August 28th, 2012 
Made in the vein of bad ‘80s machismo flicks, “The Expendables 2” is like something out of a video game, with a marquee filled with every big-name action star in Hollywood.
(Photo credit: Lionsgate)
Thus, I went into this one with extremely low expectations; after all it’s a shoot-em-up guy flick, right?
Right. The opening sequence of was a bang-bang, blood and guts, rough ‘em up, beat ‘em up type of scene where a group of mercenaries (the “good guys”) are on a rescue mission in God only knows where Nepal. Plowing through buildings in tank-like vehicles, zip-lining through the jungle whilst shooting bad guys left and right – director Simon West made sure you knew it was a ridiculous flick, not to be taken too seriously from the start.
Expectations properly in check, we proceed onward.
(Photo credit: Lionsgate)
As the movie continues, so do the kinetic and ridiculously loud and bloody action sequences. Moving from one obscure location to the next, we get to see more of the all-star cast – from the leader of the pack Sylvester Stallone to newbie Liam Hemsworth (“Hunger Games” star and Miley Cyrus’ beau) to the oh-so-nice-to-look-at Jason Statham – as they take on Jean-Claude Van Damme and his team of bad guys.
Chock-full of explosions, guns and bad-guys there’s enough carnage and mayhem in this flick to turn any gal away, and yet somehow I kept watching. And that’s because “The Expendables 2” is a film that understands exactly what it it is: a cheesy, fun action film.
The verdict: A smart, well-developed action movie it is not. But if you want to see badass action movie icons kicking butt and taking names, then this one’s for you.
Opened: August 17, 2012
Director: Simon West
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger
