The Expendables 3

Ein nicht witziger Action-Trash mit einem Hauch von einem billigen, balkanischen, zweitklassigen Film. Im Vergleich zum ausgezeichneten zweiten Teil ein unglaubliches Fiasko. (08.06.2015)

Sly's scripted assurance that old geezers are still better than young inexperienced kids is actually enough to make me happy. I could have done without the gender emancipation element in the form of an invincible warrior in a skirt (the director should have explained to her that a perpetually scowling face would not make her a tough brawler), but on the other hand, Banderas was pleasantly delightful in his self-deprecating role delivered like a ferret on speed. The fact that the young ones lack any charisma at all is actually good, it makes the personality of the old action stars stand out all the more. And the final action-packed 20-minute set-piece finally brought it up to a very close 4*. I have to laugh at some of the criticisms here (as well as like-minded reviews on news sites) to the effect that the Expendables 3 "is all about shooting". What else did you expect from a pure action franchise scripted by a man named Sylvester Stallone? A Kantian reflection on the meaning of existence and the universe? (13.08.2014)

This film has the most imaginative and technically proficient action (Hughes is as spectacular as in the 1980s and at the same time crisp and clear as is appropriate thirty years later), the funniest newcomers (not the youngsters!), the most luxurious villain (yeah, Mel's to blame, but damn it, take it easy on him already, he's in his prime), and sadly, the most boringly conceived plot (it's not much more than an amusement ride and the second film sorely lacks self-deprecation). (09.08.2015)

After two years, I was finally able to meet up with this gang once again. The members might have changed a lot, but I’m okay with that. Wesley Snipes and Antonio Banderas were an amazing addition to the old crew and so the fun began. What was a little worse were the young actors who were difficult to get used to – well, I didn’t manage to do that and I’ll be happier if they weren’t there the next time. But maybe they’ll convince me that they’re worth it the next time, because this time, they couldn’t convince me due to the movie’s only real flaw: there’s loads of actions scenes, but you’re never able to grasp them enough to say that they were any good. I wouldn’t call the camera shaky, I just felt that the editing sucked. A lot. And that influenced the entire movie, which is why I can’t rate it with five stars. Because everything else was a total classic, it was what I wanted and what I was looking forward to. The scenes with Sly, Statham, Snipes, Banderas, Lundgren and Ford were priceless, too, just like Mel Gibson who has also become the best Expendables villain yet. We’ll see what they do next. I’m just hoping that the camerawork gets better and that the DVD rip won’t leak a whole month before the cinema premiere. Then it really makes me sad that the so-called action movies fans on this website download the movie, critique it, but won’t support their favorite actors at the cinema. I went to the cinema at the day of the Czech premiere and the movie already had over 2000 reviews! Go to hell, this gang doesn’t deserve that and they’ll go south if things continue like that. But go ahead and call yourselves “fans”. Oh, and by the way – you won’t believe how happy I was to see the Expendables drinking Czech beer. It was an outright joy. It’s a shame that the brewery won’t even brag about it properly. (15.08.2014)

Morons need friends. While the second installment surpasses the first one in mutating into long action orgies that can only be interrupted by a witty line or a minor plot twist, the last foray into 80s nostalgia surprisingly does the exact same thing. It doesn't stop, it doesn't take a breath, for two hours it throws various fighting tactics at the audience, all enveloped in a disgruntled retirement subplot. Moreover, Mel Gibson's unsettling ex-Expendable works brilliantly, especially because he isn't a villain in the classic sense of the word, but a guy whose nerves are on edge (though his own nerves occasionally lightly hold him back). Thanks to Sylvester Stallone's unbreakable buddy chemistry with anyone, this team of walking bulletproof vests managed to reach such heights. Considering the zero box office revenue, it will likely remain there – and considering the maximum satisfaction and sense of closure at the end credits, I can actually live with that. (20.08.2014)

