The Old Expendables

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14 Tuesday, Oct. 02, 2012 Features Comics The Old Expendables COURTESY WIKIPEDIA BY SEAN LEAVY ventures, it does increase the Opinions Editor number of bullets, explosions and dead bodies. Director Simon West (Tomb Raider) In 2009, The Expendables takes over for Stallone and brought almost every ’80s ac- provides some of the most tion star back to the screen, exhilarating action sequences since Transformers: Dark of reminding everyone that old the Moon. The old guys gun blowingmen can upstill the rally box upoffice a body and through villains left and right count. Based on its perfor- in the most ludicrous ways, mance, it was no surprise a sometimes involving crashing sequel was in store. In 2012, airplanes or Chuck Norris. the old men of action have The script does not fail to returned in The Expendables highlight their age, either, 2, and they are showing their providing numerous nods to age. their work (especially Termi- Following the original, Ex- nator) and their creaky bod- pendables 2 dispenses with ies. Those and the sight of Ar- the need for story so that all of the muscled men in their alongside Bruce Willis make sixties (and some seventies) noldfor some Schwarzenegger of the greatest fighting mo- can shoot up the screen. Here is what little plot remains: the By the end credits, The Ex- titular Expendables, led by Syl- mentspendables in action 2 film. vester Stallone, seek revenge testosterone and intense against a rival mercenary thrills, but you’re overflows left wonwith- (Jean-Claude Van Damme).The dering what the point of it all Expendables 2 barely provides really was. While it is just an a reason for Jason Statham, Jet excuse for the elder action he- Li, Bruce Willis, and Chuck roes to show they can still do Norris to be together onscreen what they did 20 years ago, with Stallone, van Damme, and at least it still does one thing other action greats. The hast- right: Chuck Norris. ily-added appearance of Liam Hemsworth (The Avengers) does nothing to boost the ac- ONE PAW OUT OF FIVE tion or the story. While Expendables 2 lim- its the story of the guys’ ad- [email protected].

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