The Expendables 2 (2012)

In 2009, Sylvester Stallone (better known as Rocky) assembled action stars of yesteryear, himself included, and decided to make a motion picture out of their past glory. He decided to call it The Expendables, an apt title considering that that’s pretty much what they are in this film. Not just in the eyes of the people under whom their characters serve but even to us, the viewers. We remained outsiders, merely watching these strangers do things we hardly gave two shits about, waiting with the false hope that our existences would eventually be acknowledged. Bummer.

We waited once. Stallone knew we’d wait again. And so we are back to where we were. But this time, the stars don’t simply acknowledge your existence, they welcome it. There’s enough cheese and self-mockery in this fare for you to part with it with a smile on your face. But all of that comes only in the latter half. We progress through a predictable but steady plot in the first half. There’s just about as much violence and gore in Expendables 2 as there was in its prequel but it’s in moderation without the ugliness of the former.

Somewhere towards the end, Bruce Willis intentionally breaks character by picking up a rifle and joining the army he commands. Just seeing all these action stars lined up beside each other like the vanguard of an invisible army is chuckle worthy. They’re flat out mocking their action star status, something that’s done with more obviousness when Willis retorts to Arnold Schwarzenegger “You’ve been back enough. Now, I’ll be back.” Lol! Well, this is just a taste. I’ll let you see the rest for yourself. The Expendables 2 is not a film that’s meant to be taken seriously and simply watching its actors be good sports is satisfying.

Rating- 6/10