Escape to the Movies: The Expendables

[Jesus Phish]

Look, Bob. I've defended you more than I need have, you're probably one of my favourite movie critics but please, for the love of God, accept that not every movie has to be this artistic piece, with amazing acting, original set pieces and have an important message behind them. Some movies are just meant to be enjoyable to sit through. Salt was this and you appeared to like that even if there were two reasons attached to Jolie that probably helped your opinion along the way.

And please, stop stating that everyone who likes a movie you don't is worthless. Transformers, Book of Eli, and now Expendables - some people just like to sit through a movie that's brainless. Whilst they're not that good, stating that everyone who likes them is pretty much wrong is just arrogant and pretentious.

Not everyone who likes bad action movies is this douchebag frat boy, who can't tell the difference between an etch-a-sketch and a Da Vinci. Just accept that occasionally people don't see things the way you do, because you're starting to become insufferable.

This guy and a few others have it spot on for what I think of your video this week. It really really did come across as "You're all stupid because you let a movie with a massive budget that has been talked about for years, beat the little indie movie that has only recently found its way into the mainstream limelight."

Every once in a while I love to switch off my brain and buy over priced popcorn and just sit there and watch whats on the screen.

*EDIT*
Despite your review claiming this movie is terrible and that if I go see it, I'll cement myself as being a worthless piece of crap, who has attributed to the state of the human race, I'm still going to go watch the thing.

 

[ninjaman 420]

i think some of this guys reviews are great, but im not gonna listen to this review, the movie looks good so im gonna see it. remember this is the guy who praised daywalkers.

edit: if your confused, im saying daywalkers sucked

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

It's a condescending film that sells itself solely by going "Hey look, we've got 'em all! All the stars of the classic action films! That's all you dumb bastards care about anyway! Now buy a ticket!"

How is it condescending if people are genuinely enjoying it and buying tickets? I hate to bring up one of my least favorite movies but if the Expendables is condescending, so is Avatar, the movie that was all about the "pretty pictures".

 

[Crimson_Dragoon]

Wow. You know, normally I agree with MovieBob's opinion, but I think he's being way too critical. Is the Expendables going to be movie of the year? Hell no. It was just trying to be dumb fun and it succeeded at that. There were definitely some cool, fist-pumping moments (the airplane attack and auto-shotgun being my favorites), and really, those are the reasons we go see action movies.

 

[Noogai]

Actually, I thought the Expendables was decent because I went into it expecting mindless killing...also, you overhyped Scott Pilgrim waaaaay too much moviebob, sorry.

 

[WanderingFool]

Wow, MovieBob sounds pretty pathetic here... Does he really think Scott Pilgrim is the most important film of this decade? I saw both the Expendables and Scott Pilgrim, I didnt even make it through half way of Scott Pilgrim before I left the theater in disgust.

Yeah, The Expendables is not a deep movie, doesnt have much of any real story line, but there was explosions, guys getting blown away, and the loudest fucking shotgun Ive ever heard. I want a film that I can enjoy, and the expendables is that film. Scott Pilgrim, I felt embaressed for buying the ticket; I watched MovieBob's review of Scott Pilgrim again, and cant beleave I easted $8.25 on that piece of shit.

Good thing I rarly relie on reviewer's opinions for my entertainment.

*Edit*

Forgot to add, I went into the Expendables with the idea that it was dumb, mindless fun, as thats what I feel entertianment should be, fun. If I have to look and analyse every scene in order to understand what the fuck is happening and why, I loose patients with the movie. I have very simple tastes with movies, I like to use that time to enjoy myself, I spend the rest of my life analysing and using theory and all else, Im tried of doing that...

 

[SoulChaserJ]

Jesus MB, you sure pissed off a lot of the herd this week. Good on ya

 

[JordanMillward_1]

I saw this yesterday... and yea, I have to agree, it was meh. I mean, I had nothing better to do for 2 hours, hence my going to see it, but I wish Scott Pilgrim had been out in UK cinemas by now instead, I'd have seen that instead.

Jason Statham was easily the best acter in this movie, since he was the only one with any sort of character at all really, but I wish Bruce Willis had been in it more, because out of the entire cast, he's the one I only REALLY like (though Jet Li in Hero was awesome).

 

[Antacid]

The only thing missing from this review was a mention of Kick-ass as an example of an action movie with blood, characters, comedy, drama, and all that old-fashioned stuff no one seems to care about any more. Nonetheless, you have finally redeemed yourself for that Splice review.

Who'd have thought Stallone would still be a movie star in 2010? How fucked up is that?

 

[bojac6]

Wow MovieBob, you've been striking out with me this summer. I think you got confused, as this review is what you should have said about Predators, which was a boring, piece of shit movie that had no action, no gore, and just sucked. But you talked about how much fun and shit it was. That movie was terrible.

Meanwhile, this movie was a lot of fun. Stallone was Stallone, Statham was much better in this than either of the Crank movies. Jet Li was entertaining, Rourke stole the show, and there was tons of shooting and excitement. I enjoyed it immensely. And every criticism you leveled against this movie is what I thought of Predators.

