The Expendables 3: Movie Review
The first two films in “The Expendables” series are mindless entertaining throwbacks to the action films I grew up with. “The Expendables 3” is no exception. With the exception of some poorly rendered CGI elements (mostly from scenes involving helicopter chases and fake explosions), Stallone and company have delivered another satisfying sequel.
There are also some welcome additions to the cast. Harrison Ford is an upgrade from Bruce Willis. Wesley Snipes, Kelsey Grammer, and Antonio Banderas actually add a nice dose of freshness to the cast. As for the new younger members of the team, they feel more expendable than the original Expendables. This time around, the villain is played by Mel Gibson. The controversial actor has been having some fun lately, playing bad guys in b-movies like “Machete Kills” and now “The Expendables 3”. Personal feelings about Gibson aside, he does a good job here with the bare-bones material he is given.
As for the story. Expendables leader Barney Ross (Stallone) has just discovered that his old partner who turned bad many years ago is still alive. Stonebanks (Gibson) is the former Expendable turned arms dealer, and is wanted by Drummer (Ford) to answer for war crimes. After nearly losing a team member at the hands of Stonebanks, Barney decides to part ways with his aging brothers in arms and select a team of younger and faster fighters. It doesn’t take long for the younger team to get captured and now Barney must work with his old team again to rescue them and stop Stonebanks.
I must admit, it was great seeing Snipes on the big screen again. It has been far too long. Although Bandaras as Galgo got a little annoying with his eager-to-please excitement after awhile, he still delivers most of the film’s biggest laughs. If you are someone who wasn’t a fan of the two previous films, the third one is not going to change that. However, if you are like me and enjoy some old fashioned 80’s style action, then go check out “The Expendables 3”.
By: Marc Ferman