The Expendables 2 Review

Bigger, Better, Bolder, and more Badass

When a mission goes wrong and one of their squad mates is killed, Stallone and his team vow to track down and kill the group of men responsible. But what begins as a simple quest for revenge soon leads into a mission to keep the balance of the world in check.

The Expendables 2 kicks off with a fifteen minute wargasm. Bullets fly though the air, spraying steams of blood across the screen. Guns roar and explosions sound with an echo so deep it's like a dubstep concert. Punches, kicks, and blows reign down upon nameless enemy henchmen with satisfying realism. It's everything you'd expect and want from this movie, all before the title even shows up.

The story tells of Barney Ross (Stallone) and his men getting an assignment from Church (Bruce Willis). What begins as a simple pick up job turns into a horrible assignment as Vilain (Van Damme) and his cartel show up, take the package, and kill the team's newest and youngest member, Billy (Liam Hemsworth). The group swears vengeance, but also finds out that their pickup was a blueprint of a Russian cold war mine, in which five tons of weaponized Plutonium is stored. Thus, Ross and the gang head out to claim revenge, but they need some help along the way.

The big thing about the Expendables is all the action stars that appear in it. Arnold plays a much bigger role in this movie than he did in the prequel, as does Bruce Willis. Also joining in is Chuck Norris (who practically plays as himself), and Van Damme makes an interesting villain. One thing that saddens me was Jet Li. He's in the fifteen minute intro, but after that he leaves, never to show up again. I really liked Li, especially watching him beat 10 guys into unconsciousness with a pair of frying pans. Aside from that, everyone has a pretty nice role. Chuck isn't in it enough to steal the spotlight, but it's much more quality over quantity. Arnold and Willis are spread throughout the movie but come in for the final battle. And finally, the movie is filled with small references to all the work that its stars have done in the past. Several references to Terminator, as well as ones to both Rambo and Die Hard.

The Expendables does have its moments where the explosions stop and the characters talk, but each one is interesting and humorous enough to keep your attention. I was never bored during this movie as the script and the actors portray a group of guys who, while they do kill scores of people on a regular basis, are still a group of close friends that talk to each other and time to time give each other crap. From Crews asking everyone what their last meal would be, to Lundgren's hopeless attempts at hitting on Nan Yu, to Statham constantly threatening Stallone with death, all the characters are fun to get to know and engaging enough to keep your interest.

So yes, The Expendables 2 is indeed a good fun crazy adrenaline ride of a film. If you enjoyed the first one, you'll love the sequel. If you like action movies, you owe it to yourself to see this. Either way, The Expendables 2 is worth your time and money.

8.5/10