'll know right away that this film will deliver on every level that the previous effort did not.
If you're sold on the film from the opening, you'll only continue to be rewarded throughout the film. Each of the underused stars from the first film get multiple moments to shine here, most notably Terry Crews and Jason Statham. Even Jean Claude Van Damme, who hasn't played a villain too many times in his career, hams it up on screen in a way his fans haven't seen before. It's really fantastic to know that an old dog can indeed learn new tricks.
The Expendables 2 is not without its faults. There isn't enough air in the atmosphere to fill your lungs up with the amount of oxygen you'll need for all of the groans induced by the cheesy dialogue. Arnold is Arnold, in every way that he can be Arnold. Bruce Willis is Bruce Willis, in all of the ways that you've come to know and love his movies. Chuck Norris even has a moment in which he addresses the comedic persona his legend has created.
Despite its faults, The Expendables 2 a chance for action movie fans to see all of their favorites gathered in one place and this time, the action is what was promised to us once before. It does well either closing up the franchise for good, or leaving it open for a sequel. Provided it continues to deliver on the action and ease up on the cheesy dialogue, a third film in this series would be more than welcome.