The Expendables 3 (2014) Review

"I need a job! All I know what to do is kill! Goddammit!" - Galgo.

According to the trailer, the Expendables are going on "one last ride", and so they decided to throw everything they had left at this third instalment in the series. The result is surprisingly less awesome than expected. Though there are some enjoyable moments here and there, this is probably the weakest entry in the series to date.

Sylvester Stallone is back as Barney Ross, and the film opens with him and the rest of the team on yet another mission. This time, it's to rescue Barney's old comrade Doc (Wesley Snipes), who along with Antonio Banderas' Galgo, is the most interesting of the team. Doc's calmness and slick fighting style makes you wish he was the focus of the film. Banderas, while involved more with the plot at a later point, is clearly having a blast in his role as the motor-mouthed Galgo, providing some good moments of humour along the way. Barney, however, is really uninteresting in this one, and not very likeable. Straight after Doc is rescued, he decides to break up the team after Caesar (Terry Crews) is fatally shot. It feels really forced and unnecessary, and the old team don't do anything else for the rest of the film until the final fight. Having disbanded the old team, Barney sets out to recruit a younger squad in order to take down the man who shot Caesar: ex-Expendable Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson). While I think the idea of having a younger team has potential, it really isn't used well here. After seemingly completed their mission, they are captured by Stonebanks' henchman, and it's up to the old team and Barney to rescue them. Simply put, they are merely a plot device, rather than developed characters that we care about, making them as expendable as the series' title.

Like The Expendables 2, the best thing about the film is the antagonist. This time, it's Mel Gibson, who gives the best performance as the unpredictable Stonebanks. My favourite moment comes when he gets so fed up with his team being unable to kill the Expendables that he gives a demonstration on his own men, shooting two of them. It reminds me of Jack Nicholson as the Joker in Batman (1989), and is a great piece of dark humour. Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as Trench and, although he's on screen longer than his previous two appearances, is underused. It's nice to see him have a bigger role, but why leave him out of most of the action? Speaking of being left out, Jet Li shows up out of the blue for a combined total of five minutes of screen-time. A renowned martial-artist, Li is used even worse than Schwarzenegger, with him being stuck in a helicopter firing a machine gun for his only action scene. A complete waste of a great talent and potential to have some awesome hand-to-hand combat moments. Harrison Ford is also in the film, and is the only one who should have been in that helicopter, as he is obviously less capable than someone like Jet Li to pull-off more physical scenes. As previously mentioned Snipes and Banderas at least mean there is some interest on the side of the heroes, just not enough for me to be invested in their plight. 

Upon it's release, The Expendables 3 garnered some controversy from fans over the lesser age certificate. The toning down of the violence in an attempt to appeal to a broader market meant that the film received a 12 certificate (PG-13 in the United States). For me, the toning down of the violence didn't matter a great deal, especially when looking back at the first film and how bad some of the CGI blood looks. However, I don't think it was entirely necessary to appeal to a wider audience, as everyone already knows what this series is about. When you watch an Expendables film, you know exactly what you're going to get. If shoot-outs, explosions and aged action stars spouting one-liners doesn't appeal to you, you aren't going to watch them, regardless of how violent or not they are. I should point out that there is an extended cut of the film available on home media, which has the rating bumped up to 15. So, if you're really curious, you can check that version out and see if it makes any difference.

So, for now, that concludes my review of The Expendables series. For what it's worth, all three films get the job done in terms of being an entertaining ride. Though are plenty of flaws throughout, they all deliver what action fans want, and are sure to be looked at with a good amount of nostalgia in years to come. Unless, of course, they continue this franchise and squeeze what ever else they can out of it.

Pros:
+ Gibson, Banderas and Snipes are all good fun in their roles.
+ Not as many self references as the previous films, very refreshing after The Expendables 2's overuse.

Cons:
- Uninteresting new cast, not developed enough for me to care if they survive. A real shame, as their performances are all decent.
- Underusing Schwarzenegger and (especially) Li.
- There is no ending. It just stops all of a sudden. Check that part out if you're interested in how not to end a film.

