The Expendables 2 (Simon West)

[TGM]

THE EXPENDABLES 2

Director: Simon West

imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1764651/)

http://www.motherjones.com/files/imagecache/top-of-content-image/the-expendables-2-poster-last-supper.jpg

[TGM]

This movie was a blast. Much, MUCH better than the first one. And none of the nauseating shakey cam from the first movie returns here, which was my biggest worry going into this.

[Watashi]

I want them to go full Contra for the third film. Just go all out and set it in space and pit the team against aliens.

[MadMan]

I want them to go full Contra for the third film. Just go all out and set it in space and pit the team against aliens.I've heard rumors of Clint Eastwood, Nicholas Cage, and Wesley Snipes being in the third one. So if they're going all out like that, then space battles and aliens would just be the next logical step, I guess.

[Skitch]

Crossover the third entry with Predator 3.

Seeing this in a couple hours.

[Morris Schæffer]

I want them to go full Contra for the third film. Just go all out and set it in space and pit the team against aliens.

http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01567/Page27_01_1567498a.jpg

Stallone's mom could be the alien boss at the end. :eek:

[Sven]

Just so you know, Morris, that's not Stallone's mom.

[Morris Schæffer]

Just so you know, Morris, that's not Stallone's mom.

Huh? As far as I know that is definitely Jackie Stallone, age 90.

[Sven]

Huh? As far as I know that is definitely Jackie Stallone, age 90.

That person's name is Ivone Weldon. News sites are not doing their job.

[Watashi]

That picture is of Jackie Stallone.

That picture was taken at the premiere of The Expendables 2.

[Sven]

That picture is of Jackie Stallone.

That picture was taken at the premiere of The Expendables 2.

Yes it was, but no it's not. I promise.

[Ezee E]

But it is isn't.

[Skitch]

Not a perfect movie by any stretch, but quite fun! And funny! That being said, the Arnold Terminator jokes need to stop. They've been done to death.

[Watashi]

The best part of this movie was Van Damme. Guy was amazing.

The rest of the film was below-average shoot-em up.

[Morris Schæffer]

Mixed for me, but I knew this way in advance. It doesn't really matter when it's quite a bit better than the first one. The action is directed with more flair this time although one has to wonder whether the shooting had to be quite so incessant in the finale. For a brief moment I was reminded of the notorious airport level in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 although collateral damage here was nil.

Part of me thinks there's more to be done with this franchise. The writing remains pretty standard, all in the service of regurgitating past oneliners, but failing to produce any memorable new ones. Moreover, it's quite shocking how little genuine chemistry these guys have. They hang out together, have been through the wringer more than a few times, but most of the banter feels forced, manufactured, entirely devoid of spontaneity. Has Lundgren ever been this horribly boring and bad? It feels like a low for the chemistry wizard which, given his track record, seems hard to fathom. The snoring bit was the highlight.

Note to Stallone: next time do something in the vein of Guns of Navarone with a fantastical premise, with cast members that all feel integral to the mission, with humour that's bourne of good writing rather than ripped wholesale from the good old days.

[EvilShoe]

Part of me thinks there's more to be done with this franchise. The writing remains pretty standard, all in the service of regurgitating past oneliners, but failing to produce any memorable new ones. Moreover, it's quite shocking how little genuine chemistry these guys have. They hang out together, have been through the wringer more than a few times, but most of the banter feels forced, manufactured, entirely devoid of spontaneity. Has Lundgren ever been this horribly boring and bad? It feels like a low for the chemistry wizard which, given his track record, seems hard to fathom. The snoring bit was the highlight.

Agreed. I didn't care much for this. Van Damme was really good, though. He seemed to be the only person interested in creating a memorable character, but the script lets him down.

[Grouchy]

Better than the first one. In fact, it's what I expected the first one to be like, only it took them a movie to get it right.

I liked the one-liners. The jokes were the best part of it. I agree that they need to make the characters more memorable - half the time you could switch the lines around and none would notice. All of these guys seem to half-arse it except for JCVD - he's the only one who felt like he really, genuinely cared about giving a badass performance. Love him.

[Scar]

It was ok, the opening was great. I think my favorite part was Arnold's line about them all belonging in a museum.

[Grouchy]

Am I the only one who had never heard the story about Van Damme wanting to fight Seagal on Stallone's house? And Seagal chickening out and Van Damme chasing him around nightclubs?

Fucking awesome.

[Irish]

Fun, but disappointing.

Amazing opening, but a mistake as there was no way to top it.

Boring story, what there is of it. Most of the movie is about constantly machine gun fire and explosions, but outside the start, it's not at all interesting.

Agree on Van Damme. He was the only one who seemed focused on what his was doing. Everybody else was terrible (hands down the worst Willis has ever been. Did they hand him pages 30 seconds before rolling the camera?). Terrible jokes and stilted dialogue didn't help.

Needed more interactions between Stallone and Statham. There was quite a bit of that in the first one, and that made it a better movie. These guys share genuine chemistry, but their screen time here is limited.

Who the hell is Yu Nan? Is she even that well known in Hong Kong? What a missed opportunity to hire an age appropriate action actress. Next time, I want Sigorney Weaver, Linda Hamilton, Maggie Cheung or Michelle Yeoh, goddamit.

Crews, Couture and Lungren are likable enough on screen, but why are they even in these movies? So many people with nothing to do makes the whole movie feel bloated and cluttered.

Didn't realize that was Charisma Carpenter .. But to be honest, I never saw her face.

Best parts were the cameos and little moments. Arnold's entrance was awesome ("Oh, this is embarrassing."). Chuck Norris telling a Chuck Norris joke was priceless. That alone was worth the rental fee.

