The Expendables 3 (2014)

  Closing out the trilogy with a moderate bang.  This installment suffers a bit from sequelitis, and trying to cram ever more actors into the mix but still retains the humor and spectacle viewers have come to expect.

The Expendables are used to pulling off incredibly dangerous jobs, but when Barney (Sylvester Stallone) discovers that they are up against his former partner, Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), he decides that he can't risk his friends.  So he fires them all and goes to his talent manager (Kelsey Grammer) for some new blood.  The new team is younger and certainly better looking but their inexperience costs them dearly and they all get captured by Stonebanks.  Barney has to swallow his pride and ask his friends for help.

For this, they brought out Harrison Ford to replace Bruce Willis, then added in Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Kelsey Grammer, Kellan Lutz, Glen Powell, Victor Ortiz, and finally a much needed dose of estrogen with Ronda Rousey.  Powell and Ortiz are complete unknowns to me and they didn't really show me anything special here.  Ronda Rousey is certainly a real-life badass and is beautiful, which doesn't hurt, but her line delivery is terrible.  Kellan Lutz is trying to erase the stench of Twilight off his career and is probably the most developed of the 2.0 team.  He definitely looks a lot more fuckable, as well.  Snipes and Grammer were brought on for name recognition and do a good job in their middling roles.  If you'll remember, this was Snipes' big outing after being released from prison.  But for my money, Antonio Banderas stole this show coming and going.  I thought he was hysterical as the non-stop chatterbox Galgo, but your mileage for that schtick may vary.

I haven't heard any movement on making a fourth film or on the possible women-only version but that doesn't mean it's not going to happen.  If either does, I'll see it, especially if they get the R-rating back.