Terminator Genisys (2015) Review

"I'm not a man, not a machine... I'm more!" - John Connor.

Normally, I wouldn't post a quote above that would give away a big plot point. But, in the case of Terminator Genisys, that "twist" was given away in the trailer. Not a good start for a film carrying the baggage of two below-par sequels. Going into the film, my expectations were pretty neutral. Critics love to bash it, whereas fans seem to have taken to it a bit more. Even James Cameron, director of the first two (and best) Terminator films has given this one his approval as a worthy entry in the series. While not as good as The Terminator or Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Terminator Genisys is most certainly a return to form. Though flawed, it left me satisfied and hopeful that if more sequels are to be made, they at least have a good platform to build on.

If you haven't seen at least the first two Terminator films, prepare to be confused if Terminator Genisys is your introduction to the series. The plot heavily revolves around altering the timeline of the first film, thus altering the sequel's story in the process. I'll try and explain it as simply as possible. In 2029, mankind is on the verge of winning the war against the machines, an event mentioned in the previous films. In a last-ditch effort to win the war, Skynet, the computer system responsible for the war, sends back a Terminator to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke). Knowing that the death of his mother will mean he will never be born, the human resistance leader John Connor (Jason Clarke) sends his friend Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to the past to stop the Terminator, as seen in the first film. However, upon his arrival Reese discovers the timeline has been altered, and Sarah Connor isn't in need of protecting, as she and her Guardian Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) have already attempted to stop the Terminator sent by Skynet to kill her. With the timeline altered, Reese must convince Sarah to travel to 2017 to prevent the Skynet program (referred to as Genisys in its early stages) from launching. A bizarre plot, and one that you really have to be paying attention to in order to fully grasp what's going on. Having this film alter the events of the first film initially didn't sit well with me. Both the first and second films are masterpieces, and so I thought that if you are to alter the Terminator story, alter the events of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, as it was nowhere near as good. That being said, I ended up enjoying this alteration, as it embraced its ridiculousness by giving us some thrilling action scenes and good humour. It was good to see my initial worries squandered so quickly. One thing that I thought was particularly odd though was the ending: the Guardian Terminator is alive by the end of the film, and Sarah and Reese believe Skynet to be destroyed for good. This is almost the exact same ending as Terminator 2, where Sarah and John believe that Skynet and the machines will no longer exist, as they have destroyed it in it's early stages and have defeated the evil T-1000 Terminator. The big emotional moment comes soon after T-1000 is killed, with Schwarzenegger's good Terminator sacrificing himself so that there can be no trace of the machines whatsoever. Having the Guardian Terminator survive this film's events removes that emotional investment entirely, and in a way defeats the entire purpose of trying to destroy Skynet and the machines, even if the Guardian Terminator is on the human's side.

While not as big a  concern as altering the original's story, I was sceptical of recasting the iconic characters of Sarah, John, and Kyle. I've enjoyed all three actor's previous work, namely Game of Thrones for Emilia Clarke, Zero Dark Thirty for Jason Clarke, and Spartacus: Blood and Sand for Courtney. Thankfully, they quickly demonstrate that they are more than capable of tackling these characters, thanks to some strong acting and writing. Sarah Connor has some similarities with the original character, played by Linda Hamilton. She's tough and shows the qualities of a survivor, but in this film is a more emotional character. Her bond with the Guardian Terminator is very strong, whereas Hamilton's Sarah hated the Terminators and only at the end of Terminator 2 was more accepting of Arnold's good Terminator. Seeing her dynamic with the Guradian Terminator, but keeping with the character's previously established strengths is a welcome addition to the series. Kyle Reese and John Connor's relationship as comrades in the war receives focus, a storyline not shown in any of the other films. It was good to finally see this interaction play out, as it gives both characters new depth, building up nicely for the reveal of Reese being John's father (which was shown in the first film). Their relationship is shown to be false, however, as John's mind and body has been taken over by Skynet, and so friends and family must quickly become enemies. As mentioned above, the reveal of John Connor as a machine was given away in the trailer, so the slow build up and tension in the film becomes pointless, which is a shame as this plot point is something unique to the series, and one of things I thought the film did right. With each successive film in the series, the evil Terminators became more and more advanced, starting with Schwarzenegger's T-800, the liquid-metal T-1000 in Terminator 2, the upgraded weapons based T-X in Terminator 3, and a Terminator believing itself to be human in Terminator: Salvation. Here, John Connor's Terminator can  move at lightning speed, shapeshift, heal, and interact with technology in the same way humans can, aiding in his disguise as a machine. Having John be the antagonist and being so advanced definitely makes for an interesting villain, and raises the stakes for our heroes as the toughest enemy in the franchise's history.