Aus dem Teamfilm Expendables ist definitiv der schwächste Teil, der leider schon zu "Over The Top" geht. Es ist einfach zu sehen, wie dreizehn unbesiegbare Supermenschen (von denen einer die ganze Zeit im Aufzugsschacht feststeckt) erfolgreich der Übermacht von tausenden und der Armee von Gibson trotzen (die zudem Kampfhubschrauber und Panzer besitzt). Dadurch kommt automatisch ein Gefühl der Selbstparodie und einer humorvollen Rückblende in die 80er Jahre auf, als zwei Johns - Rambo und Matrix - regierten. Offensichtlich muss das so genommen werden, obwohl die Verwendung von CGI zu viel geworden ist. Die Verstärkung in Form von Blade und Zorro ist willkommen, während sich die junge Truppe als entbehrlich erwiesen hat. Also ein anständiger Unterhaltungsfilm, auch wenn er natürlich nicht mehr so konsistent ist wie der erste Teil. (04.01.2015)

You bet I’m overrating it, because at last they managed to fine tune it. The first part was about nostalgia, part two just blinked by, part three is a big show about revenge, education and the team spirit, what else? The primary strength is Gibson, hungry for a proper role, he relishes every minute on screen, but he has criminally few of them. Snipes is out of jail and making himself known. He’s still got it. The king of the snappy line is definitely Banderas and his mouthy Galgo, his broken English enough to drive the audience round the bend. And what about the old gang? Still singing the same tune, they work well together, even if it’s sometimes a bit knives out. Arnold and Jet question their orientation with a smile. Anything for a laugh. And the youngsters a pretty fine too. Hughes proves himself to be the best director of the trilogy yet, despite occasional confusing action scenes, he has everything in hand and so in visual terms Expendables 3 comes out on top. The screenplay is full of holes and gigantic, in places exaggerated (the house packed with C4 and tanks), in places too restrained finale (Sly vs. Mel), but at least it’s consistent. In any case, it’s one big show that is best scene on the silver screen. - Why did they call you Doctor Death? - I was a medic. (15.08.2014)

This is not a tribute to the eighties, this is mindless and dull. There is no winking, only a rehash of annoying trademarks we used to smirk at in the past, but in a newer package. The frowning main character, the incredibly confusing and poorly edited action, a heap of amateur digital effects, and except for two or three shots, uninteresting full-contact fights with no trace of dynamics. If it had at least least half of the raw feeling of Bourne, I would happy. Truly disappointing. Only Antonio Banderas and the non-action chemistry between the main characters entertained me. But they didn't have to make an action movie for that. A live stream while having dinner in LA would have been enough. (23.08.2014)

Meiner Meinung nach ist dieser Film ein besserer Knaller als der zweite Teil, der ein bisschen gezwungen wirkt. Er hat aber natürlich einige Mängel. Einerseits hat der Film eine perfekt aufgenommene und übersichtliche Action mit einem tollen Armee-Finale, sympathische alte Bekannte, dazu die ausgezeichneten Figuren von Banderas und Ford, die offensichtlich Spaß am Film hatten, den Schuft Mel Gibson und ein nicht nachlassendes Tempo. Andererseits hat er ein eher uninteressantes junges Team (im Finale gilt das nicht, dort glänzen alle) und vor allem den schlampig gemachten Kampf Stallone versus Gibson. Plus eine sehr unlogische Sache – die Expendables fliegen nach Somalia, um jemanden zu beseitigen, von dem sie nicht einmal wissen, wie er aussieht? Sehr seltsam.___PS: Diejenigen, die sich eine Raubkopie angeschaut haben und nicht ins Kino gegangen sind, haben eine Hälfte des Erlebnisses verpasst. Das geschieht ihnen recht! (18.08.2014)

A couple of minutes after the end, and I already don’t know what it was about. Maybe it’s because it was about nothing... :) While the second one made my heart skip a beat at the fact that an action film today can still be so genuinely entertaining and that can transfer that vigour to the viewer, the third one is a soulless, uninspired carnage that only tries to win fans by how many famous names appear in as super-stylish badass icons. The best character is hands down Banderas’s, who spices up the dull parade of B-movie action and script recycling at least for a while with much-needed, previously completely derivative humour. 45% (11.10.2015)

