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Expend4bles (2023) Review

A LAZY, TASTELESS, AND TOTALLY EXPENDABLE SEQUEL The Expendables film franchise has certainly seen its ups and down throughout the years. First coming out in 2010, the first film, which was directed by Sylvester Stallone and starred him as well as Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Randy Couture, and Terry Crews, tells the story of a team of The post Expend4bles (2023) Review appeared first on Jason's Movie Blog.

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Jun 6, 2024 - 11:45

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A LAZY, TASTELESS, AND TOTALLY

EXPENDABLE SEQUEL

The Expendables film franchise has certainly seen its ups and down throughout the years. First coming out in 2010, the first film, which was directed by Sylvester Stallone and starred him as well as Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Randy Couture, and Terry Crews, tells the story of a team of elite mercenaries tasked with a mission to overthrow a Latin American dictator whom they soon discover to be a mere puppet controlled by a corrupt ex-CIA agent. The movie, which pays homage tribute to the blockbuster action flicks of the late 1980s and early 1990s, was met with mixed reviews from critics, but was deemed a commercial success. Two years later, The Expendables 2, the follow-up sequel, was released and further continued the exploits of this mercenary team on a new adventure to save the day from a new bad guy. This second entry in the now Expendables franchise was received better than the first feature, with greater interest in humor and action sequences as well as the likeability of the cast, but its plot and dialogue received criticism. Stil, the movie received a large sum at the box office and (again) was deemed a success. However, that luck sort of ran out of cinematic action luster, with The Expendables 3 being released in 2014 and received negative criticism from both critics and moviegoers, leaving any hopes of any future installment to languish in unknown void. Now, after a decade has passed since Expendables 3 was release, Lionsgate and director Scott Waugh gather the team back together again for another round nonstop action thrills with the release of Expend4bles. Does this fourth installment give way to a cinematic resurgence in this action franchise or is it time to end for this throwback action movie series for good?

THE STORY

A recent disturbance is brewing in Libya, with ruthless arms dealer Suarto Rahmat (Iko Uwais) leading his army to chemical plant to collect nuclear detonators, bringing them to his boss, who wants to start the next World War. Hired by C.I.A. enlister Marsh (Andy Garcia), The Expendables march into action, with Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and Lee Christmas (Jason Statham) leading the charge to prevent Suarto’s mission to collecting the devices. When Christmas goes against the plan, things go wrong, resulting in a disaster that gets the leading mercenary kicked off the team, forced to deal with his personal issues. However, Marsh isn’t ready to give up, bringing the Expendables team back to catch up with Suarto in the South China Sea, ordering the remainder team members Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren) and Toll Road (Randy Couture) to join up with new recruits Easy Day (50 Cent), Galan (Jacob Scipio), Lash (Levy Tran), and Gina (Megan Fox) for their mission, while Christmas reconsiders his duty to the team, traveling to Thailand to search for clues and to stop Suarto’s endgame plan on his own.

THE GOOD / THE BAD

I can say that I did like the Expendables movies. Well, to be more correct, the first half of the franchise. Like many long-running series, the first film held its own and established the natural “setup” of things, introducing to us (the viewer) as to the roster of characters that made up Barney’s ragtag team as well as the action narrative premise that the movie was aimed to project. Of course, the big “gimmick” or rather “selling point” for this movie was to see all the various action stars (new and old) come together and assemble for this particular film. It wasn’t anything new or revolutionary, but the first film served its purpose. The follow-up sequel (Expendables 2) was probably my personal favorite of the entire franchise and was a lot of fun to watch. Like many sequels, it does “double down” on being bigger and better than the original film and, while not original in any way shape or form, is self-aware of its premise and makes the feature a lot of fun with its initial setup, cast of characters (new and old ones) and its goofy over-the-top action. Expendables 2 is probably my personal favorite. As for Expendables 3….it’s okay. I only saw it once and it really didn’t do much for me. It wasn’t downright terrible, but the excitement and fun that the last film was able to produce wasn’t there. I liked the “new and younger” cast, but that was mostly because who was playing them and not so much on the characters themselves. It had a few moments, but nothing really to rave about. In short, Expendables 3 was semi-decent action thriller that has the star power, but lacked that follow-through in its entertainment value, leaving in limbo (or rather proven the point) that the franchise has lost its edge and needed to be ended.

