Expendables 4 Review
Sequels and sequels of sequels can struggle to distinguish themselves from their contemporaries. But Expendables 4 (or Expend4bles, as this fourth and last edition in the mercenary-based action series has been promoted) unquestionably takes the cake for recycling previously used content in a not-quite-fresh environment.
At least the final third — if not more — of this jokey, fight-filled, and increasingly effects-driven farewell is nearly identical to the climactic stretch of last month’s waterlogged Jason Statham extravaganza Meg 2: The Trench, in which the rugged Brit takes on — and again defeats — a sea monster that makes Moby Dick look like a backyard swimming pool pet. If you’ve seen Meg 2, you’ll recognize the blatant “borrowing” as the hardworking former male model with a neatly groomed facial beard wins his place as lord of the seven seas once more.
Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Jet Li, and Randy Couture headlined the first three-part series, which began in 2010. In addition, Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson, Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes, Mickey Rourke, Chuck Norris, Liam Hemsworth, and Jean-Claude Van Damme appeared in one or both films, as the trio of films bravely overcame widespread critical acclaim to gross nearly $600 million worldwide. However, revenues dropped significantly with the noticeably inferior third iteration in 2014, which signaled the end of the ride at the moment.
There were no outward signals that the star-studded franchise was poised to resurrect from the dead for some time, but when Stallone chose to come on board, others followed, culminating in a reasonably respectable cast headlined by Statham.
The early stretch is probably cheesy, but given the firm involved, it is tolerable. The familiar and, let’s face it, elderly faces are all given entrances and something nearing a homecoming when they show up in a huge old-time barroom, where the typical good-natured rough stuff prevails — given the combined years of those participating, you’d almost believe you were back in the elderly West. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of these men or not, seeing this old crew in such numbers feels comfortable and reassuring. You know horrible things are lurking around the corner, but after this long, everyone is pretty larky about things and ready for some fun.
And you have a little enjoyment — about as much as you’d expect from a class reunion where practically everyone is over the age of 50. But, in an era when 70 is the new 50, especially among Hollywood stars, they’re all quite sharp and in terrific form compared to prior generations.
To be sure, they may lament or joke about the passage of time in self-deprecating ways, but these movie stars have more or less withstood the test of time and can still deliver in kick-ass ways that belie their real ages (whatever they may be) when the screenplay allows them. For brief periods, the interaction is entertaining. Where else are you going to see Jason Statham reading employment ads?
But there is important business to attend to: Statham, did you remember to have your beard trimmed this morning? Would you think they had a nuclear weapon on their ship as it sailed toward the China Sea? Or is there actually a big sea creature swimming about that looks precisely like the one in Meg 2 and wants to consume anything and everything it can dig its massive teeth into? Is it possible that there are two Meg 2s?
So, after a fast voyage halfway around the world, there’s Statham and a gigantic fish slugging it out in ways that seem just like how they fought each other in Meg 2. It may be passably entertaining to watch if we hadn’t already seen it a month ago. Couldn’t the authors come up with something new? Perhaps they meant to repair it, but the writers’ strike prevented them from doing so.
Despite the incidental entertainment offered by the numerous name stars who appear here for varying periods of time, Expendables 4 is befuddled by its own absolute lack of fresh ideas or better methods to utilize the abilities of the many captivating performers who did appear to work for varying amounts of time. But one thing is certain: we won’t need a Meg 3 very soon. Take up another activity.