- Actors: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts,
- Director: Sylvester Stallone
- Disc Format: 4K, NTSC, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Number of discs: 2
- Rated: R
- Studio: LIONSGATE
- Release Date: May 2, 2017
- Run Time: 103 minutes
The Expendables is a franchise that was
both ahead of its time while simultaneously being dated. Often humorous, occasionally
unintentionally, The Expendables
feels like an 80’s action film in many ways, which is fitting considering the
impressive cast of veteran action stars. At the same time it stylistically
belongs to another decade, this franchise was also the first to benefit from
the novelty of a beefed-up ensemble cast of movie stars. Simply put, without The Expendables, there may never have
been The Avengers. It also served as
a return for Sylvester Stallone, both as an action star and as a filmmaker,
coming on the heels of revivals of several of his most popular 80’s franchises
(Rambo, Rocky Balboa).
Joining Stallone is a plethora of
action stars, new and old, but only a few have major roles. Jason Statham has a
considerable co-starring role as Lee Christmas (the only one currently announced
as returning for The Expendables 4),
with Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren given the largest supporting roles. There are
also several WWE wrestlers trying to
have acting careers, Terry Crews for both muscle and comedic relief, and Mickey
Rourke in a few confounding dramatic scenes, not to mention the brief cameos
from Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Both of these major 80’s action
stars would return in larger roles for The
Expendables 2, along with Chuck Norris as an occasional ally and
Jean-Claude Van Damme as the villain.
- Actors: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris
- Director: Simon West
- Disc Format: 4K, NTSC, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Number of discs: 2
- Rated: R
- Studio: LIONSGATE
- Release Date: May 2, 2017
- Run Time: 103 minutes
The storylines in these films are
often overly simplistic, and not necessarily that important to the enjoyment of
them. In the first one there are bad guys in South America
and our heroes are the mercenaries hired to stop a dictator from terrorizing
innocent people. The second film is slightly connected by the return of Willis’
character, who sends the team on another mission to save the world from a
brutal group of mercenaries. Unlike our heroes, this team is led by a man (Van
Damme) willing to become a terrorist for hire when five tons of hidden plutonium
is discovered. Little else matters beyond each action sequence and the
one-liners spoken in-between. Each films feature a predominant amount of
masculinity, extremely violent action, all peppered with bad one-liners and
self-aware silly action dialogue.
With the
over-the-top action being the primary highlight of each film, these are welcome
releases on 4K Ultra HD. Although the increased resolution is not quite as
impressive as one might hope, the HDR makes the colors of each practical
explosion from filming seem to jump right off the screen. It is brighter with
even more depth than the Blu-ray release (which is also included as a
supplemental disc to the package, as well as the vehicle for the additional
special features). The sound is another highlight of the enhanced presentation,
as these movies are both filled with thunderously masculine soundtracks filled
with roaring engines, massive explosions, and high caliber gunfire. There are
no new special features on either release, mostly because the 4K disc comes
with the film only, taking up too much space to include any extras. The Blu-ray
disc included with each package has plenty of special features, but they are
the same discs as the original Blu-ray release and contain no new extras. The
primary reason for buying these releases is the enhanced presentation of the
films, and it is impressive enough of an upgrade for fans of these films and
so-bad-it’s-good action movies.
For those
unaware of the previously released special features from the Blu-ray discs,
each includes director’s commentaries and a plethora of making-of featurettes. The
first film comes with both a making-of feature, as well as a postproduction
documentary. The second film has featurettes about the casting, the weaponry
from the film, real-life mercenaries, and even one about the 80’s action films that
inspired the franchise. Both films also come with deleted scenes, a gag reel,
and promotional materials. Each 4K release also includes a Digital HD copy of
the films.
Entertainment Value:
9/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
Special Features: 8.5/10
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