Featured Audience Ratings

• Stuart B

  
  It is what it is, loud, stupid and pointless, just like most of the cast. But as a homage to the action flicks of the 80's, you can't go wrong.

• Chris W

  
  I wanted to really like this movie, and I wanted it to be awesome. Unfortunately, it comes up short. Perhaps my expectations were just too high. How could they not be though? Just loook at the cast! This is a macho testosteronefest throwback to the glory days of 80s and 90s action… More
  I wanted to really like this movie, and I wanted it to be awesome. Unfortunately, it comes up short. Perhaps my expectations were just too high. How could they not be though? Just loook at the cast! This is a macho testosteronefest throwback to the glory days of 80s and 90s action films. This film, like Unforgiven, had the potential to be the be-all end-all of its respective genre; unfortunately it comes off more like nostalgia instead. That's not a total bad thing, though. It's cool seeing Sly and Dolph share the screen again, and of course, there's the much talked about church scene with Sly, Bruce, and Arnie. A cool scene, but it feels really rushed. The story is very simple and predictable, but that's part of the charm. The script however, is an all over the place mess. I'm okay with the silly one liners that mostly fall flat. What I don't like is the uneven character development. Lots of focus is placed on Statham, and his relations with Sly, as well as the Sly and Rourke stuff, but everything else is just left hanging. They should have made a longer film along the lines of The Dirty Dozen or something, and shaped it like that. In fact, I was reminded more of stuff like that instead of the 80s/90s films. This works well as a "men on a mission" picture, even if it leaves something to be desired. I was close to giving this an extra half star, but the aforementioned issues are what keep me from doing it. There are some things that are done well, though. Stallone definitely knows how to do action scenes, and those are awesome. Some of the camera work and editing were a bit too shaky for me, but at least not all of the gore was cg. I also really liked Rourke dramatic monologue. It was well done and gave the film a sense of purpose. The cast is pretty good. They seem to have decent chemistry, and I liked how it was a mixture of veterans of the genre and newcomers like Couture and Crews. Also, having bonafide actors like Rourke and Roberts added some nice weight and gravitas. This could have been the best damn action film ever. Instead it becomes merely a fun and entertaining yet flawed tribute. It has some merits, but is unfortunately too flawed to really recommend. C+

• Albert K

  
  First off, the dialogue is absolutely horrible. Sylvester Stallone should never write a screenplay. The action is fun at times but it isn't as good as it could've been. No memorable scenes. Some horrible CGI as well. However, every scene Jason Statham is in, he rips it up.

• Al S

  
  It's the ultimate action extravaganza with the ultimate all-star cast. It's a pure 100% adrenaline-charged and spectacular thrill-machine that cannot be stopped. Theirs loads of bullets, knives, fist, kicks, explosions and flat-out amazing action sequences in this film. A… More
  It's the ultimate action extravaganza with the ultimate all-star cast. It's a pure 100% adrenaline-charged and spectacular thrill-machine that cannot be stopped. Theirs loads of bullets, knives, fist, kicks, explosions and flat-out amazing action sequences in this film. A hard-boiled movie that's surprisingly affectionate, funny, always thrilling and has a great story. A bold, stylish and hard-core adventure that's filled with action and humor. A high-octane, wickedly entertaining and unforgettable action-thriller. It's a non-stop roller-coaster ride of a film that never lets up. A sharp old-school breed of action film that's intense, remarkable, very compelling and seriously awesome. It's a movie with loads of thrills but has a great bunch of characters who develop nicely and has a lot of heart. Director, Sylvester Stallone has totally out done himself here, bringing some of the best action stars of the past twenty years and some other great actors to bring us one undeniably fun and well-crafted film. This is Stallone's best movie and best directional effort yet, him and the rest of his team have excellent chemistry together. They prove to be a very strong, very funny and very powerful when they are acting together. Sylvester Stallone is at his best. Jet Li is once again lightning in a bottle. Jason Statham is excellent, he steals the show in some great scenes. Dolph Lundgren is terrific. Mickey Rourke is fantastic. Eric Roberts is explosive. Terry Crews and Randy Couture are great to watch. Steve Austin and Gary Daniels give tough portrayals as the films villains. Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger are great in their cameo performances with Stallone, it's about time these guys were in a movie together. An explosive and electrifying tour de force of an action movie. One of the greats action movies ever made, An unstoppable ride that you don't want to miss. An action movie just for the guys who love action movies.