One thing that remains consistent in all entries in this franchise is the action. While Terminator Genisys can't match the unbeatable Terminator 2 in the action department, it does have many moments that will please fans of the series and this genre aplenty. With the crazy alternate timeline story, almost any character from the series can come into contact, and that is used to its potential particularly in the film's opening 20 or so minutes. With one Terminator sent back to 1984 to kill Sarah, things take a new turn when another Terminator, the Guardian, shows up to take him down. While it may seem like just fan-service, I thought it was a smart move by the filmmakers to embrace the craziness of the Terminator series and have scenes like this Good Arnold Schwarzenegger against Bad Arnold Schwarzenegger. While that encounter was awesome, the following action scene I didn't care for as much. It involves Reese as he arrives in 1984, where a T-1000 is waiting to assassinate him.  T-1000 first appeared in Terminator 2, and, for me, is one of the best villains ever. Having him only make a brief appearance here is really underwhelming, as he is discarded just as fast as he arrives. The cameo of the original T-800 worked because both were played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and are evenly matched in strength, whereas T-1000 is far more advanced, and so seeing him killed off so easily seems like a waste. The rest of the action is good enough to keep you entertained, including an incredible stunt involving a school-bus in the second half of the film. Definitely worth checking out if you want to see just how much better action scenes done for real look compared to ones overly reliant on CGI nowadays.

Terminator Genisys is the best entry in the series since Terminator 2. That alone is a miracle, given how this could have been the film to sink the franchise. With its storyline altering plot, and following on from an underwhelming third film and boring fourth, Terminator Genisys was a huge risk. But the positives outweigh the negatives here, and this really should be the last entry in the series. Let it end on a high. But, as we all know, he'll be back...

Pros:
+ New actors do a good job filling the iconic character's shoes. Arnold is just as good as ever, of course.
+ Alternate timeline story offers up great action moments and character interactions.
+ Intriguing character twists (ignoring the fact that the trailer ruins some of them).

Cons:
- T-1000 being used so briefly is pointless overall.
- Having the Guardian exist by the film's end means that the war can still happen, so why the "happy ending" feel?

Predator (1987) Review

"If it bleeds, we can kill it."- Dutch

Before John McTiernan really announced himself as a great action director with the release of 1988's Die Hard, little did he know that he would kick-start another hugely popular franchise the year before. Following on from the success of Predator was a sequel, two crossovers with the Alien franchise and a reboot/sequel which ignored everything that came after this film. However much the later films polarised audiences, there is no denying that the original is a classic of action/science-fiction filmmaking, and introduced one of the most memorable aliens ever depicted on film.

