The Expendables 3 (2014)

All the oh so grown up movie viewers, that say movies, dont need blood, to be good, are wrong. Especially, in the case of this, now, most likely dead franchise. It starts like the two first movies with a big actionscene. But there is no blood and it feels flat and boring. As does the rest of the movie. I saw the directors cut movie which is longer than the theatrical cut, but still no blood. This so called actionmovie has 50 minutes in the middle of the movie with no action. It has Kelsey Grammar, only known for playing Frasier. He has never been in an actionmovie before, so what the hell is he doing here?? Im guessing actual former actionheroes like Kurt Russell and Michael Biehn turned Sly down. So of course it makes "perfect" sense for Sly to turn to a tv actor who used to star in his own show that ended 14 years ago. Mel Gibson and Antonio Banderas are alot of fun. Hrrison Ford gives a solid performance, but like Wesley Snipes, he is wasted here. And the only laugh I had was Gunnar, saying that his mom, used to drive a tank back home in Sweden.All these extra stars, cant make up for a lackluster script and a a bloodless PG13 rating,And then there are the non-stars, The younger team, Barney assembles for no reason at all after firing his own team for no reason at all, One of them looks like a cgi character. I had to watch the opening scene of the second movie, just to remember what was fun about this franchise, It was the blood and guts and the energy among the cast when they still had fun making these movies. Avoid this. Pretend it doesnt excist. And enjoy the first two movies. The second being the best of them.

OK, it's not as dramatic as most of the movies the lead players would play, but it's a bit of fun and I quite enjoyed it. The first was, err sort of ok, the second was cringeworthy, but this was fun. Don't expect any suspenseful, dramatical stuff with a plot, this is just a fun action movie you can enjoy and laugh at.

When examining a movie like "Expendables 3", one would do well to establish the "ground rules" first, so to speak. This franchise is not meant to be 100% serious. It is a throwback to the action stars and action movies of the 1980s, to be sure, but the tongue is always firmly planted in cheek. That being said, creator Sylvester Stallone takes these films just as seriously (in terms of trying to make them quality undertakings) as anything he has ever done. But, as my title of this review states, you have to "get it" in order to "get it"!For a basic plot summary, "Expendables 3" sees the "old gang" of Stallone, Statham, Lundgren, Couture, and Crews still wreaking havoc on bad guys...at least in the beginning. After a mission involving the new baddie (Mel Gibson) goes awry, Stallone's character decides it is time to put the others out to pasture, recruiting a new crew consisting of Ronda Rousey, Kellan Lutz, Victor Ortiz, and Antonio Banderas. Along the way, they also pick up some help from Harrison Ford, Kelsey Grammar, Wesley Snipes, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.There are two primary reasons to watch the films in this franchise: 1. For the action; 2. For the comedy/camaraderie. The first part was really heavy on the action, while EX2 was pretty much all wise-cracking comedy. EX3, however, is easily the best made film of the series, featuring the best mix of everything. Though my personal favorite may still be part two (because I love the wise-cracking comedy a bit more than the guns a-blazin'), the film-evaluator portion of me realizes that this is the best overall effort so far.Of course, any Expendables film after the first one is going to be judged on the "new blood", and in that aspect EX3 comes through with flying colors. There are a few characters (Lutz, Ortiz) who just kind of fall flat, but otherwise all the other new additions are great. Banderas' frantic comedy nearly steals the show, while Ford, Grammar, and Snipes are perfect for this franchise (old guys getting a chance to mix it up again!). And Ronda Rousey?! Hoo-boy!!All the reviews circulating about EX3 seem to be overwhelmingly negative, but I can understand why, to an extent: if you can't see this type of film-making for what it is, you won't like the movie...simple as that. To be honest, these action-heavy flicks aren't necessarily my cup of tea either, but I can appreciate the diverse cast and the intent of what is trying to be done.Simply put, I was very entertained by this film in the theater (something I can't say for many of the films I've seen recently). While each Expendables movie offers something a little different (and thus will have differing levels of "favorite-ism" among fans), it was clear to me that this was the best-made of the bunch with its ability to have a good mix of humor and action spread out through the film.

Sad but true, the marketing for this film is the reason why I didn't attempt to see this on the big screen. I read an article about how the studio forced fans to remove videos related to the movie on Facebook and YouTube and because of that, I refused to give a dollar to the film. Such a shame because this film isn't half bad. In fact, it is almost as good as the first Expendables movie. Maybe even a little better? I'll tell you this, I liked it a lot better than the second movie. Maybe because I got to watch it at home? Who knows. But I hope they end the run of these series because thanks to the second movie, it is a bit played out. There is nothing they can do with it now. Whatever, it is a fun film and I had fun watching it.