However, such a desire was not put into practice as this brings me back to talking about Expend4bles, a 2023 action film and the fourth installment in the Expendables series. With Expendables 3 coming out in 2014, one would think that the franchise was, for a lack of a better term, rather ended, especially with no new plans for a fourth sequel being whispered and / or discussed in quite some time. However, an announcement was made that a fourth installment in the series was to be greenlit, with several cast members (Stallone, Statham, Lundgren, and Couture) returning to reprise their characters in the new project. Much like everyone, I was immediately “meh” with such news, believing that the upcoming film would be mediocre at best and perhaps a tedious action jaunt that would probably not amount to much beyond expressing the notion that the franchise needs to end. The film’s movie trailer proved such a point, with the footage shown looking derivate in nature in the “same old” romp of action stunts and thrills that have been done before in both the Expendables series as well as other action flicks out there. Thus, I wasn’t exactly “hyped” to see this movie when it was set to be released back in September 2023. As I was away on vacation (out of the country) when this movie was released in theaters, I didn’t get a chance to see the movie, for it was already “pushed out” of the theaters by the time I was able to see it. Thus, I had to wait until it was released on digital months later as I really wasn’t in the mood to see it, especially since I’ve read a lot of negative reviews and comments about the feature. However, I did decide to check it out eventually by renting it one night. And what did I think of it? Well, I do have to admit that the reviews and comments about this movie are true. Despite a few moments here and there, Expend4bles is a lazy and dull endeavor that seems to be derivate throughout and is mostly on autopilot for much of the feature’s runtime. While the cast seems to be having fun with the picture, moviegoers will find this particular entry in the franchise to be painfully dull and generic as they come, which is never a good thing.

Expend4bles is directed by Scott Waugh, whose previous directorial works includes Hidden Strike, Need for Speed, and Act of Valor. Given his previous directing projects have an action-oriented background, Waugh does seem (on paper) to be the most suitable choice to helm the fourth entry in the movie franchise, especially since the particular action flick (like the rest of the Expendables features) is very action oriented. While diluted and a weak entry in the series (more on that below), Waugh tries to emulate the fun and enjoyment that the previous features achieve….yet only to a certain degree. Much like the previous two Expendables installments, Waugh makes the movie light and humorous in a certain way by not making everything “too serious”. That’s not to say that the movie’s bad guy (motives and villainy) are wicked and filled with malice, but the director doesn’t make the film (as a whole) feel too serious with melodramatic moments and a particular gravitas to the proceedings. There’s plenty of back-and-forth banter amongst the group and the film’s dialogue (while not exactly the best) is still considered to be playful and has moments comedic lines here and there. It’s basically exactly what you might think of an Expendables movies and Waugh seems to run with that idea. This also extends to some of the large-than-life heroic action scenes that the movie throws at the narrative that are (of course) reminiscent to the 80s and 90s action films of yesteryear. It’s not exactly the best out there or nothing “balls to walls” crazy and / or over-the-top like the Fast & Furious movies, but (again) it does speak to the Expendables franchise.

In its presentation, Expend4bles looks like what one might expect from a throwback action film, which is not a bad thing, and does have that “keeping up appearances” with the rest of the film’s background setting and visual styles. Of course, the movie doesn’t require lavishing set pieces and a heavy production budget for grandiose locales, but the film’s setting does have that grittiness throughout some of the set locations and decorations as well as a few exotic locales here and there. Plus, the costume design and various military weaponry that the character utilize (both heroes and villains) look appropriate and have a certain type of realism in today’s modern world. Thus, the film’s “behind the scenes” team, including Ricky Eyres (production design), Neil Floyd, Orlin Grozdanov, and Arta Tozzi (set decorations), Neil McClean (costume design), and Eliza Banzourkova, Biljana Jovanovic, Kira Kemble, and Ivan Ranghelov (art direction) do a decent job in presenting the film’s background / setting and aesthetics the correct way. Additionally, the cinematography work by Tim Maurice-Jones has a few moments where such dramatic and visual camera lens flair adds to dynamic sequences. It’s nothing grand, but it does help elevate the feature’s action scenes in those moments. Lastly, the film’s score, which was composed by Guillaume Roussel, gets some pretty decent moments where the musical composition works in the feature’s favor with such bombastic and heroic flourishes. Overall, the presentation for Expend4bles is okay and (again) keeps up the appearance of today’s modern movie styles of filmmaking.