I've pretty much waited my entire life to watch Stallone and Arnold swap dialogue, so as long as they keep making these movies, I'll keep paying to see them.

[Scar]

I've pretty much waited my entire life to watch Stallone and Arnold swap dialogue, so as long as they keep making these movies, I'll keep paying to see them.

Their meeting in the first one was definitely worth the price of admission.

[Irish]

Their meeting in the first one was definitely worth the price of admission.

Yes! I almost wanna to back and watch the first one now.

Gotta admit, though, during the opening of "2," I was sitting there thinking --

"Okay, the guy in the hood has got to be either Arnold or Willis." And I was still somehow surprised and delighted when they finally "rescue" the hostages and pull the hood off.

When Arnold looked sheepish and said, "Oh, this is so embarrassing," I just lost it. That kept me grinning for a good five minutes.

[Scar]

Yes! I almost wanna to back and watch the first one now.

Gotta admit, though, during the opening of "2," I was sitting there thinking --

"Okay, the guy in the hood has got to be either Arnold or Willis." And I was still somehow surprised and delighted when they finally "rescue" the hostages and pull the hood off.

When Arnold looked sheepish and said, "Oh, this is so embarrassing," I just lost it. That kept me grinning for a good five minutes.

I watched/rewatched waaaaay too many Arnold flicks when i was younger, so it didn't take too long for me to figure it out based on the physique/frame. But, just like you, I was delighted when they removed the hood.

[Grouchy]

Who the hell is Yu Nan? Is she even that well known in Hong Kong? What a missed opportunity to hire an age appropriate action actress. Next time, I want Sigorney Weaver, Linda Hamilton, Maggie Cheung or Michelle Yeoh, goddamit.
Agreed.


I've pretty much waited my entire life to watch Stallone and Arnold swap dialogue, so as long as they keep making these movies, I'll keep paying to see them.
That's the thing. These guys have such a huge screen cred* that even if the movie is mediocre, there's no way it's not gleeful fun at the same time. Of course, if they did care to make them better, they'd be bloody awesome.

* See what I did there?

[Morris Schæffer]

I didn't like the meeting in the first one because it looked like a Planet Hollywood reunion, not a meeting of memorable characters getting together because the script, through its ingenuity, necessitated it. It was a throwaway moment, but not worth the price of admission. Sorry Scar. :)

And another thing. I can, with some effort, see Statham and Stallone having chemistry, but the dialogue in both movies is so lame, that they certainly don't have it here. Worse, I don't recall Stallone ever being funny in his movies and perhaps that kinda star is needed to be able to play off each other.

[Thirdmango]

Just watched this and I laughed more then anything. It was a funny movie but in no ways a good movie. Super hokey. I liked the first one a lot more.

Is there any reason Jet Li was suddenly gone from the movie after the beginning?

[TGM]

Is there any reason Jet Li was suddenly gone from the movie after the beginning?

Dunno, but after the way they made him look like a joke in the first one, I can't say that I was saddened by his departure. Let him look good and get the hell out of there before they could have a chance to repeat that mistake.

[Rowland]

I like to think that Jet Li ad-lipped his minority joke, which was the film's most welcome auto-critique (the worst? "who's next, Rambo?"), before escaping Hollywood for more dignified opportunities in China. "So when are you coming back?" "Maybe soon, maybe never. Maybe start new life." Given that a Chinese takeout groaner was the best they could muster in response to his exit, I agree with TGM that he was better off departing while the going was good.

As for the rest of the film, it's better made than the first Expendables, but more impersonal and cynical. Did Rourke take his performance before too seriously to be welcomed back? The attempts struck here at tortured monologues similar to his legendary scene in the original are less successful, and straight-up embarrassing in the Hemsworth kid's case. Stallone is Stallone, Norris still sucks, Arnold is awkward, Van Damme is enigmatic weird, Lundgren is creepy weird, Statham, Willis, and Adkins are just kinda there, and Couture and Crews are largely wasted while coming across like the most naturalistic actors in the bunch.

Also, Morricone's TGTBATU theme being reappropriated for Norris is a travesty. I almost docked my score another letter grade just for that, but West's surprisingly sturdy action direction keeps this crap watchable enough.

[Grouchy]

Also, Morricone's TGTBATU theme being reappropriated for Norris is a travesty. I almost docked my score another letter grade just for that, but West's surprisingly sturdy action direction keeps this crap watchable enough.
I would agree except that I think anyone watching Expendables 2 is already familiar with that score, even if they aren't familiar with the actual film. It's just too famous to be considered anything other than a homage.

It's not like in The Artist where they basically stole Vertigo's score.

[Rowland]

I would agree except that I think anyone watching Expendables 2 is already familiar with that score, even if they aren't familiar with the actual film. It's just too famous to be considered anything other than a homage.I don't dislike it because I think people are mistaking it for the film's score, but rather because it's a stupid, meaningless homage. IMO.

[MadMan]

Big, dumb fun, although a step up from the first one due to a much better cast and more inspired jokes. I will see a third one when it eventually comes out.

Why was the middle of film so inspired by Temple of Doom? Even the last act with the fight near a plane (in this case, a helicopter blade) felt Indy style. Weird. I liked the odd references to Lone Wolf McQuade concerning Chuck Norris, but the movie could have used more Jet Li (which I'm surprised to say, but its true). The Van Damme-Sly fight lived up to the hype, and now I want a buddy cop movie starring Arnuld and Bruce Willis.

PS: Van Damme ruled as a villain, and his name was an obvious running joke. I wonder who will play the bad guy in the next installment.

[Dead & Messed Up]

This movie was dumb.

Occasionally in good ways, but mostly in dumb ways. The firefights felt endless.

Liked Van Damme.