You can have standards but some people on here (not just you) set the bar so high for themselves for what they expect certain films to be that it's no wonder that they turn out disappointed. Honestly if you can't watch movies like these without trying to say something so absurd as it's funner punching yourself in the face for 90 minutes or that a root canal is more amazing than you're setting the bar too damn high. Seriously just have some fun with it or stop watching movies like these because apparently you can find no joy in something that's not meant to be some high class action film or something. These aren't films that you critique for every minor imperfection, all they're supposed to be are time killers with some of our favorite action stars in one set of films.

i'd say if you don't enjoy these flicks then you are pretty feminine

I love the cast and enjoy them but these films are not that great as action films. They're really weak. The first one was alright but I loved it. The 2nd blew its load after the intro and everything after that it was pretty mediocre.

I'd love to see a great action film out of this franchise. I detest most of the cast of The Fast and The Furious franchise but holy fuck did those last 2 rock the shit of the action. I mean, great action still exists but this franchise can't get it up.

It's one thing to accept it for what it is but they could be so much better.

Have you seen A Good Day to Die Hard? It's an insult to the standard set in that statement, not to mention the Die Hard series.

fitprod

I don't see what A Good Day to Die Hard has to do with these two movies. The problem that movie had was that it was branded as a part of the Die Hard franchise when it really felt like a more generic action film. If it had been something direct to DVD/Blu-ray or something and had a different title I don't think it would be viewed that badly.

Don't get me wrong I agree with you that The Expendables films could be much more than what they are but I still don't think they're overly terrible either. They're watchable enough films that are somewhat underwhelming but I don't hate them.

Someone once asked me if he would like the Expendables movies. I thought for a moment, and then asked "Can you tell the difference between all of the Rambo, Rocky, Police Story, Fast and Furious, Lethal Weapon, Terminator, The Transporter, Once Upon A Time in China, Die Hard, movies, etc.?" He told me no, so I told him he was probably not the target audience .

I'll say that the EXP franchise is much better than the bullshit Transofrmers films Bay has put out. No fucking question in my mind.

As far as the newest Die Hard film goes, Olympus Has Fallen was a better Die Hard film.

Although I enjoyed both flicks, A Good Day to Die Hard felt nothing like a Die Hard flick. Olympus Has Fallen felt like a lost Die Hard sequel.

That sets a very, very, very low bar, those films are awful.

I'm surprised how many people have taken to Olympus Has Fallen, I thought it was, as my friends across the pond would say, utter rubbish. I thought it was hugely derivative, cliched, loud, stupid, and dull. Even as an action movie, it had little sense of geography, use of the cool environment, or even any memorable set pieces. It bored the hell out of me. It seemed to think no one in the audience had ever seen Die Hard, Red Dawn, or an episode of 24. I thought that it was utterly stupid, and none of the violence was offensive, shocking, or even exciting. It bored me silly. At least The Expendables 2 had the sense to know how silly the whole enterprise was.

Well, at least Olympus Has Fallen felt like a Die Hard sequel. White House Down was a Die Hard remake, right down to a variation for the whole "The Quarterback is Toast!" sequence, sans dialog.

fitprod

I enjoyed White House Down as well but, you're right, it is a Die Hard remake of sorts.

That doesn't set a good standard though. The EX films are not even great action films. Dredd, UniSol 3, Fast 5, Fast 6, and a few others work so much better as action films than this franchise.

And people talk about how EX1 was a bit too serious, EX2 just hammed it up badly. I don't need a super serious film with these guys. It doesn't work with who they are but it sure as hell didn't layer them to be characters of depth and of some worth. Hell, one of my favorites scenes for these two films was when Rourke stated spilling out all that stuff when he was inking Sly. It was emotional, layered, and added a reality to these characters. Made them more real.

If what is rumored to happen does happen in EX3, they got to make that much more impactful than what happened in EX2. Where you didn't give a fuck about what happened to anyone.

That was a great scene, and funny enough, whenever I talked about that scene with other people that saw it, they all felt that that great scene was in the wrong film. They wanted less talk and more shit getting blown up. It's no wonder the 2nd film has no scenes with that level of depth.

That scene was fantastic but it also sticks out like a sore thumb. The problem with EX1 is that it seems to be suffering an identity crisis. The director's cut somewhat fixes the tone although the new opening narration by Stallone almost derails the whole thing.

EX2 chose one tone and stuck with it. Yeah, you had the little speech by Stallone about those who die and live but EX2 was merely about having fin with these guys while they kill as many people as possible. And in case anyone didn't get that, the "rest in pieces" gag made sure to spell it out.

They have EX2 on Amazon Instant Video, free for prime. Saw it again. That intro rocks but I just don't give a damn pretty much when JCVD comes in. It goes generic way too hard after that. All that goat bullshit etc. Hell, even the last big action but isn't impressive. Just eh. I can see where the fun can be had but it's just not good action. It's all serviceable but not time worthy. I hope to hell this new director can bring good shit in. Not asking for a revolutionary script. Just one that isn't mediocre as shit.

I think out of seeing all of my favorite actors of my youth get older, seeing Harrison Ford age is the hardest for me to accept. It saddens me every time I see him nowadays as an old man. He was THE actor of my childhood. He should be Indiana Jones age (ala Raiders of the Lost Ark era) forever, damn it!

Ford has obviously aged but he still looks pretty decent for as old as he is I think.

Yeah. He's aged well.

Well, he was almost 40 when the first SW film came out.

If by "almost 40", you mean 34, then yes.

Jesus Christ! Please don't tell me one of the action set pieces in this flick is a rescue mission to bust Harrison Bored out of a nursing home!

If they put him in his Indiana Jones fedora and leather jacket and strap him in a wheelchair, that would be priceless.

From Jet Li's Facebook:

Thank God Jet is back, after that line, I was worried he wouldn't put in an appearance for part 3. Hopefully he brought Corey Yuen Kwai or Guk Hin-Chiu or somebody back to do his choreography too, if this is his martial arts swan song, I'd like to see him go out in style with a great fight.