The Expendables



Production Budget    $ 82,000,000

Total US Gross         $103,068,524
International Gross   $148,000,000
Worldwide Gross       $251,068,524
http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2010/XPNDB.php

Reviews:
41% from Approved Tomatometer Critics
59% from the RT & Flixter Audience liked it
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_expendables/


The Movie
In the scope of contemporary film, THE EXPENDABLES is fair to poor.
In it's genre it is pretty good as long as you just like action, because the story itself, written by David Callahan, screenplay by Callahan and Stallone, is thin.
The action sequences are choreographed and filmed quite nice at a frenetic pace popular with the attention deficit viewing majority.
STUFF IS HAPPENING! IT'S HAPPENING FAST! IT MUST BE SO BAD@SS WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE IT!
Yawn.
But at least it's not shot in the high shutter speed style, lately overused.

The weapons displays are unfortunately weak. Mere suggestions of dangerous things.

The blood splatting special effects I recognized from Stallone's RAMBO. If you know what to look for, it's unique. I think they chop out a frame or two after each impact creating a distinct jarring-jump.
Seems he hooked up with the same SFX crew at WorldwideFX. Here's their demo reel for the film.
http://wwfx.net/reel.php

The editing in the church sequence was horrible. IDK WTH happened inside there. Stallone was there. Can't blame second unit.

The acting was pretty poor - for everyone. And I mean EVERYONE.
Some of it is just painful.

http://spill.com/Movie-Reviews/MovieReview.aspx?Name=The+Expendables&VideoId=474338
Dolf Lundgren actually is the "best" actor in the movie. LOL!

No. There ain't any token nudity, either.
D@mn cryin' shame.


Perfectly good waste of... talent.
Whatever.

Just... turn off your brain, ignore any semblance of a credible story or para-military sense, gloss over inter-personal relationship knowledge, accept that this teeters between comic book-to-movie and grindhouse fare, and just appreciate some runnin' and gunnin'.


The Blu-Ray/DVD Extras
Extras are pretty good, primarily Stallone's director commentary and the "making of" reel.
I have to give credit to Stallone that the guy gets work done. He's a role model for any screenwriter/director wannabes out there. His filmography ain't high art, but it provides entertainment and provides a fairly good return on his investment of money and effort.
He's McDonalds and Burger King and Dominoes all wrapped up together.

Listen to him talk.. He's a meat and taters guy that seems to know 80% of what's going on and uses his chutzpah and bravado to make up more than the difference.
He doesn't shoot a scene twenty times to "get it right". He choreographs it, practices it four times, shoots it a couple times and moves onto what's next.

There's a really nice bit in there about his acknowledgement of the difference between what's in the mind's eye and what the set, situation or budget will allow - "and you just deal with it, you know?"

A lot, a whole LOT, of the dialog and action is thrown in. I sh!t you not.
His own admission, multiple times.
His approach is that "There's the script. Okay. That's great."
Then there's the situation and the people.
The situation may suggest something that wasn't in the script - that's okay. He/they just had an idea, they try it.
Someone has an ad lib idea for some dialog - that's okay. They're given the freedom to try goofy stuff. Stallone don't care if it's great or not. He just wants to work with his friends from the business that he's known for thirty years or something and get this thing in the can.
He trusts them because he trusts himself, as a director.
Pirates code, all the way.
I like it.
It's nice.

When I listen to the director/producer commentary for PREDATORS and LAW ABIDING CITIZEN I cringe with contempt and disgust at their silliness.

When he describes about getting beat to h3ll performing the action sequences - and then we see the medical part - you understand that acting hurt isn't always acting.
For a 64yo guy, he's tough as hell.
Sh!t... he's tougher than most a third his age.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvester_Stallone#Injuries

He seems like a no-nonsense decent guy just doin' his thing with his friends.
Credit where due.

His acting still sux, though.

And I like the crow on top of the globe logo.

I really wanted to see this in the theater, but missed it.  I also looked very forward to seeing this on Blu Ray...

...and boy, was I ever underwhelmed.  I was just left feeling so empty, as nothing really stood out for me.  Too much giong on.  Too many recognizable faces.  Too many attempts at big sets and stunts.

The sum of all this was close to zero for me.  I didn't hate it at all, but I definitely didn't like it and remember almost nothing.

Huge disasappointment for me!!!!

When Dolph's Universal Soldier sequel (w/JC Van Damme) had low budget but more effective action, something needs to be said. I did like the Steve Austin-Randy Coutre smackdown and the Li-Lundgren rivalry though. The film to me was a mess. And folks, I LOVED Predators last year. But I wound up hating this film overall. It made The A Team look good.