Say what you will about the
narrative coherence or acting quality of 2010’s The Expendables, the fact remains that the main appeal of that film
was the sheer novelty of seeing so many iconic action stars packed within a
single project, and it was entertaining as hell. Based on the commercial success of the
original, there was little surprise when Lionsgate announced that the studio
would push forth a sequel, enhancing the testosterone levels of the ensemble
cast by expanding the roles of Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger and
bringing in other action legends like Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Now, I grew up on Walker, Texas Ranger and I was in high school when “Chuck Norris facts”
emerged and spread across the internet like wildfire to phenomenal levels of
popularity, so I was immediately sold on The
Expendables 2 when I discovered that Mr. Norris would be involved, and I
knew that countless others would be downright giddy to see him roundhouse kick
the crap out of some lowlifes. Add-in
the fact that Stallone would be handing over directorial responsibilities to
Simon West, the filmmaker behind one of my all-time favorite action films (Con Air), and it looked like The Expendables 2 was primed to be THE
action blockbuster of the 2012 Summer Movie Season. So, despite the fact that a number of the
cinematic tough-guys looked far too “seasoned” to try and push out another
entry in their extensive filmographies, mindless action with familiar faces can
always find a strong audience at the box office.
Offering insane amounts of bullets,
explosions, self-demeaning humor, and past genre references, The Expendables 2 is pure, mindless
entertainment that will charm both adrenaline junkies and even the most casual
of action film fans. Thankfully, this
newest summer blockbuster doesn’t try to take itself too seriously, and though
the film may favor novelty over quality, it is a little hard to care about a
cohesive narrative when Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Willis, are walking
shoulder-to-shoulder with massive weapons and brutally dispatching anyone
unfortunate enough to cross the line of fire.
While most of the action icons have opportunities to shine, the two
standouts are Statham and Van Damme, the latter of whom who plays a charismatic
and thoroughly threatening villain that is sure to take audiences by
surprise. While a few blatant uses of
CGI and an overly-grainy camera filter were distracting, my biggest gripe with The Expendables 2 involves the absence
of Jet Li, who wows in the opening scene and then departs from the group and
fails to return without explanation throughout the entire running time…what a
waste. Still, in the end, the
shortcomings within The Expendables 2
are easily forgivable as long as audiences are willing to acknowledge that this
film wasn’t meant to offer anything more than popcorn-filled, octane-infused,
testosterone-saturated, novelty.
Overall
Recommendation: High
