The Expendables 2

THE EXPENDABLES 2

Norris, Willis, Hemsworth, Schwarzenegger, and Van Damme join the Expendables

There are two of them. This is the second.

2012, Action, Rated R

Distributed by Lionsgate

          Having just come down from the exhilarating high provided by The Bourne Legacy, I can't say this is the best action film of the year so far. It's a close second, though. As far as non-superhero action goes, it doesn't get any better than The Expendables 2. Not only is it a great shoot-em-up adventure, but it doesn't take itself too seriously. The cast makes so many jokes poking fun at itself that you can't help but smile when you're not cringing while heads are exploding.

          The Expendables, which came out the same week two years ago, was terrific for what it was. You would expect that in an R-rated action film there would be sex, drug use, nudity, and bad language to go along with the violence. The Expendables has only violence. The worst swear word used in it is "Hell". There is no sex and no drug use. When Stallone leaves the pretty girl he just saved from death, he doesn't kiss her like all the other cheesy movies out there: he gives her a hug. My point is: The Expendables has more going for it than you would initially expect based on the premise. All those classic action stars from the 80s have created something truly interesting and original in their joint effort that is The Expendables.

          The Expendables 2 is no different from the first. The only difference is more classic action stars. Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger have larger roles this time around in heavy action scenes. Chuck Norris has a great little role as "the lone wolf". Newcomer Liam Hemsworth joins the tough guys for a small but important role. All these new additions enrich the Expendables universe, making it even more fun than the first one. The best addition to this brutal sequel is Jean Claude Van Damme. I was in awe of Van Damme's performance. He plays the villain in this picture and does an incredible job. His accent, his outfit, his eyes even, were all perfectly creepy and villainous. He was my favorite new addition to the cast. I never thought of him as a particularly good actor but he shines brilliantly as a villain. His costumes were even perfect. He wears this menacing black trench coat and black sunglasses in every scene (none of which are in broad daylight). I loved that aspect of the film. It made the scenes on the bad guy side just as entertaining as the ones with Stallone and co.

          All the other expendables turn in great performances. There are too many to name here, but no one faltered. Jet Li was not in it enough, though his one scene was great. Jason Statham once again shows that he can role with the big boys. He fits in so nicely even with those old dinosaurs. Stallone does a great job as always. Willis says a classic Arnie line and Arnie retorts with a "yippie-kai-yay". The most interesting surprise was that Chuck Norris actually makes a "Chuck Norris" joke about himself. Priceless.

          The action scenes are the best of the best. I've never seen so many vehicles, buildings, or people explode with such beauty and realism. I've played my fare share of Call of Duty and this movie reflects the gameplay and visuals somewhat. The headshots were depicted with such realism that it reminded me of headshots in first-person-shooters. The audience for The Expendables 2 is definitely the same audience as a first person shooter so they did a great job replicating that level of violence and ass-kicking.

          Therein lies the only problem with The Expendables 2. It's for a certain audience. If you've never played a first-person-shooter then chances are you might just hate this movie. If you've never seen a film with these old action stars in it, you probably won't understand any of the jokes made in the film. It comes down to this: if you see the trailers for The Expendables 2 and think it looks good, you will love it. If it's not "your kind of movie" then avoid it. It is much better than you would expect, but I won't go as far as to say everyone will enjoy it.