a must see but it could have been better

Rating: 8/10 (17 August 2012)

The expendables brought together stars that fitted exactly in my world when I was in my teens. As an 80's child the first movie was really a dream come through, to see all those old muscle bound wisecracking stars of old fire it up once again. When you get a certain age the nostalgia factor comes into view more and more and the first movie delivered on every front. It was a " mans" movie.
what made it even more appealing was the fact that Stallone bet everything he had on that single movie ( after medium success with the new parts of the Rambo and Rocky series). the behind the scenes clearly showed all of his efforts in this regard. And in my opinion you could sense that in the first movie, everyone involved wanted it to be a success, understood the rarity of having all those guys at once on the screen and combined with a certain ferociousness and blood thirst not seen in todays films ( especially in the hand to hand combat fights) made it in ways an almost primal testosterone experience.
And now we have - of course- part 2.
Because the first movie was a well deserved - and by me well applauded- success the heat isn't on for Stallone and his friends. There is still much riding of course on this second effort but it isn't personal anymore, this is just movie-making. Which doesn't mean this movie doesn't deliver the explosions, gunfights etc but something is missing. There are no more primal fights in small corridors, the - agreed somewhat overdone- sadistic undertones from the first are gone and there is never the sense those guys are actually fighting an outnumbered fight and fighting with everything they got.
Instead you get the - agreed it is funny most of the time- one liners and the making fun of there past careers sequences. It takes itself not serious at all but the difference with the first is that the jokes are not in between the fighting anymore; which makes it too much of a parody. Standouts are the underused VanDamme and Scott Adkins - very good in undisputed- that didn't get enough screen time to use there skills so to say. It still shows that VanDamme can easily carry a movie and that Adkins really deserves a breakthrough. The Statham - Adkins and the Van Damme - Stallone fights are too short but do bring the blood and guts feeling from the first movie back, somewhat. Locations and stunts are plenty full, although from a technical standpoint the editing is lacking here and there. the East European Scenery is rather dull to look at, its just too overused in countless other action movies. Cameo from Norris is almost a little quiz how much you know from his antics back in the day. Schwarzenegger is lacking form in the way he presents himself and one wonders what made him - also for me back in the day- such a big star to begin with.
All in all this outing lacks the no holds barred, everything is riding on this and we are going to make it gritty feeling of the first, in a certain sense it lacks a heart.This is far more laid back, humorous then the first. The people involved know this is going to be a ( still deserved) success and you can feel it. In fact in some ways in felt like " the last action hero" which overplayed its hand in the parody department.This doesn't mean it is a letdown, its still miles above the polished everyman hero movie ( new total recall anyone) that flocks the screens nowadays and as an action fan you still owe it to yourself to watch this on the big screen. Because Stallone is right; seeing all these guys in the same movie is a small miracle and still very cool to look at. There aren't that many actors left that actually put in the effort in front of but also behind the camera in regards to working out, or doing martial arts. The whole physical side of action stars is disappeared out of todays movies, which in my opinion is a shame.