Below Expectations

Rating: Null/10 (27 September 2012)

No doubt, from an action point of view, it was as explosive as it could get. Most of the action scenes are breathtaking. However, this is one of those movies that you walk out at the end feeling something didn't go right. The kind of feeling that only you know, yet your friends are like 'That was a great movie'. So at the risk of being a spoiler by saying something you keep it to yourself. Several things stand out. 1. Taking nothing away from JCVD's performance (he was great as a villain and so aptly named), there were just too many notable good guys against JCVD's Villain that from the onset it was a no contest. Undeniably, Stallone-JCVD match-up was a masterstroke (before Expendables 2 I had never imagined the two facing off), only i wish it happened in the early 90's. 2. Jason Statham needed a star who could go head-to-head with him - cue Snipes (barring legal issues). That match-up alone could have added a few more millions. Didn't someone pass a note to the casting guys that Mark Dacascos might probably give up cooking to face-off with Statham? Scott Adkins is OK but you would expect the antagonist to match the protagonist as he is not much recognized internationally 3. The good guys relied too much on firepower. Where is the old fashioned hand-to-hand? Dolph Lundgren never really had to break a sweat (Steven Segal would have been a formidable match). We all know Chuck Norris never had a problem taking it to the bad guys. With all those big guys - Terry Crews and Randy Couture - (and fairly younger than... take a pick) we needed a guy of brute strength (Commando, Rambo..?) to spice it up. I am yet to forget Bruce Willis shiny with camouflage (Tears of the Sun) and barking orders yet leading from the front - not the tired looking Church. Arnie should have been cast as president/ politician of a fictitious Eastern European country intending to buy the plutonium and threaten to annihilate 'Califorrnia' 3. Such a cast definitely needed more than 103 minutes but it would have become too long. So why not share them out equally in terms of star power for a more interesting final fight? Or rather, to keep moviegoers yearning for the next installment don't cram everyone in but give some a cameo, say in an airport and make a reference to a next time to keep us guessing. 4. Though it was intended for comedic relief, the dialog came of as over-rehearsed or trying too hard to make references. Overall, it was entertaining to watch stars of yesteryears show today's action stars how to blow up things and mow down bad guys with arrogance and nonchalance coupled with dry humor - qualities of the archetypal all-action hero that is lacking today (except maybe The Rock... Vin Diesel where are you?)