The Expendables leads the friday box office

[SRP76]

I've never even heard of this pilgrim movie you guys are talking about. It can't have been that hyped, or I'd at least have seen an ad on tv or something.

[DjfunkmasterG]

I've never even heard of this pilgrim movie you guys are talking about. It can't have been that hyped, or I'd at least have seen an ad on tv or something. Based off a comic book or some other BS... the premise is completely fucking retarded and I smelled bomb when I heard about a few months ago. Universal wasted $60,000,000 and Edgar Wright, who directed it wasted his time when he could have been doing a sequel to Shaun of the Dead which would have laughed all the way to the bank. It doesn't matter if Cera or the pope played the lead... The market is a niche audience, and they just spent way too much making it.

[AcesandEights]

I don't fucking care how much the Expendables made at the box office, anybody have a chance to see it? Any good word? I assume it will likely be fun, as long as you don't expect much.

[clanglee]

I assume it will likely be fun, as long as you don't expect much. That one phrase has gotten Aces more ass than Captain Kirk.

[AcesandEights]

That one phrase has gotten Aces more ass than Captain Kirk. It was a great time, my twenties.

[Neil]

Dear dear dear... Saw this yesterday! Embarrassingly bad at times! Mediocre generally... Good rarely... Really not very impressed! 6/10...

[MinionZombie]

Dear dear dear... Saw this yesterday! Embarrassingly bad at times! Mediocre generally... Good rarely... Really not very impressed! 6/10... I'm confused as to why The Expendables has been getting so many duff reviews ... although some reviews have loved it ... it was the same thing with Rambo (which I really enjoyed). Just saw The Expendables today, and I absolutely loved it. Proper old school 80s action - big muscly dudes trading barbs and bullets with a straight forward plot that's there to service the real reason for the movie - - - the action. The action was bad ass and the climax of the movie is a non-stop blast-em-up with all sorts of crazy action moments and cool-as-all-get-out moments (e.g. Sly reloading that pistol with looking in a split second three times in a row). I think some reviewers that have dumped on this movie have totally forgotten that it's supposed to be a throw back to the 1980s style of action movie - albeit with modern techniques and modern amounts of actions. Look back to flicks like Cobra and Red Heat and Commando - they're bad ass movies, and that's the kind of flick The Expendables is supposed to be ... and more than that, it's also a sort of hall-of-fame parade for action cinema legends. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hopefully there'll be an unrated/18 rated version on disc (here in the UK it was a 15, and it felt like it was toned down a smidge for a 15 rating ... even though it was properly brutal at times).

[acealive1]

I'm confused as to why The Expendables has been getting so many duff reviews ... although some reviews have loved it ... it was the same thing with Rambo (which I really enjoyed). Just saw The Expendables today, and I absolutely loved it. Proper old school 80s action - big muscly dudes trading barbs and bullets with a straight forward plot that's there to service the real reason for the movie - - - the action. The action was bad ass and the climax of the movie is a non-stop blast-em-up with all sorts of crazy action moments and cool-as-all-get-out moments (e.g. Sly reloading that pistol with looking in a split second three times in a row). I think some reviewers that have dumped on this movie have totally forgotten that it's supposed to be a throw back to the 1980s style of action movie - albeit with modern techniques and modern amounts of actions. Look back to flicks like Cobra and Red Heat and Commando - they're bad ass movies, and that's the kind of flick The Expendables is supposed to be ... and more than that, it's also a sort of hall-of-fame parade for action cinema legends. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hopefully there'll be an unrated/18 rated version on disc (here in the UK it was a 15, and it felt like it was toned down a smidge for a 15 rating ... even though it was properly brutal at times). im glad im not the only one that loved this film.

[paulannett]

Caught The Expendables last night and thought it was pretty bad, save for the final battle, a couple of fight scenes, Charisma Carpenter and the Spanish chick, mmmmm. I love, love, love my 80's action films as much as anyone here, but The Expenables doesn't hold a candle to them. The Losers from a while back satiated my appetite for action a lot better. .