The plot is simple: an elite squad of commandos are hunted down on what seems like another routine rescue mission of hostages. Along the way, they begin to realise that their enemy is not of this world, and must do whatever they can to make it out of the jungle alive. Without being hampered by such a simple plot, Predator manages to stand out in its genre for three main reasons: memorable characters, fantastic action sequences and, best of all, the design of the titular monster. Starting with the characters, we have the lead role of Dutch, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Throughout his career, much has been made of Schwarzenegger being best suited to action roles, garnering a reputation of being unable to act in any other genre. In Predator, I think Arnold is at his best in terms of delivering his lines convincingly. He'll always be remembered for playing the Terminator, as his semi-monotone delivery of the dialogue perfectly fits the role of a robot. He doesn't do anything particularly spectacular in Predator,  but given his reputation as being a "one note" actor, I think his performance here is one that should be viewed favourably. His physical presence makes him the stand out of the group, and very clearly shows that he is the leader of the team. Starring alongside him are other "tough guy" actors such as Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed in the Rocky films) and wrestler Jesse Ventura. The supporting cast are all memorable due to McTiernan establishing each member of the team's personality, with Dillon (Weathers) being the outsider having tagged along against Dutch's wishes of his team always working alone. The other soldiers are defined by their roles in the team, with Hawkins (Shane Black) being the joker, Billy (Sonny Landham) tactically analysing enemy attacks and Anna (Elpidia Carrillo), a woman in the company of the hostage takers, explaining the possibility of the Predator being otherworldly: "the demon who makes trophies of man". 

All the characters get to prove their usefulness to the team throughout the many action sequences in the film, and Predator delivers some of the best action you will ever see. Not just for the amount of explosions and body count, but for the different situations the characters are placed in where the action unfolds. Early on in the film, we are treated to a shoot-out between the commandos and the hostage taking Guerillas. The cinematography is excellent here, with low-angle shots following the soldiers who are thrown from their hiding spots, and with the camera tracking each of the heroes as they make their way through the encampment. Accompanying this scene is some the most memorable (and cheesy) one-liners uttered by the heroes, such as "payback time", "I ain't got time to bleed", "stick around" (uttered after a soldier is pinned to a post with a dagger) and "knock knock", as Dutch kicks a door down and fires away at more soldiers. When the Predator arrives, however, things get serious and the action style shifts, along with the character's personalities. No more one liners whilst attacking, with the team realising they are under threat by something more deadly than enemy soldiers. This is exemplified by the change in personality of Billy, whom before was established as a no-nonsense killer and tactician. He is the first character to sense there is danger after they have completed their mission: "There's something out their waiting for us, and it ain't no man. We're all gonna die." The final confrontation between the Predator and Dutch is a suspenseful cat and mouse game, with each of them trying to outsmart the other, favouring stealth at first until leading to a fist fight in which the Predator displays its dominance, by beating Dutch to a pulp. The variety in action sequences keeps Predator fresh and ensures the audience's attention is held, with the team developing new tactics to try and outsmart the Predator after each encounter.

If all that wasn't enough, the Predator creature itself will no doubt leave an impression on the audience. This alien is a fantastic design, created by special effects maestro Stan Winston, the man behind The Terminator's effects three years prior. Boasting an invisibility cloak, a shoulder cannon, wrist blades, infra-red vision and incredible strength and agility, the Predator is more than a match for the bad-ass team of commandos. McTiernan expertly uses this impressive arsenal to further the film's suspense, with each weapon being revealed through the different action scenes, leaving the audience eagerly awaiting to see what else the creature can do. For most of the film, the Predator remains invisible, leaving its appearance a mystery until the final stages. Even then, there is more to the creature than first suspected, as the Predator removes its mask only when deciding to fight Dutch one on one. Special credit must go to 7ft tall actor Kevin Peter Hall, who gives the Predator a personality through body language. Subtle head movements and dynamic poses make the Predator a more three-dimensional character, rather than simply being a rampaging monster with no distinguishable personality.

The Predator itself is probably the primary aspect of the film's long lasting appeal to fans of science-fiction and action films. However, there is plenty of soul to be found in Predator, with the human characters all being likeable and well portrayed. Add to the mix some classic dialogue ("Get to the chopper!") and you have a thrill ride of a film that delivers both action and visual awe aplenty.

Pros:
+ Terrific action scenes, varied throughout. 
+ Cinematography that compliments the action, not at all obtrusive (as is the case with many modern action films).
+ Very quotable dialogue, whether it be bad-ass or hilarious ("You're one ugly motherfucker").
+ Unique creature design.
+ Solid acting from all the cast.

Cons:
- Some predictable moments, with one character deciding to go after the Predator alone. No prizes for guessing how that encounter ends.