More destruction, more death, more laughs, more fun

Rating: 9/10 (22 August 2012)

You'd think a sequel to something like "The Expendables" would be nothing more than a repetitive rendition of the original—endless shootouts, big explosions, cool fight scenes, and wisecrack one-liners. To be honest, it is. This does not make the movie bad at all. In fact, it is an improvement from the first one, specifically with the technical aspects—the hand-held camera is removed, night scenes are kept to a minimum, the dialog is clearer, and the quick cuts of action move much more fluently. In short, Director Simon West brings us a more visually pleasing film to watch versus Stallone (sorry Rambo).
The plot is simple: the expendables take on a job that results in the death of one of their own and they go on a destructive journey to seek revenge. There are some cute tie-ins of this film and its predecessor, but the story is presented as its own. A viewer can watch this without having seen the prequel. What I really enjoy about this Expendables more than the first one, is the extension of the cast. There are some new faces: Liam Hemsworth and Nan Yu are the new team members of the expendables. Both add subtle diligence to their respective roles, especially Hemsworth, who in one scene relates a story about how his last tour in Afghanistan went to hell in a handbag. For an action film, this is very poignant.
Chuck Norris makes two big appearances, and they still show that he is the man to blow stuff up. Scwarzenegger and Willis's roles are vastly extended from mere cameos. It is humorous to watch as they exchange spoofs on themselves as well as unleash mass destruction in an airport while driving a very small car. Jean Claude Van Damme plays the villain, whose character is coincidentally named Villain. It is neat to see him be the bad guy for a change. His thick, dark jacket and stunning sunglasses gives him the appearance of a villain in one of his past movies, but his suave way of talking and his cold-hearted behavior says otherwise. The only downside is that he does not have enough screen time to be a truly great villain—its almost as if he is intentionally kept at arms length, like Blofeld in Bond. The screenwriters at least had the courage to give him a final showdown with Stallone. The man can still jump high and make a mean kick (at least on-camera).
"The Expendables 2" is violent, intense, and moves quickly like the characters in a battle zone. There is a higher body, more explosions, more laughs, and more actors at play. In conclusion, "The Expendables 2" is more fun.