But fine, I'll go see Scott Pilgrim too, even though I didn't like the comics and I think it looks silly.

 

[Unhappy Crow]

Wow. He really hates this movie. At least Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is good. Too bad what he said about the top # of movies was true. Scott Pilgrim deserves better than 5th and I don't care about Eat Pray and Love.

 

[wildcard9]

I've never been a fan of old-school action films. After all, I'm a child of the 90's, and I grew up with Terminator 2: an action movie that actually meant something and made you think. This translated into films like The Matrix, The Borne films, and the Dark Knight. The closest I could go to a dumb action film was a now forgotten Denzel Washington film called Man on Fire, and it's worth it to see a former CIA assassin who's gazed into the abyss rip into the cartel. I love the 90's because it was a transition period: from the machisimo of the 80's to the engaging and relative intellectualism in today's pop culture.

Let's face it: there's more 80's nostalgics and douchebags out there then fans of comics, anime, and games. If the past decade was the age of the geek, the current decade is a reemergence of the age of the jock. The 80's were dark times for us geeks because this was a time when the nation actively celebrated brawn over brain. The Expendables is just a symptom of the larger problem: the jocks are getting skittish and feeling threatened by the geeks who've dominated pop culture for the past 20 years and they now want to take it back by force. And it's not just pop culture: it's politics as well.

Fellow geeks: we're on the advent of a second age of the jock. This doesn't have to be a bad thing: every decade has an ebb and flow between the two, but this age looks like a particularly aggressive one at that. Enjoy the relative social acceptance while it lasts, because it won't be long 'till our geek hobbies (anime, video games, comics, etc.) will be pushed back into the dark as socially inept hobbies while athleticism and other such activities will be celebrated.

 

[Snooch_to_the_nooch]

Aw, he's just pissed about Pilgrim getting 5th in the box office and he's taking it out on the Expendables. It's like watching a drunk father come home after losing at the horse tracks and takes his anger out on the kids. Although I will admit Scott Pilgrim was the superior movie. Complain all you want, but with the home entertainments we have these days, going to the movies is only necessary for the big spectacle, the experience that you just can't get when you watch the same movie at home.

 

[Dragon-Byte]

First time in a long time i've disagreed w/ you Bob.
At the very least "not a single memorable kill" is a bunch of bullcrap.
Remember(or not) during the palace basement ambush, Li and Statham beat the crap out of the bad guy whos like 3rd in command or something, and they knock him to his knees, then Li does an axe-kick and breaks his neck backwards? Remember that? Do ya? Do ya?

I know the whole theatre did when I saw it.

 

[Chebs]

Face the facts, it's an all-star action movie versus a niche title with a despised actor.

The outcome was never really in doubt.

I agree. I almost went to see Scott Pilgrim, but I cannot stand Michael Cera. He is unfunny and one-note, and it's not a fun note to watch. The Expendables was not particularly good in the sense that it'll be talked about come awards season, but it was entertaining to me. Jet Li is pretty underused, which made my soul cry a little, but overall I came out of the theatre happy with what I saw. People were punched and stuff blew up, and that's what I paid for.

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

I wasn't going to watch this before now, but now I'm going to just to spite the gigantic heap of butthurt this review was. Maybe it really is that bad, but I haven't a fuck to give.

 

[Zing]

Off-Topic & final thought for now.
If any movie should be considered "This Years District 9" so far that would have to go to Daybreakers.

What? Daybreakers came out in the same year as District 9. And it was an awful movie.

 

[seditary]

Damn a lot of people taking the video rather personally.

/pat

I'm also enjoying the few people actually making specifics on non memorable death scenes not being sure who was killed.

 

[Rigs83]

Best nerdrage I've ever seen, and completely justified IMO. Running movies on the fame of the cast is a money-grubbing suicide mission that works horrifically well, and it doesn't sound like this turned out any different. It's honestly depressing that a genuinely good story like Scott Pilgrim will end up fiscally forgotten because the majority of the audience can't tell the difference between geek culture and geek motif.

I'll probably end up seeing it anyway so I can compare it to A-Team, but at least I know what to look out for.

When was the last time you saw a big budget film without an A-Lister or nothing but A-listers to draw in audiences. would Inception have just as well with an unknown in the lead instead of Dicaprio. A-listers get the roles because they can guarantee box office receipts. I went to see the Expendables because I don't give a damn if they make a movie catering to geek and game culture because I don't give a damn about geek and game culture. Hell, most videoegames revolve around guys with biceps bigger than their heads [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/624-Resident-Evil-5] shooting impoverished minorities while things blow up so Expendables is more like a game world than Scott Pilgrim.

You watch Expendables because you don't go to the movies every week but you want to kill two hours enjoying AC and popcorn and not need a notepad to know what the hell is going on or watch actors you don't like act with imaginary objects that will be put in during post work.