• Jack H

  
  All realism and credibility is thrown out of the window in this delightfully macho celebration of the 1980s action film. The action scenes are huge, loud and fantastically violent. It blends brutally choreographed mêlée, explosions and gunfights, with each one of the Expendables… More
  All realism and credibility is thrown out of the window in this delightfully macho celebration of the 1980s action film. The action scenes are huge, loud and fantastically violent. It blends brutally choreographed mêlée, explosions and gunfights, with each one of the Expendables having their fair share of the action - the aestheticization of violence rarely gets more hilariously thrilling and satisfying than this. Away from all the wanton destruction are parts that are surprisingly character driven, particularly the chemistry between Stallone and Statham, whose tough, competitive camaraderie may be somewhat clichéd but certainly entertaining. Perhaps my satisfaction with the film was accentuated by my low expectations coming into the film, but I think I would've enjoyed it regardless of expectation; it delivered the masculine, ridiculously excessive carnage that, for me, makes it a funny, exhilarating break from reality - I left the film with a big smile on my face.

• Stephen M

  
  There are certainly worse ways to spend a couple of hours, though you'd probably have to be a ten year old boy recovering from a brain injury to get the undemanding most out of this throwback to the 80s Action Movie, where, lest you've forgotten, niceties like plot and… More
  There are certainly worse ways to spend a couple of hours, though you'd probably have to be a ten year old boy recovering from a brain injury to get the undemanding most out of this throwback to the 80s Action Movie, where, lest you've forgotten, niceties like plot and character development never got in the way of a good explosion.

• Sophie B

  
  Easy dumbed down action with some great set pieces but it never really impacts the audience.

• danny d

  
  absolutely mindless, but in the best possible way. there are no revelations here, but if youre expecting any i have to question your judgment. this was old action guys, and a few new ones, making a nostalgic, silly, and corny action flick that would bring back illusions of the… More
  absolutely mindless, but in the best possible way. there are no revelations here, but if youre expecting any i have to question your judgment. this was old action guys, and a few new ones, making a nostalgic, silly, and corny action flick that would bring back illusions of the 80's, and for me they succeeded. the script was awful, the action way over the top, and the characters pretty shallow, but this is one of the few films where none of that mattered much to me. everytime rourke was on screen all i could think was, "what in the world is good acting doing in this film!", but again, it didnt matter that the performances were so sub par. i wanted to mentally check out for 100 minutes and have fun, and i can honestly say that i did. jet li is probably too good for this movie, but he was my favorite part. the only thing i would have liked to see differently would have been even more 80's stars like van damme, segal, snipes, norris, and the like, but im hearing stallone went after some of those guys and they couldnt/wouldnt do the film. overall, enjoyable.

• Cynthia S

  
  Fun, fun movie!!!

