Briggs & Howell gives The Expendables 3: 2.5 out of 5 skulls. More of the same this time around, but I feel like the franchise has finally run its course. While I have enjoyed the previous installments for the most part, this film just had a sense of blandness about it. Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Antonio Banderas, and Wesley Snipes all show up for this one, but only a few actually contribute anything useful. I still enjoy seeing these old-school guys tear it up with the action scenes, and this one does deliver in that department. Both the opening stuff and the finale are ridiculous action fun, chock full of both gun-toting and close quarter combat. However, this kind of film does not need to exceed 2 hours, and thus drags in the middle. All of the scenes with Stallone recruiting some of the younger newbies to the film just seem unnecessary, and we never really get to know them. Dont get me wrong, its fun to watch MMA star Ronda Rousey kick some butt, but it ends up being a forgettable character. Banderas and Gibson end up stealing the show, with an enthusiasm for their characters that the other actors seem to have lost. Snipes is fun for awhile, but he gets delegated to a side spot with nothing to contribute later. I just felt like it would have been fun to have Snipes as the bad guy, as it would have been a nice throwback to something like Demolition Man. It certainly would have led to a more exciting final showdown. Overall, Expendables 3 has some fun action, but is plagued by a long running time and some plot deviations that just arent engaging. Perhaps worth seeing if you are a fan of the series or an action junkie. 2.5 out of 5 skulls.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 17:13:00 +0000
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