REVIEW: Fourth ‘Expendables’ is an empty experience

The Expendables are back… Well, a few of them are. A lot of the cast from previous movies didn’t come back for this one, probably with good reason.

Still helmed by Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), the elite group of expendable mercenaries  are still taking on dangerous missions, but their latest adventure might have the highest stakes yet. The team is informed by the CIA that several nuclear weapons have fallen into the wrong hands.

To prevent any bombs from going off, the Expendables are hired to recover them and take out those behind the scheme. As part of the mission, they’re joined by some new mercenaries who offer additional combat skills.

The first “Expendables” was an enjoyable, throwback action romp, but its sequels in 2012 and 2014 were both underwhelming. This entry, out nearly a decade since the third installment, is beyond underwhelming. It’s downright awful.

There’s been worry about AI writing scripts instead of actual writers, but it may have already happened because this thing came across like it was typed by a bot. It’s astonishing just how lifeless and robotic this whole film was. There’s a severe detriment of personality or an identity.

The film is also massively lacking in structure. Not that every film needs one, but a film like the “Expendables” benefits from a three-act plot. But that’s not found here. There’s basically no second act. Instead, viewers are treated to a pair of poorly paced halves. That’s especially true with the second, with awful attempts at build-up over one big messy action set piece.

If a person is looking for good action, they should keep moving. A lot of the action comes in the form of bad looking CGI and there aren’t even any standout fight scenes. The first film had a god fight between Randy Couture’s character and Steve Austin’s bad guy. Here, Couture doesn’t fist fight at all. Why have him if you’re not going to make use of his MMA background?

What’s maybe the weakest part of the film, though, is the film’s cast. The whole draw of these movies was the ensemble cast. Even the below average sequels had the novelty of featuring action familiars like Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson.

This time around, most of the cast from the previous films aren’t even around anymore. Instead we get 50 Cent who gives a rough performance and Megan Fox who seemed to be phoning it in. To stay on Fox, her character is written as if she’s been part of the team, and series for that matter, for a while, even though this is just her first appearance.

Those who do return don’t add all that much. Couture’s character once again brings up his cauliflower ears like he’s done in every installment while Dolph Lundgren is there to lumber around. Even the two leads, Staham and Stallone, come across like they’re half-assing this one.

This series had already been on life support, without an entry since 2014. With this, I think it’s safe to say it’s dead. This film is empty and doesn’t even have a shred of the novelty or entertainment value that made any of the previous three entries deserve an audience’s attention. 0.5 out of 5.