MovieChat Forums > The Expendables 2 (2012) Discussion > This is what I hoped the first film woul...

This is what I hoped the first film would be like.

posted 10 years ago by purple66
7 replies | jump to latest

I was disappointed with the first Expendables movie quite a bit, especially after Rambo (the fourth one), one of the best action films I've ever seen; I was expecting something a lot better from a film that's directed by Sylvester Stallone (he directed Rambo) & has so many action legends, but it was just boring and crappy. Expendables 2, however, was great - seriously great action film; it was actually funny, unlike the painfully cringey attempts at humour from the first film; and I actually cared about the characters this time around. & All the action scenes were a lot better than the action scenes in the first one.

Just a few other thoughts:

Jean Claude Van Damme was brilliant in this.

Liam Hemsworth calling Sylvester Stallone "sir" all the time was annoying.

The in-film, direct mention of Rambo was weird - Sylvester Stallone plays a character in the Expendables, so how does this work? I always assumed films in which actors from the film you're watching play a a part in, do not exist in the universe of the film you're watching. But, apparently, the Rambo movies exist in the universe of The Expendables, but the character of Rambo is played by a different actor? #confused

[–] mustangguy809 10 years ago

Finally! Someone else who thought the second was way better! Thank you. I agree, it was just a more fun, don't-take-it-too-serious movie.

As for your last paragraph, the fact the Willis and Schwarzenegger use each other's catch phrases from other universes goes to show that any reference to such was merely for fun and humor. I thought it made a big difference.

[–] sillyspaghetti 9 years ago

I liked the first one - a 7 out of 10. But the two sequels have both been 9s for me.

[–] mustangguy809 9 years ago

Yeah, I'm not necessarily saying I didn't like it. It just wasn't quite at the level I was hoping it would be. But I went away much more satisfied after the second one than the first. Haven't seen the third yet.

[–] sillyspaghetti 9 years ago

Totally agree. First one wasn't quite what I thought it would be. #3 is a lot of fun in my opinion and I really hope you enjoy it when you eventually see it. :)

[–] mustangguy809 9 years ago

Thanks sillyspaghetti!

[–] McFly_2015 8 years ago

I haven’t seen the unrated cut of the first or third films but I find the second to be the best. I think the first film was a little too afraid to give the fans what they were hoping for (not quite as violent as it could have been and afraid to reference the actors past characters) and the third film seemed a newtered version of the first two. I also liked seeing Arnold and Willis get bigger roles.

[–] Dark_Knight_Of_Gotham 8 years ago

Best in the series by far, and the only one to get everything just right. First film was OK, but the villian was weak. The third movie was pretty crappy, but Gibson was a great villian imo.