Expendables 2, The (8/17/2012)

Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout.

Starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Yu Nan, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger

Directed by Simon West (Tomb Raider, Con Air)

I’m still not sure what there was more of…explosions or cheese!

Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Lee Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren),Toll Road (Randy Couture) and Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) — with newest members Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) aboard — are reunited when Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) enlists The Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job. The task looks like an easy paycheck for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries. But when things go wrong and one of their own is viciously killed, The Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them. Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time – six pounds of weapons-grade plutonium; enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that’s nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary who savagely murdered their brother.

OK lets be honest, this movie is about one thing…VIOLENCE! Yeah there are characters and a story, but I didn’t hear a single person saying, “WOW, that story was really deep” or “Boy, those characters were really well developed.” It was more like, “Did you see that guy’s head explode?!” And believe me there are plenty of exploding heads.

Besides the violence, the biggest draw is the star power. The Expendables 2 has some of the biggest action-movie stars the silver screen has ever seen…unfortunately most of them are senior citizens or pretty darn close. Seriously, Sylvester Stallone (66), Dolph Lundgren (55), Chuck Norris (72), Jean-Claude Van Damme (52), Bruce Willis (57) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (65) are all well passed their prime for being an action movie actor, but they give it a great effort. Willis looks to be in the best shape although Van Damme tried the hardest with a whole lotta plastic surgery.

Chuck Norris’ cameo is total cheese with a new “Chuck Norris Facts” thrown in to make the audience laugh. And I love Chuck Norris. Jet Li gets his name in the credits like a headliner…but his role was drastically reduced to more of a cameo.

Some of the “younger guys” like Jason Statham, Randy Couture, and Terry Crews can hang with the “big dogs” and are even more interesting at times…but not enough to make me really care about their characters.

I’m totally split on new comers Yu Nan and Liam Hemsworth. Nan is too much of the “she knows more than we suspect” cliché, but Hemsworth was like a breath of fresh air that gets cut too short.

The biggest disappointment was the cheese. I mean how many time can they have Schwarzenegger say “I’ll be back”? Or how many “we’re too old for this” jokes can you squeeze into an hour and half movie? Well Schwarzenegger says “I’ll be back” at least three times and “yippee-kiye-ay” (from Die Hard) once to Bruce Willis…insert eye roll here.

It was curiosity that lead me to the theater and I regretted it 15 minutes in. If you are curious, I say wait until it’s on TV for free.

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
This movie is very brutal and gory from beginning to end. There are scenes where men are getting shot and body parts fly everywhere. There’s also a lot of people fighting, getting stabbed and blown up.

Conversation Starter

1. When one of The Expendables is killed, Barney asked the “why” question. He says, “Why did the one who most deserved to live, die?” Questions like that are born in pain and they usually don’t have an answer. Even if they did, they don’t lessen the pain. So have you ever asked a “why” question in pain?
   Would you like to share that question with me?


2. One of the more famous “why” questions that was asked in pain was asked by a man named Job (you can read about Job’s story in Job 1-2).

Eventually Job asked God why all these bad things had happened to him. And God answers him.

Read his response here, Job 40:6-24


Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:
“Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.

“Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Do you have an arm like God’s, and can your voice thunder like his? Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty. Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at all who are proud and bring them low, look at all who are proud and humble them, crush the wicked where they stand. Bury them all in the dust together; shroud their faces in the grave. Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you.

“Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. What strength it has in its loins, what power in the muscles of its belly! Its tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of its thighs are close-knit. Its bones are tubes of bronze, its limbs like rods of iron. It ranks first among the works of God, yet its Maker can approach it with his sword. The hills bring it their produce, and all the wild animals play nearby. Under the lotus plants it lies, hidden among the reeds in the marsh. The lotuses conceal it in their shadow; the poplars by the stream surround it. A raging river does not alarm it; it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth. Can anyone capture it by the eyes, or trap it and pierce its nose?



3. What is God saying in this answer?


4. The short answer is He is sovereign, do you know what that means?


5. What can we learn from this story?


6. What are some things you can do the next time you are in pain and ask the “why” question?