MOVIE REVIEW: The Expendables 3 - 'The Past Meets The Future'

Director: Patrick Hughes
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes
Release Date: August 15, 2014

Sylvester Stallone is back with another installation of The Expendables and just like the first two films, Stallone gathers a handful of action stars from the past and teams up to do what they do best on the big screen, kick some butt. The first two films felt very similar due to the plot points and dialogue being recycled. But for the third installation, Stallone decided to change it up a bit - bringing in a new generation of action stars. Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Victor Ortiz, and Glen Powell all join the team of old-timers. A brilliant idea from writer Stallone indeed because I'm not so sure how many more films he can make with just the same team. Unfortunately, new faces were the only new and refreshing addition to this trilogy, repeated dialogue and plot points are used once again.

Barney (Sylvester Stallone), Christmas (Jason Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables — but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.

The movie starts off with a bang as Barney, Christmas, Gunner (Dolph Lundgren), Road (Randy Couture) all save a former Expendable Doc (Wesley Snipes), from an armored prison located on a train. Who wouldn't want an action film to start any other way? This pre-credit sequence gets you ready for what is to come from the rest of the film. Unfortunately, things don't pick up much right after. Stallone and the other writers on board gives us similar trends we saw in past films but instead of Church (Bruce Willis) giving out the missions a new CIA agent does, Drummer (Harrison Ford). 

Nevertheless, Ford replacing Willis in the film was not the only thing new in The Expendables 3. After an ugly incident that ended with Caesar (Terry Crews) getting fatally injured, Barney suggests that the crew retires and that it may be time for some new and young blood. This is something I believe to be a beautiful concept because the first two films gave younger audiences a glimpse of the action stars that older generations enjoyed and now in the third installment, audiences are gifted with a glimpse of what actions stars are going to be gracing the big screen in the years to come. I am especially happy with the addition of UFC star Ronda Rousey, who will give young girls around the world a role model that isn't a Disney princess. Unfortunately, their screen time is limited as the new comers are well, still new to the game and get caught after their first mission resulting in the old-timers coming out of their brief retirement. Hopefully, Stallone brings back the young guys for the fourth installment, which has already been confirmed. 

There is one final thing that is different about The Expendables 3 and that's the rating. The first two films were both rated R, yet the latest installment got a rating of PG-13. A rating that changed the vibe of the movie for the sure because there was less blood and less heads being blown off than we were given previously. Are those things necessary for the film? No. But if Stallone wants to keep true to his 1980's action roots than it is. But where the action dipped, the laughs made up for it. Warning, if you don't know much of the actor's past work than the jokes will go right over your head. As jokes were made about Snipes' recent jail time, Willis' departure from the film, Li's height, Statham's accent and Schwarzenegger's famous 'Get to the CHOPPER!' line.

Overall, The Expendables 3 was a very fun time to watch even though you get the feeling you have seen it all before if you saw any of the previous films. The action sequences were not up to par as the past and the new-comers didn't bring the big impression that they should of but the jokes made and chemistry between the actors made up for it. With that being said, you should totally skip this film on all formats and wait for it to be on Netflix or On Demand. If Stallone indeed does get the bad guy he wants for The Expendables 4, Dwayne Johnson, brings back the new-comers and has the rating go back to R than maybe, just maybe the fourth installment will be the best one yet.