This movie is so terribly gay that if I were to unexpectedly walk into one of the RVs some night during filming, I believe I'd collide with an Italian Stallion clinging his powerful lips to the shaved nipple of a cute giggling Terry Crews, with Austrian-eyed Arnold rubbing a cigar on Statham's naked buttocks and Kellan Lutz with his pink lips behind the camera shooting the whole thing. The downgraded access to a PG13 rating has, among other things, traded blood for cold man sweat, and thanks to motivational bullshit like a gym coach, we suddenly have not an action movie in front of us, but a classic prepubescent muscle show for young Leo Beráneks. Logically, then, the best action scenes here are the skillful Banderas and Ronda, because they at least pretend to have some choreography. I don't think that the lower level of accessibility automatically reduces the functionality of the action scenes, just that for this action and the forms the filmmakers have chosen for it to it take (knives, machetes, close-range shooting), it doesn't work. Not even the LazyTown-esque special effects help. And as for Stallone and his old-man dragging of pensioner's dilemmas into an action movie, all I can say is "Sly, go to Pelhřimov. They have a crematorium there. Take a good look around. See what you're getting into." Actually, the whole thing reminded me of a pub owner I met recently who, when asked what kind of beer they had, said, "We’ve got Budvar. But I wouldn't have any." (07.12.2014)

The second one is just so good and has such great lines that the third one can't compare. It lacks Chuck Norris and a bit better interaction between the characters, those young ones are a bit unnecessary here, on the other hand, it would probably be even more boring story-wise. It's stretched out in some places, but when it comes to action, it's great, just there's not enough blood. Yes, I was expecting a little more, but for me, it's still a great spectacle that I enjoyed. The feelings are not like after the second one, but I'm still looking forward to the fourth part and I hope it comes. (14.08.2014)

Alle guten Dinge sind drei. Das ständig abgeleierte Schema junger Milchbubis vs. Gewiegter Ehrenmänner geht mir langsam auf den Geist. Das zauberhafte des zweiten Teils war, dass wirklich mehr oder weniger alle zusammenkamen, die wir die ganze Zeit zusammen sehen wollten. Eine Fortsetzung machte daher wenig Sinn, erst recht nicht, als das Studio den Film sinnlos mit einer Altersfreigabe abknallte. Mel Gibson war eine gute Wahl, aber ansonsten ist es höchste Zeit, diese Serie zu beenden. (27.09.2014)

I don't mind the fact that the third Expendables are PG-13 (well, actually, I do mind quite a bit, but it doesn’t affect the rating), but I hate the fact that the creators pulled out of the well-worn tracks so perfectly laid in the previous installments. That is, they switched from self-parody to a more serious tone (of course, by B-action movie standards), they exchanged the awesome one-liners for smug philosophizing. Moreover, action scenes, which had a nice nostalgic feel to them in the previous installments, aided by tons of explosives, ammunition and gallons of blood, accompanied by some great lines, are desperate to look modern here, ending up looking worse and dumber than in any 80s B-minus action movie, with a script as if written over a beer in one afternoon. The cast is awesome as usual, but while in the second installment it felt like the stars wanted to show their best and performed like in their golden years, here it seemed as if everyone just "relied on their name" and didn’t really care about the outcome (long live the honorable exception of Mel Gibson, who sent a clear signal to Hollywood to drop the unnecessary moralizing and bet on superb acting performances instead, with Gibson obviously taking the lead ... I just hope that the story of Gibson will be a déjà vu á la Robert Downey jr.). To put it simply, viewers/fans (and you can say critics, too) sent out a clear signal to Sly to stop sucking up to the young generation who just couldn’t care less about it, and go back to the roots instead, meaning good old 80s action movies with a clever and, most importantly, funny(!!!) script, because the positive attitude towards such movies must be formed in childhood. There’s simply no way those marketing strategies or any such gimmicks will help to raise the popularity of these movies, and I hope Sly won't get slapped in the face too hard for this mediocre movie to stop him from making part four which just has to feature Jackie Chan, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and if God is merciful, even Steven Seagal. PS: Didn't they have the balls to slam Willis even more? He'd certainly deserve it. (19.08.2014)