The Expendables 3 Movie Review: Much More Fun Than Part 1 & 2

ACTION FANS who enjoyed “The Expendables 1 & 2” (both big blockbusters worldwide) will be thrilled with its third outing. “The Expendables 3” bring in more stars to further energize the series: Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipe and even Antonio Banderas and Kelsey Grammer. Also back are Arnold Schwarzenneger, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews and their sensei, Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross, plus new additions Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Glen Powell and Victor Ortiz. Everyone is given his own action highlight especially at the explosive finale where they each contribute something in their battle against the bad guys. The only one missing is Bruce Willis who’s said to be asking a very high talent fee so Sly dropped him. It’s Harrison Ford who replaced him as the manager of the group.

And yes, 3 is much more fun to watch than 1 & 2. It’s also cheesier, more loaded with machismo and testosterone. You don’t watch it looking for high art but for sheer action-packed fun ride. The movie starts with a bang as the group rescues Wesley from prison. In real life, Wesley was sentenced for tax evasion and he makes a joke out of that here.



Then Mel Gibson’s character, Conrad Stonebanks, a former team member with whom Sly organized the group then went stray, returns. They thought he has been killed, but it turns out he is still very much alive as an arms dealer. They pursue him, but after the villainous Mel escapes and a team member (Crews) is seriously wounded in the encounter, Sly makes his older members retire as he’s afraid to see them all dying. He then gets some fresh faces to help him nail Mel and we see him recruiting the younger Expendables, with Kelsey helping him in the recruitment. But Mel manages to hold captive the new recruits so it’s time for the old timers to make their presence felt again.

As maybe expected, there are plenty of slambang action set pieces and shoot-em-ups with bone-crunching stunts that are the best in the franchise. But there are other treats, like the tension-filled scene between Sly and Mel oozing with machismo as Mel tries to get a reaction from Sly all the time and you can feel the anger and hatred simmering between them. A shameless scene-stealer here is Banderas as Galgo, who talks nonstop and who not only shines as a comic relief but also does some kick-ass stuff. All in all, it’s a fast-paced, very entertaining popcorn movie that will surely be another hit so expect “The Expendables 4” in the not too distant future.