Rated R for strong violence and some language

By Patrick Sessoms
BEACON COLUMNIST

posted Aug 24, 2012 - 9:04:06am

Just when you thought a movie couldn’t get any manlier than The Expendables, they decided to up the ante by taking the feeding frenzy that was the original and dousing it with performance enhancing drugs meant for equestrian sporting events.

That’s right, not only is there more Sylvester Stallone, more Arnold Schwarzenegger, more Bruce Willis, but there’s also Chuck Norris telling a Chuck Norris joke. Surprisingly enough, though, the film doesn’t collapse in on itself and cause a tear in the space-time continuum. While great sequels are few and far between, this second installment of the manliest franchise of the new millennium improves on everything that guys loved about the first.

The plot? Well, let’s face it: It’s mostly there to set up our ragtag team of beefy action stars for fire fights, but for the sake of tradition, let’s discuss. The team is at it again, only this time they are joined by newbie Liam Hemsworth (you might know him as Thor’s younger brother). It’s pointless to discuss the interpersonal effect he has on the team, since it’s pretty obvious he’s simply there to give them a push. So, after a heartfelt goodbye, the team decides to take revenge on the murderous Jean-Claude Van Damme. Needless to say, ridiculously over-the-top action ensues in which the team kills what must be every baddie in Eastern Europe.

Let’s face it: This isn’t the kind of movie that one expects anything from other than a good time. The plot is cobbled together in order to get from one action sequence to the other (in typical 80s tradition), which is exactly what you should expect from a movie like this. Sure, this franchise is laser-targeted for the male demographic, but it delivers everything you could possibly want from it: A villain with an accent, the threat of nuclear war and plenty of one-liners.

Most importantly, though, the film never takes itself too seriously. It’s funny as hell, with the golden triumvirate of aging action stars poking fun at each other and making plenty of references to their previous roles. I’m not going to spoil anything, but I never realized how much I missed Arnold until this movie.

There’s nothing much to say about The Expendables 2 except that it’s an insanely fun movie to watch. It’s a straight-forward flick that blends comedy with action to keep either from getting too boring. Toss in the fact that it stars almost everyone, and really it would be hard to go wrong – especially since Stallone turned over directing responsibilities to Simon West. The characters don’t really grow at all – in fact, they're pretty much exactly the same as they always have been – but when you have that many explosions, it’s really hard to care about anything like personal journey or emoting. Who wants that sissy stuff, anyway, when you have Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis driving around in a smart car?

Stars & Popcorn grade: 2 1/2 stars, 4 1/2 popcorn

— Born and raised in the sunshine state, Patrick grew up loving movies. He’s currently attending the University of Central Florida and is a Cinema Studies major. Along with being the president of Stars and Popcorn, he’s a player in the independent comics scene.

Sponsored by Liebe Entertainment Group, Marketplace 8. Click here to see showtimes for The Expendables 2

Visit Stars and Popcorn at www.starsandpopcorn.com

— info@beacononlinenews.com

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