[Neil]

I'm confused as to why The Expendables has been getting so many duff reviews ... although some reviews have loved it ... it was the same thing with Rambo (which I really enjoyed). Just saw The Expendables today, and I absolutely loved it. Proper old school 80s action - big muscly dudes trading barbs and bullets with a straight forward plot that's there to service the real reason for the movie - - - the action. The action was bad ass and the climax of the movie is a non-stop blast-em-up with all sorts of crazy action moments and cool-as-all-get-out moments (e.g. Sly reloading that pistol with looking in a split second three times in a row). I think some reviewers that have dumped on this movie have totally forgotten that it's supposed to be a throw back to the 1980s style of action movie - albeit with modern techniques and modern amounts of actions. Look back to flicks like Cobra and Red Heat and Commando - they're bad ass movies, and that's the kind of flick The Expendables is supposed to be ... and more than that, it's also a sort of hall-of-fame parade for action cinema legends. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hopefully there'll be an unrated/18 rated version on disc (here in the UK it was a 15, and it felt like it was toned down a smidge for a 15 rating ... even though it was properly brutal at times). Don't get me wrong... I can see where it was going... I just felt it never really got there The plot worked at times, but IMHO, just failed too often. I'd like to see a sequel, where more effort is put into the story/script...

[MinionZombie]

im glad im not the only one that loved this film. Glad I've got some company on here then. It was like with Rambo. That was an amazing action flick, and yet it got myriad duff reviews ... and well, some of the duff reviews for The Expendables noted that the reviewer though Rambo was also duff, so it's not surprising that they ended up not liking this flick. I thought it was properly kick arse 80s action. Bad ass dudes riding bad ass bikes holding bad ass guns (that shotgun was immense - the stand out moment of the film for me, just like with the .50 cal massacre in Rambo) and doing bad ass stuff. Awesome sauce. Interesting that Terry Crews was a late replacement, they had a lot of trouble filling the role. Snipes couldn't leave the country, Forrest Whitaker (!!!) couldn't do it because of scheduling conflicts, same for someone else I think, and then they got Terry Crews - who I think was ideal for the role. I had no idea he used to be in American Football, I've only known him on TV or in films.

[bassman]

It was like with Rambo. That was an amazing action flick, and yet it got myriad duff reviews ... Rambo may have been a decent action flick, but as a sequel to First Blood it IS duff. Rambo is more in tune with the two sequels that came before(the first of which was already called Rambo). All the sequels have ruined the character established in the vastly superior First Blood. John Rambo has turned into some larger than life invincible war hero rather than the down on his luck, tortured, and forgotten soldier. Any of the films with "Rambo" in the title can fuck off. Whats with the title ideas, anyway? How do you go from Rambo:First Blood part 2(most people just call it Rambo), to Rambo III, and back to Rambo again? Now THAT is "duff".

[paulannett]

I thought the newest Rambo was known as John Rambo? Anyway, the newest Rambo is a great action movie, thoroughly enjoyed it. But you are right about how they pretty much raped his characterisation; he's not the same person in First Blood as he became in the sequels.

[AcesandEights]

you are right about how they pretty much raped his characterisation; he's not the same person in First Blood as he became in the sequels. But is that raping of the characterization or progression? I've never really cared enough about the sequels to pay attention to the characterization so is it uneven progression that makes no sense or just the character growing and ending up in a different place emotionally than where he started (which one would hope might happen after a few decades and a couple movies)? A question for people who know the sequels better than I.

[bassman]

The sequels basically drop the complex character from First Blood. Within the first few minutes of "Rambo:First Blood Part 2" I was rolling my eyes at the fact that the government got him out of jail to go on a bullshit rescue mission. The only thing left of the character is that he doesn't agree with the guy in charge. Other than that, over night he was turned into an over-the-top invincible super soldier. Totally pissing on First Blood. They tried to give him a love interest(who was smoking hot, btw) to progress his character, but instead it ended up being hoaky and forced. It's hard to believe that James Cameron had a hand in the second film.