• Directors C

  
  [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon13.gif[/img] It would be impossible for action movie fans looking at the talent layed down in front of them in The Expendables and not expect the thrill of a lifetime. Dissapointingly you dont get that, action certainly… More
  [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon13.gif[/img] It would be impossible for action movie fans looking at the talent layed down in front of them in The Expendables and not expect the thrill of a lifetime. Dissapointingly you dont get that, action certainly doesn't fall short, the problem is what you are eventually given is terribly mediocre stuff. It was always going to be difficult for this movie to fullfill it's ambitions to be brutal and powerful. The ensemble cast has featured in some incredibly fast paced adrenaline fuelled blockbusters, some of which are absolute classics. But unfortunately for the iconic badasses of action cinema, this is a low point in every single one of their careers. Although the action set pieces are eye popping and explosive and the performances are good to a certain extent they are let down by a terrible script and bad direction from Stallone. As a leading man in the company of action heroes, he's perfect for the job, film making is not his strongest point. There is also no substance, but thats understandable, I mean, it's meant to be a good old-fashioned throwback action movie. I ashamedly had to give up on the film eventually because I found it terribly cliched, watching it I was stuck pondering to myself as to why I wasn't picking up the stars' back catalogues and watching something that hits much harder and a lot faster. The Expendables quite surprisingly doesn't have the strength or the energy to deliver.

• KJ P

  
  The Expendables begins with some promising action (although very artificial), however, the film just falls downhill from there. The action is the best attempt at awesome entertainment in a long time, but it's mixed into a very weak premise. I was very disappointed to see all of… More
  The Expendables begins with some promising action (although very artificial), however, the film just falls downhill from there. The action is the best attempt at awesome entertainment in a long time, but it's mixed into a very weak premise. I was very disappointed to see all of these stars go to waste! There is action and then there is drama randomly thrown in, but then kicks back into action, which feels very uneven. Mickey Rourke gets the most character development, and he is one of the least shown characters in the film. The dialogue is sort of laughable at points, but the film pulls itself out of the hole halfway through, which is just enough time to redeem itself and become a fun R-Rated popcorn flick. When Rourke's character states that there are three pieces of work, they end up doing the first job and getting caught up in that one for the entire film. It kind of seems pointless, but it is a great summer film to have fun with. It will put a smile on your face for hours and hours, but in a few years, you may forget about it. "The Expendables" is sadly, expendable, but it's not bad!

• Kevin C

  
  You had one job, THE EXPENDABLES. ONE JOB.

• Everett J

  
  "Expendables" is pretty much just an excuse to get a bunch of major action stars together, and make a true "Guy" movie. Sylvester Stallone, stars and directs, as the head of a group of mercenaries who are paid to overthrow a trannical South American dictator.… More
  "Expendables" is pretty much just an excuse to get a bunch of major action stars together, and make a true "Guy" movie. Sylvester Stallone, stars and directs, as the head of a group of mercenaries who are paid to overthrow a trannical South American dictator. Along with Stallone the movie features Steve Austin, Mickey Rouke, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture,Terry Crews, and Eric Roberts. Not to mention cameos by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. The action is fantastic, the story is ok, and the acting is exactly what you would expect from a movie like this. Jet Li is by far the funniest character and helps lighten things up. Not many action movies like this are made anymore, and this fills that void nicely. A true throwback to the action movies of the 80's, with great nostalgia. While it's not a perfect movie, it's definitely worth a watch just to see all these guys together. The sequel comes out in a few weeks and I gotta say if you wanna have a guys night out, that is the perfect movie to do it. Guys enjoy, ladies stick to those sissies in "Magic Mike".

• Carlos M

  
  The idea of having these stars together is of course appealing, updating the '80s to modern times, but the formulaic action scenes are never entertaining enough to justify this. Besides, the dialogue is so painful and none of the stupid jokes ever works.

• Brian D

  
  Great to see such a stellar cast of action stars of the 80's/90's and now.Its pure pop corn and pushes nearly all the right buttons.The main stars are Stallone and Statham who actually very good together.The rest of the cast get the roles in between the course of the… More
  Great to see such a stellar cast of action stars of the 80's/90's and now.Its pure pop corn and pushes nearly all the right buttons.The main stars are Stallone and Statham who actually very good together.The rest of the cast get the roles in between the course of the movie.Wish jet li had more to do here because he had a different side to him here.Also it was great to see Dolph Lundgren back on the big screen and was a pleasure to see him here next to Stallone and co.The action is top notch and Stallone uses the violence style use in he's last Rambo movie which gives it the WOW factor in sum scenes.All in all a another great come back for Stallone and some of the other action heroes.A nice 80's/90's feel set back.