Unfortunately, Expend4bles ends up being the weakest entry of the entire franchise and is riddled a lot of problematic areas from start to finish, which doesn’t bode well for viewers who are looking to escape into a mindless action picture. How so? Well, for starters, the movie….to put it simply….isn’t that great and ends up being the least interesting of these features. I know, I know…..movies like the Expendables are not usually the type of films that have engaging and / or gripping narratives, with most having simplistic plots of good guys vs. bad guys mantra with a lot of action sequences thrown into the mix. So, yes…I do get that point. That being said, what’s presented in the way of a story / narrative is right limp and never rises above the mediocre level of lazy writing and bad tropes…..even for an action movie. Heck, the writing for this film is pretty conventional and underserved that it makes the storytelling of the Call of Duty video games look like masterpieces. Thus, everything about this movie feels half-baked and formulaic to the touch that it breathes a lot of familiarity in a derivate way, which is never a good thing.

With the story of the movie being called into questioning (a lot), the Expend4bles’s script, which was penned by Kurt Wimmer, Tad Daggerhart, Max Adams, and Spenser Cohen, is prime example of the classic “too many cooks in the kitchen” in writing the narrative for this feature. Why so? Well, the plot / story, which can be seeing as something very rudimentary, gets bogged down with a lot of superfluous details, unnecessary plot threads, and bland new characters. The movie goes off on tangents on certain subplots that don’t go anywhere, the sudden twists in the narrative feels bland, and the character themselves are rather cookie cutter (more on that below). It also doesn’t help that the script’s dialogue is quite wooden and laughable at times. Everything about the dialogue (in the movie) is quite clunky and stiff that it comes off as quite goofy at times and just bad writing the rest. Basically, even for a movie like an Expendables sequel, there could’ve (and should have) been more developing the film’s story and ironing out the dialogue to make the characters / narrative much better than what they were.

From a director’s perspective, Waugh kind of makes a mess of the movie and does seems to be struggling by trying to juggle all of the various characters throughout the movie. Some characters get larger parts than others, while others are merely there for “window dressing” to help bolster the team. It’s also quite confusing to see Waugh mismanage a lot of the movie and ends up botching a lot of it with such a derivate nature and blandness. I felt get it that it might be hard to stage, helm, and organize everything for a feature film, but for a project like Expend4bles (that doesn’t take itself too seriously) ….there should’ve been more fun and excitement throughout the proceedings. Is Waugh the right person for the job? It’s datable as he showcases potential as to what he wants to convey in the movie, but it all lacks the finesse and mindless joy that one can be expressed while watching a popcorn flick like this. Thus, Waugh’s direction for the movie feels very rigged and lazy at the same time, which is never a good thing.

Also, there is the action in the movie and how mediocre it all is. I did mention above that the action in the film does help elevate some of the blander moments in the plot, which does cause for some cinematic excitement, but, for the most part, its left with a generic flavoring that can discern itself from other (and mostly) better action-oriented projects out there. There is a sense of “cut and paste” to it all, with the standard fare of chase scenes, shootouts, and brawling that are customary to action pieces, yet it all feels recycled and repetitive and does little to engage moviegoers. There is also a general lack of “pizzazz” to all of these action sequences, with the formulaic / run-of-the-mill stunts and choreography work feeling humdrum and uninspiring. In truth, the action (much like the writing for this movie) is rendered rather stiff right from the get-go and cause generate enough gumption and action beyond the bare minimum.

