THE EXPENDABLES 3 DVD (2014)

SYNOPSIS: Barney, Christmas and the rest of the team come face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks, who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables -- but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Stallone admits in a recent interview that the PG13 friendlier rating was a horrible miscalculation. But honestly, the third instalment of Expendables has far serious flaws instead of mere missing bloodshed and gore.

The Expendables franchise sells itself as an action flick that features past action stars kicking ass once again on the big screen. In this third outing, Stallone bent the rule a little too far allowing younger stars such as Kellan Lutz and Glen Powell to take over the screen for half of the duration despite having new recruits: Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford, Antonio Banderas and Mel Gibson onboard.

This time round, the Expendables are sent on a mission by the CIA to capture an arms dealer Conrad Stonebanks to be tried for war crimes. For some incomprehensive reasons, Barney Ross decides to disband the old gang and recruit new members for the mission. But when his new team is captured by Stonebanks, Ross’ ex-mercenaries returned to lend a helping hand before Stonebanks and his army kills them all.

The story is too formulaic to allow that many stars to squeeze into, obviously a sign that Stallone should leave the script writing duties to more capable hands. The action set pieces while aplenty lacked imagination and worn out its welcome by the time the finale gun battle arrived.

As weak as it is, The Expendables 3 is still a watchable B-movie mainly because of Banderas providing comic relief and Gibson as the ruthless Stonebanks, co-founder of the expendables turned arms dealer. The running time at 121 minutes is much longer than the earlier two instalments though it hardly feels draggy or painful. Maybe time flies faster watching stuff blowing up, endless gunfire and Jet Li, Schwarzenegger and Ford’s brief appearances.

The Expendables 3 is not exactly a disaster on the whole. As the latest entry to the franchise, it undeniably stumbles. Perhaps a revamp is needed to energize this tired franchise. Just get Steven Seagal, Jackie Chan and Pierce Bronson for the fourth one and eliminate the inclusion of younger members for a start.    

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The movie looks fine on DVD with strong detailing and colours. Sound reproduction is dynamic and immersive. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee