Today I want to discuss the Expendables 4 movie review (2023 film) with you guys. This is a movie that a lot of people have watched, many watch it more than 3 times, and others from time to time. You will love it.
For my part, I adore the Expendables movies. Since I grew up watching action films from the 1980s, it is a dream come true for me to see Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Van Damme all appear in one film series.
I’m practically salivating when you add in some of the newer action heroes like Jet Li, Steve Austin, Randy Couture, Scott Adkins, and Jason Statham.
I might keep Ronda and Victor Ortiz, but I would cut most of the younger players from the third film for the fourth.
I must confess that I’m a huge admirer of Stallone and Statham a great fan, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them in the first two Expendables films. Despite my distaste for No. 3, I was thrilled to see No. 4 after seeing the trailer.
I went to the theatre to see the movie; however, I must say that it really let me down! Later, more on that. Let’s start with the story.
Expendables 4 Movie Review
In Expendables 4, the biggest action stars in the world team up with a new generation of celebrities for a thrilling journey.
Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone reunite as the elite mercenaries, and for the first time, they are joined by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia.
The Expendables are the last line of defense in the world, called in when all other choices have been exhausted. They arm themselves with every weapon they can lay hands on and are proficient at using it.
However, “new blood” will imply something entirely different to new team members with fresh approaches and styles.
Agent Marsh (Andy Garcia) assigns the expendables, under the leadership of Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), the task of preventing mercenary terrorist Suarto Rahmat (Iko Uwais) from selling nuclear weapons to an unidentified figure going by the code name Ocelot.
The expendables travel to Libya to battle Suarto and his army, but chaos ensues (I won’t reveal the why and how because it will give away the plot). Marsh gives the squad the go-ahead to continue the operation, and they swear to exact revenge on Suarto. Can they put an end to him? Who knows?
I have a question for the writers initially. When you wrote the plot, what state were you in? A slothful one, I suppose. Like I said, I really didn’t like Book 3, but at least it had a compelling plot that pulled you in till the very end. 4 is marginally off.
To keep the audience interested, the screenplay is weak and relies heavily on style rather than substance.
Additionally, it appears that director Scott Vaughn was under pressure to wrap this picture up quickly, but in reality, the opposite should have happened because the new characters weren’t given enough time to develop.
The movie’s action sequences are its one redeeming feature.
In terms of performance, as usual, Stallone commanded the screen. However, Statham has the most screen time this time around, and he looks fantastic. Iko Uwais is great in the action scenes, especially the one when Statham is involved, but he falls flat as an antagonist who ought to be a formidable figure.
Megan Fox completely overreacts. She may be attractive, but that is all there is to it. Some scenes with 50 Cent and Dolph Lundgren make you smile, while the others are mediocre.
Expendables Details
1. The rating is R (for Strong/Bloody Violence, Language, and Sexual Material).
2. The genre is Action/Adventure.
3. The original language is English.
4. The supervisor is Scott Waugh.
5. The producers are Jason Statham, Yariv Lerner, Les Weldon, and Kevin King Templeton.
6. The authors are Tad Daggerhart, Max Adams, and Kurt Wimmer.
7. The theatre release date is September 22, 2023.
8. The streaming release date is October 13, 2023.
9. The gross domestic box office is $16.2M.
10. The duration is 1 hour 43 minutes.
11. The distributor is Lionsgate.
12. The production companies are Dutch FilmWorks, Campbell Grobman Films, Nu Boyana Film Studios, Media Capital Technologies, and Millennium Media.
13. The digital aspect ratio is 2.39:1.
Although I could happily watch five more installments, I believe the fourth film in the series will probably be the last one.
Cast Expected
Some more action stars I’d want to see in the spotlight include:
1. Cast the actress Jackie Chan. A real action icon, feature him in these films!
2. Carl experiences weather. He would be a fantastic elderly colleague of Stallone.
3. Liam Neeson, third. A further ex-ally or a possible chief antagonist.
4. A Clint Eastwood. A brief appearance in the film would be a considerate acknowledgment of his renown as an action hero.
5. The actor John Cena. He would definitely be a worthy opponent for the club.
6. Dave Bautista. One more worthy opponent. Dave gives off the impression that he could break the team apart with his bare hands.
7. The Assumptive. You know, I’ve always been curious as to why he never attended a movie. It seems he cherishes his privacy. But I’d really want to see him in a fight with The Expendables as a huge henchman.
Is Expendables 4 Hit or Flop?
The Expendables 4 opened to some of the worst reviews the franchise has ever had from reviewers, and despite a $100 million budget, it only made $8.3 million its first weekend at the box office. This is the worst possible start for a franchise led by Jason Statham.
Expendables have not fared well at the box office or with reviews. Non-action stars have taken the place of the iconic cast in Expend4bles, and their presence is particularly noticeable since the 1980s nostalgia has faded, leading to a decline in the Expendables series.
An excessive amount of “shaky camera” makes every movie appear worse than it actually is. These kinds of scenes just seem tacky. Even though this isn’t a cheap film, a lousy filmmaker made the CGI look awful, which is strange.
Summary
The director of The Expendables 4 is Scott Waugh, and the script was written by Kurt Wimmer, Tad Daggerhart, and Max Adams. The script is based on a narrative by Spenser Cohen, Wimmer, and Daggerhart. Lionsgate distributed The Expendables 4 in the US one week after its September 15, 2023, release in China.