Lastly, the movie does incorporate CGI visual effect shots in a several sequences, especially towards the end of the film, and it’s really bad. While visual effects do certainly help build some of the more fantastical elements and shots that can’t be done, especially when the production budget is low and / or utilized elsewhere), have shoddy work in such computer-generated imagery can take a viewer out of the experience. Such is the case with this particular movie, with the visual shots rendered really bad and looking dated to today’s commonplace blockbuster productions. Such muddy and outdated effects are pretty laughable in the movie and ends up backfiring more than heighten the flick. Heck, it would’ve been better if the movie didn’t even use this particular tactic and really more on its more practical effects, which has always been beneficial for this feature, which are trying to call back to the gritty action movies of the yesteryear.

The cast in Expend4bles, much like the previous installments, boasts plenty of recognizable names attached to the film, with many being older / seasoned action stars, which fits what the franchise wanted to convey. Thus, their involvement is welcomed….for the most part that is. However, most of the character themselves are rather thinly sketched caricatures that don’t beyond their initial setup nor grow / evolve in any way, shape, or form. Again, with this film being the fourth Expendables flick, I sort of knew that this was going to be case. However, that doesn’t give the excuse to make such bland and interesting broad-like characters to be less amusing as to what original were or what they could’ve been. Sadly, what makes it worst of all is the reduce role that actor Sylvester Stallone is on this particular project, who returns to play the team’s main leader of Barney Ross. Stallone, who is known for his roles in Rocky, Rambo, and Demolition Man, is no stranger to playing a lead role in actions movies as he has done so for much of his career, with his participation in the Expendables franchise a perfect for the seasoned actor. In his previous installments, Stallone seems to be having a lot of fun in the role, playing up the macho veteran Barney Ross with enough gumption and heroics to make him compelling…regardless of what the bad guys throw at him. Unfortunately, without spoiling the story, Stallone’s Ross isn’t in Expend4bles that much, which certainly does dilute the palatability of the feature (as whole), for Stallone presence is surely missed. Because of this, there isn’t a whole lot of character development for him in this entry as Barney Ross, despite Stallone seem playing him the right way, is undercooked and underserved in this Expendables outing…. and that’s a crying shame.

In contrast, Barney Ross’s partner and co-leader of the Expendables team, Lee Christmas, gets upgraded to more of the team leader in this fourth installment, with actor Jason Statham taking more of the leadership on this project. Stallone has stated that he wants to “pass the torch” to Statham on this project, with Expend4bles being the film to do such that. Of course, Statham, who is known for his roles in Crank, The Transporter, and Wrath of Man, is certainly up to the task and does takeover the reigns of the project in both in front and behind the camera (overseeing filming, post-production, and served as a producer for the feature). Statham certainly feels “at home” with the character of Christmas, who continues to be an amusing and capable member of the team, who seeks to help out his fellow Expendables during such time of need. Perhaps he’s the only character of the entire roster that actually has a story arc in the picture, but it can be a little bit derivate in nature. Still, Statham continues to be a lot fun in these movies and is perhaps the only one to come out on top of this action dumpster fire of a feature, which (again) is just a shame.

The other two “original” Expendables team members fill in their respective character roles nicely, with actor Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV and Creed II) and MMA fighter / actor Randy Couture (The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior and Big Stan) reprising Gunner Jensen, a once volatile member of team, and Toll Road, the team’s demolition’s expert. Lundgren, who has played a large supporting role in these movies continues to be a perfect fit for such a character and clearly is having fun returning to play Gunner once again, especially since the character is on philosophical soul search in his life, which is amusing to watch on-screen. Likewise, Couture’s Toll brings another familiar face back to the proceedings and (interestingly) gets more screen time in this fourth entry of the franchise, which does provide some more humor and action scenes with the character. Collectively, both Lundgren and Couture make for fun characters in the movie, despite their character’s growth limitations in the film’s narrative, yet still proves to be quite effective throughout.

