I understand that to make a good movie, one doesn’t need to have profanity, explosions, and excessive amounts of blood all over the place. But in that senseless, over the top , unbelievable , and senseless array, you get something that’s just plain fun. When a movie is R rated, it allows for more to happen. What you do with it is up to you. So when a movie becomes PG-13, you have to do a lot with significantly less. Sure, more will see your movie but unless the content is done well, the movie is underused and dry. The Taken movies use this well, combining a firm, secretive narrative and a terrific protagonist with striking, vulnerable action. But for EXPENDABLES 3, it wounds and hurts.
EXPENDABLES is meant to be a throwback to the OTT , crazy, and insane action movies of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. For EXPENDABLES 3 , that is still there but to the dislike of many, scaled back and restrained. Expendables 3 is a good time and good mission but not the great operation we want it to be.
The pg13 rating means virtually no blood on enemy takedowns and different camera angles that suggest any enemy takedown instead of just seeing it. It means muted explosions and language choices. While it does focus on more of a story this time, you can’t help but feel like this is a movie that is in time out. When you want to see raw hard hitting action, you instead get good but altered action pieces. When you want to here something witty and funny, you can’t help but feel that lines were tamed. As someone that saw the other two, you can’t help but be underwhelmed as to why this choice was made. The movie could be so much more with that R rating. Wesley snipes could shine more, more action stunts could happen, and the crew could say all sorts of stuff. The last two movies had plenty of moments with nods to a characters’ previous works. Most particular, chuck Norris and his “lone wolf” label as well as the airport fighting sequences it’s Bruce Willis and Arnold s. It’s that kind of dialogue I tried to look for here and I didn’t hear it as avidly as I had hoped.
However, despite it all, the movie is still well done. Newcomers Rhonda roused, Antonio banderes, and Harrison ford make for solid additions. Harrison ford as a CIA operative is fitting, especially with his gruff voice, tough demeanor, and the fact he can deliver the f-bomb very effectively. Banderes provides a whole lot of comedic relief and kicks some ass, reminiscent of his role in Tarantinos desperado. Rhonda Roussey was an unexpected addition. I haven’t been entirely familiar with her but she certainly has a bold future in action movies as ex3 indicates . Wesley snipes comes back in good form, tough in several of the sequences, the PG-13 rating slightly undermines his action. In several occasions, he stabs bad guys with no blood and I wanted to see more Brazilian capeoria, as well as nods to his previous flicks. However, he still gets some and would like to see more, along with the new cast in Expendables 4. The sequences are rather solid and do feature some solid moments from martial arts to vicious gunplay to even aerial engagements. It is great to see everyone kick their own version of butt here. Harrison Ford flies a Huey gunship, Antonio Banderes wields an AK-47 one-handedly, and Wesley Snipes goes in for the close-range kill. Everything is loud and vicious and Mel Gibson makes for quite the entertaining villain.
With the Unrated Blu-Ray coming out next week, it is pleasing to say that the things that were cut from the final film will be added, including the intense, 80′s inspired action and language. Still, the movie will, hopefully, serve as a point to not repeat again. if there is a movie destined to be a certain way, keep it as such. it is a tricky business but making pressured choices can ruin the every thing one is trying to make. Expendables III is a good time. I hope Expendables IV, and the possibility of an al-female Expendabelles, are much better accomplishments.
Expendables 3 review: A PG-13 rating wounds an otherwise good action movie. I understand that to make a good movie, one doesn't need to have profanity, explosions, and excessive amounts of blood all over the place.
