MOVIE REVIEW - The Expendables

Every once in a while, you gotta ask one simple question about a movie - Why?

Sylvester Stallone and virtually every single aging action star of the past 30 years stars in this weeks number one movie, The Expendables. Keep in mind, almost all these guys are about 65 now. And there are worse things in the world for sure, but this is getting out of hand.

TE is the story of a bunch of mercenary ex-soldiers that are hired out privately to go in and do tough military jobs that the government deems as too messy, and where the risk and politics are too much. There is this island in the Gulf that has this huge drug cartel that supposedly the CIA is behind. Actually an ex-CIA guy gone rogue. Then the CIA hires the Expendables to go in and clean up their mess. That's about as much story as there is.

This is testosterone gone wild. TE is very video gamey, with more explosions, fires and gun play than you could throw a joystick at. Literally hundreds of men being killed in seconds time and time again. Guns and bigger guns. Bombs, and knives too. Toss in some motorcycle riding, car chases and a few hot women and you have The Expendables.

There is an attempt at developing characters here, but it's weak. There is some humor, and some of it pretty funny actually. But overall this is just silly, mundane and over the top in every way. The idea on paper may have been better, but too many stars fighting for their moment to shine, and no one really does. This is also exceptionally, and graphically violent. You have to decide if you want your teens to see dozens of decapitations and limb severing, all done with smiles on the faces of the "good guys." There is torture as well, and there are virtually no consequences to any of this.

I am no prude, I have been watching these kinds of flicks for a long time, and watched them become more violent all the time. I don't mind almost anything in a movie, as long as it makes it a better movie, is central to the story, and moves the movie along. But this just killing, and torture, disguised as a movie. Plain and simple. You can go and plop your money down, and maybe be taken off to someplace else for a while, but there's nothing new here. But stand by, it nlooks like there could be more of this franchise up the road in a year or two. When these guys are about 70.

The Expendables. For some this will be "awesome" for others "awful."