The Expendables 3

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Kelsey Grammer, Antonio Banderas, Kellen Lutz, Jet Li, Glen Powell, Ronda Rousey, Victor Ortiz
Directed by: Patrick Hughes
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Barney (Sylvester Stallone) says goodbye to his original crew and hires a group of younger warriors to seek vengeance on a personal nemesis (Mel Gibson).

Review:

Tim: With this third film, The Expendables franchise has achieved a rare feat- each movie in the trilogy has been an improvement over the last. I know a lot of people might not disagree with me on The Expendables 3, but this was my favorite film in the trilogy. The first film was fine, the second film was nearly identical (but just a little better), and this is the first film I'd actually consider good. I had a lot of fun with this movie.

The biggest complaint that many people had about this movie is that they went the safer route, going from an R rating in the first two films to a PG-13 here. Yes, this waters down the gore, swearing, and violence some, but honestly, it didn't matter that much to me. This movie has strengths the other ones didn't, which offsets any ding the film might get for being PG-13. That might be a big turnoff to some, but it didn't bother me.

One of the biggest complaints I had about the first two films is that you assemble this amazing cast but don't give them a lot of chances to interact. This movie does the best job of solving that issue. It's still not perfect, but you got to see action icons together here, and that's always been the highlight of these films. I actually loved the new additions to the cast.

Once again, Sylvester Stallone is in the lead role, which is good because this movie is so much about him and his legacy. These movies wouldn't work nearly as well with anyone else in that position. Jason Statham is his #2. Statham has a slightly smaller role in this one, which was a good thing. The same thing can be said about Terry Crews (whom I like), Randy Couture (don't care), and Dolph Lundgren (lukewarm). Their reduced role allowed more time for better actors, which was important. I still wish Arnold Schwarzenegger had more screen time and more interaction with Stallone, but I loved their scenes together so I won't complain too loudly. Jet Li makes a glorified cameo and I was okay with that.

While the returning cast is good, it's the new additions that really separate this movie. I loved seeing Harrison Ford here. He doesn't have a ton to do, but he was a good replacement for Bruce Willis (and I loved the joke about his absence in the film). Mel Gibson was brilliantly cast as the villain. He's been moving this way in real life, so it was a natural extension for him. You can criticize Gibson's personal life all you want (and I do), but he's still a great actor. He brings a great deal of depth to this chilling antagonist. He's the best villain this franchise has ever had. Wesley Snipes was a fun addition to the cast. His acting was a bit rusty (probably due to the jail time), but I appreciated his presence and his willingness to joke about his legal issues. I was surprised how Snipes was able to play such a big role and immediate feel like he belonged in this group. I liked the addition of Antonio Banderas and was glad to see he was able to add some humor to the film. I didn't love his character but he did make me laugh. As a fan of Assassins, it was incredible to see Stallone and Banderas together again. I also liked the addition of Kelsey Grammer. He doesn't get to do any action, but his role was important and he added greatly to the film. The younger group of actors were fine, but no one really added much. I normally hate Kellen Lutz, so I was glad to see he was only lackluster here. As a whole, the cast has always been this franchise's greatest strength and I believe this cast is the best yet. That's a big reason why I had so much fun with this film.

I thought the story was pretty good. While it was a little odd to see Barney so easily dismiss his original team, it was important to shake up the story and give some other actors an opportunity for more screen time. Stallone and Grammer's search for new blood was a nice departure from what this film usually delivers. I also really liked the way the story ratcheted up the thrills by making a villain (MINOR SPOILER ALERT) one of the founders of the Expendables. That gave Stallone's character a personal connection to increase the emotional punch involved in the story. Like the other films, this one delivers the explosions, gunfights, and hand-to-hand combat. It's always fun seeing films that harken back to the action movies that ruled Hollywood in the 80s and 90s.

While others may not agree, I thought The Expendables 3 fixed a lot of the issues with the earlier movies. It delivered a superb cast and actually let them interact together. I've always been a bit bothered that this franchise had not delivered on its potential. This movie takes a big step in the right direction. It didn't clean up at the box office, but I hope we see a fourth film. With a return to the R rating and maintaining (or improving) on the quality here, the fourth movie could be something special.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Expendables, The Expendables 2, Rambo, Die Hard, War, The Transporter, Rocky, Blade, Assassins