Actors: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris
Directors: Simon West
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Lions Gate
Release Date: November 20, 2012
Run Time: 102 minutes
Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars
When I say “The Expendables”, I wasn’t overly thrilled. Though this sequel was exactly that this film should have been the first time around. It is faster, meaner and more kick-ass. The action is better, the jokes are funnier and the cast is more fierce. This time around the rogue team of misfits take on a new job for what they think should be a quick, in-and-out mission, but of course they get more than they bargain for. When one of their own is killed, the Expendables set out to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them. “The Expendables 2” has grossed over $300 million worldwide, so “The Expendables 3” is guaranteed and I say “Bring it on”. Just don’t expect to see Steven Seagal in it, read here. Can’t wait to see what they are going to come up with next.
Let’s just go through this cast real quick: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Damn! That never get’s old. I absolutely love this cast. Stallone is much more bad-ass this time around. Jet Li is MIA after the opening but still is cool. Van Damme is awesome as the baddie and perfectly named Jean Vilain. Bruce and Arnold are a great team up especially in the film’s finale. But for me the winner of the film has to go to Booker played by Chuck Norris. He pops in, kicks some major ass, quotes a Chuck Norris Fact and is surrounded by mystery…Classic!
This releases comes in a Blu-ray combo pack with an iTunes and Uiltraviolet digital copy, but where is the DVD copy?The Blu-ray presentation looks absolutely perfect. The 1080p transfer is extremely impressive. The star of the film, besides Chuck Norris, is the wonderful DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1. Since this film is jam-packed with some great action, this is a wonderful companion. My surround sound needed some aspirn for sure after blasting out this track. And I would like to apologize to my neighbor if they are reading this 😉
The special features included are impressive. There is an audio commentary track with director Simon West, which is awesome but I would have also liked to seen a cast commentary track as well. NExt up there are four jam-packed behind-the-scenes featurettes. “Gods of War: Assembling Earth’s Mightiest Antiheroes” looks into the mega-cast and how it was put together. “On the Assault: The Real-Life Weaponry of The Expendables” looks into the heavy artiliary used in this sequel. “Big Guns, Bigger Heroes: The 1980s and the Rise of the Action Film” is exactely what it’s subtitle says it is, a reflect on the influence of 80’s action films. “Guns of Hire: The Real Expendables” wraps up the featurettes with a look into the real heros of the film. Lastly there are a few deleted scenes and gag reel included. Highly recommend this release for holiday gifting.
