Movie Review Expend4bles (2023)
Gastar Furbles , 2023.
Director: Scott Waugh.
Starring: Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, 50 Cent, Megan Fox, Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, Echo Uwais, Randy Couture, Andy Garcia, Jacob Scipio, Levi Tran, Lucy Newman Williams, Sheila Shah, Darren Knope, Cody Mackey, Dan. Chupong, Nicole Andrews, Adam Masto, Kenny "Cowboy" Bartram, Karim Saidi, Samuel Black, Mike Mueller, Lee Charles and Tiasha Bierko.
Summary :
Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, the Unstoppables are the world's last line of defense and the team they turn to when all other options fail. But new team members with new styles and tactics will give “new blood” a whole new meaning.
This article was written during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike of 2023. Without the work of the writers and actors currently on strike, Expend4bles would not exist.
The new series “The Unstoppables,” in which legendary, aging action stars team up to save the day, has long since acquired its own universe. The amusing title "Expend4bles" (pronounced phonetically by Alexa, so it's probably funnier than any attempt at a line from the movie) doesn't help either, as these diminishing returns are offset by additions like "Megan Fox" and 50 Cent, Name the thing that is likely to draw attention in the wrong direction. To be fair, there are a few notable additions, such as The Raid's martial artist Iko Uwais and Tony Jaa, the former being a surprisingly talkative villain who threatens more than he fights.
The main attraction, of course, is the core members of the mercenary group, led once again by his right-hand man Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), and his old friend and sword expert Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), who work together. . . To hire subordinates such as: B. is hailed as Toll Road's explosives expert (MMA fighter Randy Couture), sniper, shooter Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), and a few new recruits, such as shooter which is about Golden Rain (Jacob Scipio). ), Easy Rider (the aforementioned 50 cents gets one). (of mildly inspired fun times) and Lee's new ex-girlfriend, ex-CIA agent Gina (Megan Fox), with whom he makes love in a strange and terrifying encounter that mixes combat and intimacy.
Realizing once again that the years of these missions are numbered, Andy Garcia Marsh's crew is tasked with preventing World War III by stopping Rahmat Uwais from intercepting a Libyan chemical plant while gathering detonators and weapons. other components to detonate a nuclear bomb. The villain's motivations are just as generic, and I don't know why anyone would expect anything more, which is pretty acceptable. What really matters is that these films serve as a final tribute to the action stars of yesteryear, while also helping to increase the popularity of some up-and-coming talents.
The problem is that "Expend4bles" desperately wants viewers to think it's something subversive and different, with the failure of the first mission raising questions about whether the seasoned mercenaries taking on the mission are capable enough to carry it out successfully. This leads to an amusing segment, where, between frequent verbal arguments with Gina, Lee Cristema temporarily leaves the game and takes odd jobs, such as being a bodyguard at a lavish pool party for a chauvinistic celebrity influencer. social media. A man stands there, belittling women and insulting me. Needless to say, things don't end well for the tough guy.
When director Scott Waugh (from a screenplay by the brilliant writing team of Kurt Wimmer, Ted Dagerhart and Max Adams, with a story by Spencer Cohen, all based on David Callaham's characters) settles in as usual , it's just boring. , although thankfully consistent and watchable, with some really bad CGI gore splashes that make you wonder if there were two versions; A PG-13 presentation (similar to the oft-maligned Thrills 3, mainly for this reason) in case Lionsgate wanted to open up ticket sales to younger audiences, and there was this R-rated version where everything was a little gory. Digitized and included in post-production.
There are short bursts of life here and there, mostly one-on-one fights between party members that come too late to add to the fun. No one should be surprised by what actually happens during Expend4bles' story (I hope not, given the slight despair that comes from consistent bad direction), but it's a movie worth worth doing for what it suggests.
It's nice that these films don't bother to explore these mercenaries as characters, but it's frustrating that these directors don't have the courage to temporarily take on this task. He resorts to dull heroics to "save the world" with mostly disappointing actions and loses his group. In the poetic words of 50 Cent: I don't know if you've heard of Expend4bles , but it's absolute bullshit.
Rating of Flashing Legend - Movie: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kuider is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Society and the Critics' Choice Society. He is also the editor of Flickering Myth Reviews. Check here for new reviews, follow me on Twitter or Letterboxd or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
