Somewhat Expendable

The Expendables 3, while adding to the star cast of the traditional expendables (Antonio Banderas, Mel Gibson) also brings forth a new kind of “expendable” – Kellan Lutz of Hercules fame, or Ronda Rousey of MMA fame, in particular. The storyline remains superficial, and actions continue to speak louder – much louder – than words. Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) puts together an all-new crew to take out friend-turned-foe Stonebanks (Mel Gibson). With much killing in myriad forms, as expected, The Expendables 3 does nothing to detract from the possibility of a fourth edition

12.5/20

Lights Camera and All Action

If The Expendables were to be renamed, An Ode to Action may well suit. Sylvester Stallone pulls together a panoply of stars – some current (Jason Statham) others of yesteryears (Dolph Lundgren) – all from the world of action. The overlay is a deliberately loose storyline – opening with a quick sequence on nailing a band of Somali pirates, and then getting down to the business of ending a dictatorship and the dealings of a rogue CIA agent, in an island country in South America. While Barney Ross (Stallone) and Lee Christmas (Statham) form the lead pair, the cast and crew of good guys – Yang (Jet Li), Toll Road (Randy Couture), tattooman Tool (Mickey Rourke) and cameos from Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger – is only matched by the evil bunch of Gunner (Dolph Lundgren), James Munroe (Eric Roberts) and Paine (Steve Austin). Fans will remember the movie for the one-man (or few-man) army sequences that have been missing since Rambo took a breather in Afghanistan. Sharp action, wholesome entertainment, and largely interesting dialogue – while Mickey Rourke is not quite his impactful self, Dolph Lundgren with “Insect..” was interesting. Don’t miss this little milestone in action movie history from a living legend

13.5/20

Mummy Mia!

I would not be surprised if The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was the result of a vast conspiracy to clinically destroy the perfectly good franchise. Maria Bello is ashen and would have come across with better chemistry with Brendan Fraser were she cast as his mother. In other casting gaffes, Luke Ford looks pretty much as old as his father. The script is hideous with the China fixation now becoming de rigeur for Hollywood. Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh find themselves utterly out of place smack in the middle of some really poor casting. Even the special effects dont cut it - the only redemption being the endearing troll-like yetis. A movie that will be forgotten in a hurry. Lets hope John Hannah does survive the box office and the critics and make it to Peru for the next installment.