When
the first film in The Expendables franchise was released, it was both
ahead of its time and simultaneously felt intentionally dated. Often humorous—occasionally
unintentionally—The Expendables films resemble action releases from the 1980s,
which is fitting considering the impressive cast of veteran action stars. At
the same time the films seem to belong 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 served as a return for Sylvester Stallone, both as
an action star and as a filmmaker, resulting in the revival of several of his
most popular 80’s franchises (Rambo, Rocky Balboa).
Joining Stallone throughout the franchise’s
four films is an assortment of action stars, new and old. In the first film Jason
Statham has a considerable co-starring role as Lee Christmas, and by the fourth
film he has taken over as the lead protagonist. Other established action stars
include Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, along with several WWE wrestlers trying out
acting careers. The first film also co-stars Terry Crews for both muscle and
comedic relief, Mickey Rourke in a few confounding dramatic scenes, and brief
cameos from Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Both of these major 80’s
action stars returned in larger roles for The Expendables 2, along with
Chuck Norris as an occasional ally and Jean-Claude Van Damme as the villain. The
Expendables 3 added Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes, Mel Gibson, and
Harrison Ford, while the latest installment includes international action stars
Iko Uwais and Tony Jaa, who each brought action acclaim to their home countries
of Indonesia and Thailand.
The storylines in these films are
often overly simplistic, and not necessarily important to 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. In The Expendables 3, the team goes up against arms dealer
and co-founder of the mercenary group, Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson). Despite
once belonging to them, Stonebanks sets out to destroy The Expendables. The
Expendables 4 (released as Expend4bles) brings some of the gang
back, along with newcomers played by Megan Fox and Curtis "50 Cent"
Jackson, this time to take down a mysterious unknown terrorist named Ocelot. Although
Christmas is benched after a failed mission, this doesn’t stop him from going
on a rogue solo mission to assist the team aboard a ship disguised as an
American aircraft carrier.
The plots of these films are never
complex, as little else matters beyond each action sequence and the one-liners
spoken in-between. Each installment in The Expendables franchise contains an
excessive amount of masculinity, extremely violent action, all peppered with campy
and self-aware jokes. With over-the-top action being the primary highlight of
each film, these are welcome releases on 4K Ultra HD. The SteelBook release contains
not only the 4K discs for each film, but also Blu-ray copies containing the
special features for each movie. There is also a digital code to stream each of
the films.
Although the increased resolution is
not quite as impressive as one might hope, the HDR makes the colors of each
practical explosion 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 macho soundtracks filled with roaring
engines, massive explosions, and high caliber gunfire. There are no new special
features on the first three films, which were previously released individually
on 4K Ultra HD. The primary reason for buying the exclusive SteelBook release,
other than the enhanced presentation of the films, is the opportunity to own
all four films in a package as bad-ass as the content contained within.
For those
unaware of the previously released special features from the Blu-ray discs,
each includes director’s commentaries and a plethora 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. The Expendables 3 also includes a
making-of documentary, two featurettes, a gag reel, and one extended scene.
More importantly, as the only PG-13 release, the third film comes with an unrated
cut available only on the Blu-ray disc. The latest film in the franchise was also
the most disappointing at the box office, which may explain why it is lacking
the same efforts in the special features. Even without the same effort as the
first three films, Expend4bles does contain an audio commentary with
director Scott Waugh and two behind-the-scenes promotional featurettes.
The Expendables
Franchise SteelBook Collection is available exclusively at Walmart, and
contains a stylish cover with a plastic sleeve that adds another layer to the
original artwork. While the cover features an animated skull chomping on a
cigar, the removal of the plastic sleeve turns the cigar into the smoking
barrel of a machine gun. The only complaint I have about this package is the way
the discs are stored, stacked on top of each other in two slots rather than
each having their own place to be housed. The danger of this is that the discs
may get scratched by rubbing against each other, and they also have a higher
likelihood of falling out in the package, as was the case when it was shipped
to me. This is unfortunate, because everything else about this release is
perfect for collectors and action fans alike.
Entertainment Value:
9/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
Special Features: 9/10
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