I’m not sure how big of a demand there was for another Expendables movie. Yet here we are. To their credit, the first two films were quite fun, especially for those of us who relished in the glory days of the over-the-top action flicks from the 80s and early 90s. Unfortunately the third movie milked the formula dry while softening to a PG-13 rating in hopes of appealing to a wider audience. It didn’t work.
Now after nearly ten years Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and an ensemble of their old and new friends are giving it another whirl with “Expendables 4” (or “Expend4bles” for cooler (?) cosmetic reasons). Director Scott Waugh and the screenwriting trio of Spenser Cohen, Tad Daggerhart, and Max Adams set out to make another throwback action movie more in line with the franchise’s first two installments (it even glibly advertises its R rating just so fans will know they’re not going easy).
What we end up with is a hefty serving of unabashed fan food. It’s a movie meal custom-cooked for fans and it should satisfy the appetites of those hungry for more goofy banter and gleefully violent action. At the same time, “Expend4bles” is all but certain to turn off those who tend to look down on these kinds of films or who have no affinity or attachment to their genre roots. Personally I like that it never pretends to be anything other than what it is. It ends up being pretty much what I signed up for. But that doesn’t mean it’s not without its flaws.
While Stallone’s aged mercenary Barney Ross has always been the heart and soul of the series, it’s Statham’s perpetually grumpy Lee Christmas who takes the lead in this new bullet-riddled adventure. Series stalwarts Dolph Lundgren and Randy Couture return (but sadly no Terry Crews or Jet Li) while Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia add some fresh albeit less interesting blood to the team.
Laying out the story seems rather pointless considering everything is mainly there to setup the action. What story we do get is pretty silly and safe. Barney’s Expendables are sent on a mission to stop a former British national turned arms dealer (Iko Uwais) from nabbing some nuclear detonators and starting World War III. The mission goes bad and the team gets shaken up. But soon the good guys are back on the trail of the big bad guy, this time with a little personal vengeance as a motivation.
And that’s the story in a nutshell. There is a whole subplot involving some mysterious evil antagonist who goes by Ocelot. But it’s so woefully underdeveloped that it never registers as remotely interesting or important. It’s the same for the new team members. Jackson is a solid enough fit and Fox (when not serving as glaringly obvious eye candy) gels surprisingly well with her mostly male counterparts. But they all feel thrown in rather than developed. And the performances overall are a mixed bag, and not just from the newbies.
Yet the movie delivers where it counts – in the action. A few scenes of laughably evident green screen aside, Waugh gives his audience exactly what anyone going to an Expendables movie should expect – playful macho banter, corny one-liners, and tons of bullets, blades, and bodies. Statham gets the most room to shine and Tony Jaa pops up and is let loose in the second half. They can’t cover all the blemishes (and there are several), but they help to remind us of what makes these cockamamie creations click. “Expend4bles” hits theaters today.
VERDICT – 3 STARS
Keith & the Movies 
No, not even for the Stath!
He’s a ton of fun in this. It kinda feels like a lot of his recent movies haven’t let him loose. This one does! 👍🏼
It has Megan Fox so… fuck that. Plus, this film is getting KILLED on Letterboxd.
Not a bit surprised it’s getting killed. There was no way this movie was going to resonate with today’s critics. As I mentioned in the review, many look down on movies like this and few (especially younger folks) have no affinity or attachment to the film’s genre roots. The responses have been as predictable as day and night.
These kind of movies never really were their cup of tea
These kind of films aren’t really reviewers cups of tea
Not at all. I think I’m one of the only “fresh” reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. LOL
Megan Fox’s next movie should be about starting an 80’s workout trend with Chandni Parekh
Hmmmm
Hollywood will thank me later 💜
I didn’t hate the movie, but when compared to previous entries in the franchise and other films in the genre, Expendables 4 has absolutely nothing new to offer. That said, it’s not boring and hits the ground running, but I really wish they would stop with the goddamn shaky-cam bullshit. It didn’t work when it was first employed and it doesn’t work now. I actually like Megan Fox in this movie. I think she knew what kind of movie she was in and rolled with it. But it sucks that Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais were not properly utilized in the film, even though the fight between Uwais and Statham slaps pretty hard. I’m a huge fan of the first two movies, but this is an example of an action movie that doesn’t really know where its place is in the genre anymore.
Yep, I really like the first two. But I like this one a lot better than the third one. You’re right – nothing particularly new here. But it’s fun.
The only thing missing was Bruce Willis, and he could have had a non-speaking part, like some seemed to have. As these movies seem to be more about the latest and greatest pyrotechnics the special effects people have, but if sitting down, I would watch it. Fortunately, I tried not to sit down! There was a time, maybe, I would have paid to see this, but that time is long gone!
Perfectly understandable. I had fun with it and really like Statham getting the spotlight. But the last two movies haven’t leaned as much into the “old” guys as the first two. That’s one reason the first two are so superior.
So you’d rank them 1, 2, 4, 3?
Yep. That’s exactly how I would rank them.
For my wife and I, it was mostly the terrible low budget CGI that ruined this movie. The acting surrounding the main cast wasn’t very great either, but the bad CGI takes the cake.
Yep, there’s was a couple of scenes where it stood out like a sore thumb.
Good review. I felt that this movie was the worst of the series, which is a shame because it started out pretty decent. This installment felt very lazy and bland and just seemed to be running on autopilot. Coupled with a weak script and even weaker action, I did like Stallone and Statham in the movie, but the newer cast members felt too cookie cutter. In the end, I feel that Expend4bles is very much so an “expendable” sequel to a franchise that has run out of steam.
I got a kick out of it for what it was. Definitely liked it better than the third film. Yet it’s not a movie I feel any need to rush back to. LOL