"The Expendables" is definitely the adrenaline and action packed film it promises to be.

Rating: 8/10 (31 August 2010)

A whole bunch of big name action stars from the 1980s and some of the more recent ones come together for the first time in one adrenaline pumping flick. The plot...while its almost invisible does actually exist. The film focuses on a group of mercenaries called the Expendables, who go to South America on a mission to take down an evil dictator. Pure 80's action ensues...
Sure, Sylvester Stallone's "Expendables" is short on story but lets be real it didn't matter. This film was made for those who love action films and that's exactly what this film was an action packed, adrenaline pumping thrill ride. I can't remember the last time I watched a popcorn flick that delivered on what it promised. I actually value Stallone for not actually trying to create a heavy story with this flick. I think if he did it would have sucked to be honest with you.
The movie brings almost every big name action star from the 1980's to today together in one action packed flick. Who is in the film? Well if you missed the commercials, the film stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, and Terry Crews. The cast works well with one another and no one surprisingly really stands out above anyone else. I would say, however, that Stallone and Statham are the real stars of the flick though. They are the two actors who get the most screen time and that works for the flick overall.
The movie itself is just an hour and 45 minutes of non-stop action. This movie brings me back to the late 80s and early 90s where action movies weren't afraid of just having action. Things are getting blown up every five seconds, there are car chases, a ton of fight scenes, and even more shooting scenes. Is any of this film believable not in the slightest but it's exactly what we needed as movie goers. We needed a kick ass action flick that didn't try to low ball us on action. I just find it interesting we got two of these in one summer with "Salt" being the other. The difference between "Expendables" and "Salt" is that this film really doesn't try to get all crafty with the audience, it just delivers on action. The problem with "Salt" was it tried to be smarter than it's own good. It tried to have the intelligence of "the Bourne films" but lacked in the story. "Expendables" story is almost non-existent but like I said before that didn't matter. We don't care about story...we just want to see stuff being blown up!
In the end, "The Expendables" delivered on its promise, it brought a bunch of big name action stars together in one big budget flick. I'll tell you right now, it didn't go above its expectations, it wasn't anything ground breaking nor was it fresh and original. This is an action flick, plain and simple. This film has done extremely well probably because it delivered on its promise. It was truly a "guy" film that men everywhere can feel good about after pumping some iron at the gym. Yes that last sentence is a joke but in all seriousness, guys who love action will love this flick. I am not even that big into action films and I have to admit it was a good time. Just suspend all belief and put your brain on autopilot and enjoy all the action your little heart can desire.
MovieManMenzel's final rating for "The Expendables" is a 8 out of 10. This was one fun filled and action packed flick!