Sadly, the new team members in the movie don’t exactly bring anything fun or new to the Expendables cinematic table and end up being either generic or annoying. Leading the charge in this group would be actress Megan Fox (Transformers and Jennifer’s Body) as Gia, a CIA operative, the latest new member of the Expendables team, and also Christmas’s girlfriend. While Fox’s performance (overall) is okay, she doesn’t really fit into this movie well enough to be memorable. Her scenes with Statham are probably the best, but I really don’t buy into their relationship….and I think that other viewers out there. Plus, as a character, Gia is rather forgettable and doesn’t really bring much to the story beyond being Christmas’s girlfriend. Unfortunately, the other new team members, including actor / rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson (Power and Get Rich of Die Tryin’) as Easy Day and actor Jacob Scipio (The Outpost and Bad Boys for Life) as Galan, son of former Expendables team member Galgo, end up being rather annoying throughout the movie, while actress Levy Tran (The First Purge and The Haunting of Hill House) as Lash becomes a throwaway / forgetful new addition to the team. All in all, the new member of the Expendables could’ve had potential, but they are all squandered on the script not doing much with them or just becoming annoying to their talent playing them. I’m sure that they all had a good time while filming, but, in terms of characters and likeability, all of them are woefully underdeveloped, undercooked, and underwhelming.

For the movie’s villain, Expend4bles find some relatively good “bad guys” vibes in the character of Suarto Rahmat, a cunning mercenary who works with the Ocelot organization / main antagonist of the feature, and who is played by actor Iko Uwais (The Raid: Redemption and Snake Eyes). I think that Uwais is a good actor and definitely has the right amount of theatrical screen presence / bravado to make him feel intimidating in the movie, which does work in his favor. However, the character of Suarto Rahmat is quite a “cookie cutter” iteration of an action genre main villain as his motives and angle behind such villainy in the movie are rather formulaic as they come. Thus, Uwais’s Rahmat is a bit bland, but still functional enough to make the role semi-decent in the grand scheme of the movie’s plot.

Rounding out the rest of the cast are actors Andy Garcia (Ocean’s Eleven and The Godfather Part III) and Tony Jaa (Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior and Monster Hunter) represent the characters as Marsh, a CIA operative who becomes the new “liaison” link to the Expendables team, and Decha Unai, a former member of the Expendables team. Both Garcia and Jaa bring gravitas and credibility to the film’s proceedings, but (sadly) both are quite underwhelming throughout the feature. This, of course, is disappointing as both actors are quite good in their own rights, but are sadly weak and underdeveloped in the movie, which (again) is hugely disappointing for these supporting characters.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As a new threat emerges, Barney Ross and his team are called into action to neutralize Suarto Rahmat’s nefarious plans as old and new allies come together in the movie Expend4bles. Director Scott Waugh’s latest film seems to reinvigorate moviegoers with the Expendables franchise, returning to the throwback action thrills and big-time heroics that made the series intriguing in the first place. Unfortunately, while some of those thrills are interesting and some of the recognizable cast is welcomed, majority of the feature hits the ground and falls flat on its face, which is mainly due to Waugh’s direction, a derivate plot / story, clunky dialogue, terrible CGI renderings as well as several stale action bits, uninteresting new characters, and wasted potential on some of the returning veterans. Personally, I did not particular care for this movie and was disappointed with it. To be fair, I really didn’t expect a whole lot from this movie, but I was expecting something far better than what was presented. Everything about this movie felt subpar and utterly derivate. Some might say that’s part of the “appeal” of the Expendables movies as a “classic gritty and mindless action” flick, but one can not overlook how lazy and bland this movie is…collectively speaking. Thus, my recommendation for this movie would be a highly favorable “skip it” as it really does nothing to push the franchise in the right direction nor reignite an interest in seeing this franchise return. The ending of the features promises future installments, but, given the reception that this film has received (mostly negative), I think that the Expendables series should end….and I think many will agree with me on that. In the end, Expend4bles is quite the lackluster and disappointing endeavor that fails to deliver on its action premise potential in a lazy, tasteless, and totally expendable sequel.