Sylvester Stallone picked up where he left off at the end of the second installment of The Expendables franchise, with guns, fighting and blood. New characters are quickly introduced and are shown to have an integral role in the film. Wesley Snipes’ Doc is shown proving his worth through the first twenty (or so) minutes of the film. Mel Gibson’s Stonebanks and Harrison Ford’s Drummer quickly show the audience that they are not to be taken lightly and that they would be two of the most intense characters the franchise had seen to date. Stonebanks was an important part of the film, not just as the primary antagonist, but as a window into the backstory of the Expendables. He fills the audience in on what he, Barney and the rest of the group were doing before audiences were first introduced to them back in 2010. He tells a tale of camaraderie, strength and death, causing the audience to feel a new level of appreciation for each of the main characters and understand the disdain that Stonebanks and Ross have for one another. While the film contained much of the same action and intensity, it traveled in an entirely new, and interesting, direction. Stallone’s Barney Ross, with the help of Kelsey Grammar’s Bonaparte, travels the world to essentially recast the Expendables. He finds Antonio Banderas (Galgo), Kellen Lutz (Smilee), Ronda Rousey (Luna), Victor Ortiz (Mars) and Glen Powell (Thorn) and throws together a makeshift team. A younger group of mercenaries file in and are meant to take the place of the old team. It seems that Stallone, along with the writers, meant to make the audience miss the old team. The younger group struggles with one another and with Ross and that reminds the audience of how important the old team is (Statham, Couture, Li, Crews and Lundgren). Even though the new characters play a role in helping to honor the old crew, Antonio Banderas held his own and became one of the best characters in the franchise. His character is personable, funny and had such great chemistry with Stallone’s Ross. The middle of the film is, like the rest of the series, full of action, but it appeared to be missing something. It lacked the personality necessary to make the film flow as nicely as the first two. It was not until the originals got back together that the film began to pick up again and flow as well as it needed to in order to impress audiences. Every event from the beginning of the franchise led to one final battle between the Expendables and Stonebanks and his army. The Expendables doubling in size and a series of battles throughout the final half an hour of the film created one of the most exciting action sequences in film history. This film, had it officially been the last of the franchise would have been the perfect ending. The original crew has found peace in understanding their new role in the world and the newly ushered in Expendables have found cohesion amongst themselves and are clearly able to carry on in a world where they are at the forefront of the action. The gore was cut down on in comparison to the first two films, the lines remained as corny as ever (while still paying homage to the slew of first-rate films that these actors have been a part of) and the music, like the first two, helped keep the film fun and light when it needed to be. Stallone, as well as the entire cast and crew of this franchise, created a story that was relatable on many levels. Through the script and the acting, this cast and crew put together one of the most exciting action series to date. With the announcement of a fourth installment to The Expendables franchise, it is exciting to speculate about who might join the star-studded cast in the future. One thing is for sure, as long as this crew stays together, future installments will be a ton of fun. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2333784/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
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