Review of The Expendables 3 (2014) by Priyantha B — 01 Nov 2014

It would be bold and ok to say that after two consecutively engaging and improving sequels, Expendables has screwed up bad this time. This movie looks like it's out of place and going nowhere and a huge potential of acting, bullets and explosives are flat out wasted.

The tattooed bad ass underground private soldier gang Expendables is back and they are facing a known enemy from the past. Barney (Stallone) decides to recruit young blood for the last battle saying adios to his old gang and it turns out to be a bad idea. Facing Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson) is trickier and tougher than it seems and Expendables patience and talents tested to the brim.

So why exactly this movie did went wrong? It is definitely not the cast and not the action because both of them have more than enough vibe to pull off some awesome movie. I think where it fails is the poor story line which has many connectivity issues and weak flow compared to the previous movies. It feels like some cast is not given a fair chance to perform and their presence is just a mere hallucination of the fact that Expendables is has many old school heroes in one place. This was common in pervious movies as well but the plot and direction was smooth enough for the fans to positively accept it. The only refreshing addition that worth witnessing is Mel Gibson where he brings in some true spark to the dull story line.

Talking of the good Expendables 3 is a high octane action jump start right from the beginning. The action is almost 90% farfetched but we all know the drill here. So there is nothing I can complain about it. Action sequences, cast and set creations are good. The whole movie sees no lush greens or hope of a blue planet but takes place entirely in dull, harsh environments except for the night club and city scenes. There are enough destructions and explosions corner to corner and some really good witty one liners. And Arnold finally wants everyone to GET TO THE CHOPPAH!