Take a break from work: watch a trailer…
Any trailer that starts with “They are the world’s greatest mercenaries…” had better turn into a parody at some point. I kept waiting for that to happen, and even as it appears to turn into a convention of washed-up action heroes — Dolph Lundgren? Dolph Lundgren is still working?! — it still looks like it’s taking itself seriously. That’s too bad.
Then again, it is an August movie, so we mustn’t expect much. I’d love it if this was as incisive a look at aging heroes as Stallone’s Rocky Balboa was (Stallone wrote and directed that one and this one). But I suspect I’ll have to settle for hoping this will at least be as diverting a bit of fluff as The Losers. Though that doesn’t look too likely, either. It might have had a chance if Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger and even Eric Roberts were major factors here, but since their names don’t appear in that rundown of the cast at the end, I suppose we must assume they have cameo appearances only.
The Expendables opens in the U.S. and Canada on August 13, and in the U.K. on August 20.
Willis and Schwarzenegger are definitely just cameos. I hear Schwarzenegger’s got one scene and Willis may have two. But Eric Roberts is supposedly the villain…
Dolph Lundgren is not only still working, but he co-starred in the DTV sequel Universal Soldier: Regeneration, which was actually shockingly good. Well worth checking out to see the talents of John Hyams, who will probably go on to direct some kick-ass action movies in the future (and I’m no fan of his father’s work).
The only people this movie is missing is Norris, Seagal , and Van Damme. But I’m not complaining Statham is todays action hero and hes teamed up with my childhood action hero AND Jet Li! The plot too this movie is just bullets and ass kicking I don’t expect non other then a montage of ultra violence and would pay for non other.
Wait, so someone managed to get all the reigning badass macho action heroes from past and present together in one movie and they didn’t make it a parody or satire of some kind? That wasted opportunity alone makes this movie go down a few notches.
Knightgee, I think Schwarzenegger had some bad experience with the Action Hero parody genre.
MaSch, ok, so Last Action Hero made me throw up in my popcorn, but True Lies was amazing.
Point taken as I’m not that familiar with True Lies.
However, even allowing for Schwarzenegger getting involved in comedy with good results, has there ever been a comedy with Stallone involved which didn’t cause lots of pain?
Ah, forget it, three seashells do cover that up.
I do regret this movie doesn’t include 80s action movie mainstays such as Norris or Van Damme (Seagal for what I know is notoriously hard to work with, so I won’t mind missing him). Big question though: since action stars from the 90s and 00s (Li, Statham) are included, why not include Vin Diesel? Summer Glau or Michelle Yeoh? Clive Owen?