Rate The Expendables

[Tonguez]

Okay I've just seen the advertising but haven't seen the movie - apparently great box office but bagged by critics

So what do you think?

NB I'm not expecting greatness but will it appeal to nostalgia and the escapist action movie genre of the 80's? Is the Stallone-Arnold-Bruce Willis menage a trois a classic peice of self deprecation? or does Old Man Stallone try too hard?

 

[Sutekh]

It's hardly the definitive movie though.

It lacks

Jean Claude
Wesley Snipes
and
drumroll

Steven Segal.

You could also include Kurt Russell.

 

[Crothian]

It qwas very good for what it was.

 

[Thanee]

It doesn't have Chuck Norris either, but they probably feared that any movie with Chuck Norris is a movie about Chuck Norris and noone else.

Apparantly, Stallone is still trying to get Van Damme onboard for part two, though, and also Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, and Hulk Hogan.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Hand of Evil]

7 to 8 out of 10 -- still think the A-Team is a better movie but this one does what it is meant to do, ACTION! ACTION! would be a third "action" but there are some quite momments in the movie for dialog.

I enjoyed it.

 

[RangerWickett]

Even considering that it was meant just as an action movie, I think it fell flat. Things exploded, but (to paraphrase Idiocracy) there was once a time when people put stories in their movies so you cared about who was exploding whom. The Expendables' "story" was really poorly put together.

Plus, the cinematography disappointed me. Just because you have 5 guys involved in the same action sequence does not mean you have to constantly cut from one to the other to the other every half-second. Let's spend, I dunno, a leisurely 3 or 4 seconds on each one before cutting to what the next guy is doing. You might even occasionally -- gasp -- have a single shot that is wide enough for you to see what's going on and lasts long enough so that you actually show off how talented your stuntmen are.

The first half of the movie was fun. After the big plane action sequence, though, I didn't see much particularly noteworthy.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

I enjoyed it quite a lot, actually. It was good, semi-mindless fun.

There was a bit of a plot, but really it was an excuse to blow things up.

Brad

 

[jonesy]

I saw it the day before yesterday and having thought about it I do have to agree with what RangerWickett said.

It was a decent movie, but it failed completely on the parts I was expecting it to shine on. The action was both jumpy and boring which is a really odd combination. It didn't really focus on anyone and the action that there was didn't work at all. It looked like tired people playing Rambo. I heard Austin actually broke Sly's bones in the scene where he charged at him, and I have to tell you, I wasn't really surprised. Stallone didn't move like an action movie star.

Really disappointing.

 

[bastrak]

Even considering that it was meant just as an action movie, I think it fell flat. Things exploded, but (to paraphrase Idiocracy) there was once a time when people put stories in their movies so you cared about who was exploding whom. The Expendables' "story" was really poorly put together.

Plus, the cinematography disappointed me. Just because you have 5 guys involved in the same action sequence does not mean you have to constantly cut from one to the other to the other every half-second. Let's spend, I dunno, a leisurely 3 or 4 seconds on each one before cutting to what the next guy is doing. You might even occasionally -- gasp -- have a single shot that is wide enough for you to see what's going on and lasts long enough so that you actually show off how talented your stuntmen are.

The first half of the movie was fun. After the big plane action sequence, though, I didn't see much particularly noteworthy.

I'd agree with all the above. Probably the weakest movie I've seen for some time.

 

[Krug]

I thought it sucked. A bunch of explosions strung together and the action was mostly dull. I also hated the idea of them mowing down most of the male population of the country; it was like they were a bunch of watermelons at a shooting range.

If I had to rate it would give it a 3/10.