The incomparable action stars of ‘Expendables 2’
EXPENDABLES reminded moviegoers of the Hollywood actors who formed the foundation of explosive action films that were the box office hits of decades past. With a worldwide gross of over $274 million in 2010, a sequel wasn’t a surprise.
When Expendables 2 opened on August 16 in Mega Manila theaters, action movie fans realized—again— what they already knew: That the cast of heroes can never be replaced.
Of all the action flicks that have been released this year, Expendables 2 is undoubtedly the biggest among them because of its cast. Back on the silver screen is the “dream team of action films,” whose respective personas inspired the characters of the movie.
Sylvester Stallone, the director and writer of Expendables, also cowrote the sequel. He admitted that the first outing was phenomenal, what with the superstar cast and in terms of action and adventure.
Joining him again in Expendables 2 are Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. Added firepower come in the sequel from Yu Nan, the first female “Expendable;” the legendary Chuck Norris and Jean-claude Van Damme; and Liam Hemsworth, one of Hollywood’s rising actors.
Norris’ character is reminiscent of his roles in his past fist-slugging and gun- throtting films; while JeanClaude Van Damme showcases his trademark martial arts moves.
Fans of these action stars will get a kick out of many scenes that throwback to their past hits. Schwarzenegger, the Terminator, brings the house down with the words, “I’ll be back.”
As Stallone put it, “All the scenes and dialogue were designed to fit each of the actors’ personalities, so the audience is going to get a thrill seeing all these different archetypes on the canvas together.”
For Statham, moviegoers worldwide can relate to the film’s characters, since the roles are likened to real people who also have “screwed-up lives and yet able to fight hard for their survival.”
Whatever the take, Expendables 2 is simply entertaining. It’s a fun movie for action buffs, and a great fix for adrenaline junkies.
From Lionsgate and Millenium Films, Expendables 2 is still showing in theaters, and is distributed in the Philippines by Viva International Pictures and Multivision Pictures.
W.M. BELEN
Mission Impossible) Bourne Legacy.
While watching the first part of the film, I kept wondering if this was the same Tony Gilroy who did the acclaimed legal thriller Michael Clayton in 2007. There were times when I felt the plot got muddled—the blue pill does what? The green pill does what? How does “viralling-off” work? Why are Treadstone’s panties in such a knot? They are all talking too fast for someone who is also trying to eat popcorn at the same time. I think I forgot to take my blue pill that day. While I was starting to figure things out, the mood and tempo shifted. And at a certain point, it wasn’t important to chew on those puzzles. The party had started. There’s some good fun to be had in the last half of the film, which takes place in Manila. The best part involves Aaron Cross (Renner) and Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) being chased by Larx-03 (Louis Ozawa Changchien-Hanzo in Predators) and the local pulis.