• Melvin W

  
  Mr. Church: Only thing you need to know is the job's real, and the money's real.  "Every movie has hero. This one has them all." Despite not believing The Expendables would be any good, I still felt compelled, as a guy, to watch it. This is one of those movies… More
  Mr. Church: Only thing you need to know is the job's real, and the money's real.  "Every movie has hero. This one has them all." Despite not believing The Expendables would be any good, I still felt compelled, as a guy, to watch it. This is one of those movies that guys just feel the need to watch. Why? I don't know, because it really sucks.  Basically this is just an excuse for Stallone to get together a bunch of well known action stars and throw them into one movie. Most of the stars aren't that good and most of them never were. Dolph Lundgren, Steve Austen, and Terry Crews aren't what I think of when I think about good actors. The movies populated with mostly bad actors, with a few decent ones(Statham, Roberts, Stallone) and only one really good one(Rourke). The cameo appearances by Schwarzenegger and Willis in the same scene was pretty cool though.  As you would expect from a Stallone written and directed movie, it's nonstop action and violence. There's blood spraying everywhere, knives flying around, and a constant echoing of bullet fire. The film is also lifeless and dull. The stylized violence isn't cool or fun to watch at all. Mostly because we've seen it a million times and we've seen it done much, much better than this.  The Expendables is a big mess of an action film. It's all forgettable crap. I'm sad to see that there's going to be a sequel. I'm even sadder because I know I'm going to end up watching it. 

• xGary X

  
  A group of mercenaries are employed to kill the general and drug kingpin ruling a South American island. I approached The Expendables expecting a kind of comic deconstruction cum knowing homage of the 80s action film, but guess what? This is no Kiss Kiss Boom Boom. Instead we get… More
  A group of mercenaries are employed to kill the general and drug kingpin ruling a South American island. I approached The Expendables expecting a kind of comic deconstruction cum knowing homage of the 80s action film, but guess what? This is no Kiss Kiss Boom Boom. Instead we get EXACTLY what Stallone has been doing for years. Verbatim. Basically you spend the duration watching a collection of fat-necked, rubber-faced old men with skull tattoos who ride Harley Davidsons and date ex-strippers, high fiving each other after a long day at the office committing mass murder. The action scenes are okay if you like that type of thing, but Stallone is a bit too gleeful in his representation of mutilation, evisceration and decapitation making it all feel a bit tasteless and unpleasant rather than fun and exciting. It surely holds some kind of Guinness record for "blowing shit up" but it happens so often, by the end it actually gets a little tiresome. Incredibly loud and incredibly stupid, it's not as bad as some of Stallone's debacles of the 80s, but it's still yet another 90 minute slice of Sly mid life crisis.

• Drake T

  
  Big, dumb and stupid. The only way I could have possibly been entertained was if my IQ went down a notch and I had an unhealthy obsession with testosterone driven men. As an action film it really barely does the job done, which begs the question as to why so many stars signed up on… More
  Big, dumb and stupid. The only way I could have possibly been entertained was if my IQ went down a notch and I had an unhealthy obsession with testosterone driven men. As an action film it really barely does the job done, which begs the question as to why so many stars signed up on such a lackluster project. The humor lacks wit, the action lacks style and the characters are a bunch of outdated archetypes. Half the movie it should have been.

• Jason O

  
  Stallone is one of those actors who can pretty much do no wrong to me...not sure there's a single movie of his that I don't like.

• Tsubaki S

  
  Stallone's direction hurts most of the action sequences, not to mention wasting Jet Li. Overall it's ok for a rainy Saturday, but we can get a better 80s revival vehicle. Hopefully the sequel delivers.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings