The Expendables 2

A decent fun action flick that won't disappoint you. I hated The Expendables and was disappointed about all the hype. But this one was a way better film. There actually is a story and talking and not 100 mins of action. This film has cheesy one liners and will not win an academy award but if you're looking to ease back and relax with some buddies to a no brainer-flick this is a good one. Good action and decent screenplay and bad-ass characters featuring Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Jason Statham and more bring a solid action flick that I hope the sequel will be like this one and not like the first one. This is one of Stallone's better action flicks.

This film was a real blast from the past. Having watched these actors in the 80s -90s I enjoyed the one liners and the over the top action they have been associated with in the past.If you are after an action film with a good story then this is not the film for you.If you want to immerse yourself in larger than life characters, with lots of guns and impossible situations then you will get on just fine. I'm not sure if the younger audiences will fully appreciate this film with out understanding what these actors did in the past.I have given this film 8 out of 10 because if I rated it any lower *Chuck Norris* said he would kick my ass.

Due to nostalgia this film is greater than the sum of its parts. If you are looking for a realistic action flick, this isn't it. Expendables 2 is even less realistic than the original Expendables. This movie doesn't even take itself seriously, which is a good thing. Part of the effort and energy of the film, particularly the writing, seemed to be to get all the great actors into the film including their "signature" lines. For example, you'll hear Arnold say "I'll be bock". That's really the main enjoyment is the nostalgia of those action stars and my there are so many! So this is a recommendation if you are a real fan of these action stars and their of the last thirty plus years.

The Expendables 2 is the ultimate fan service and gives us even more than we got for the first installment. The Expendables 2 sees Barney Ross and his team having to pay back Mr. Church by going on a simple mission of retrieving an item from a downed plane. All goes well until Jean Claude Damme shows up. Van Damme is an excellent villain. He is clearly having a lot of fun and looks damn cool at the same time. The film just builds up to action set-pieces and cameos that don't always make a lot of sense, but are much appreciated. With so much going on, not everyone gets their due. Li has to leave early on to make some room, and Crews and Couture are sidelined for more A-List stars for the finale. The final action sequence what you paid your money for. Stallone, Willis, Lundgren, Norris, Schwarzenegger and Van Damme all taking part in a single action scene. It's great to finally see it but it does go too much towards comedy as the characters trade their famous catchphrases. The film has delivered on its promise even if there is a distinct lull in the second act where the dialogue is cringe worthy and it tries too hard to develop characters we don't really care about. I am now very excited for Stallone and Schwarzenegger's next projects and The Expendables 3.

So, if "acting" does not count (and in this kind of movie it really shouldn't - some deserve a free pass :), everything else is much better than the first movie. Especially the story. Don't get me wrong: it has been obviously designed for a classic black/white presentation, where good guys are always good, and bad are even worse. The are also some quotes on movie classics (you know: terrorized village graving for help, some stranger(s) come(s) and blah, blah, blah) and it is altogether fun. Nice 100 minutes (with credits). Mindless but fun nevertheless. Arnie is finally "back" (after so many promises), nobody beats Chuck Norris (I guess jokes about him are true; most of them) and it all looks like a nice geriatric party (only shooting, no singing). Like Space Cowboys (God forgive for comparing this two movies!) but with no space.

Want fun? Go for it. It delivers. Much, much more than, for example, Mission Impossible. I'm looking forward for 3rd part (if most of the cast does not die of age, since bullets don't want them).