action stars from the 80s and 90s in a collaborative effort that paid homage to the films that helped define their careers. Viewers have seen Stallone share the screen with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, and others over the course of all four movies, although the fourth film shifts the focus to be more centered around Jason Statham.
While the Expendables franchise has largely been successful, the quality of the movies has varied greatly across the installments. Audiences have seen the R-rated franchise go to PG-13 standards at a cost, while the inclusion of classic and modern action stars has brought diminishing returns. Still, there are hallmarks of the franchise, ranging from massive action scenes to fun action star team-ups, which means that the enjoyment of the movies can certainly be debated, with some films generally considered stronger than others in the franchise.
4 The Expendables 4
The Series May Have Run Its Course
Expend4bles
- Release Date
- September 22, 2023
- Runtime
- 103 Minutes
- Director
- Scott Waugh
Cast
Randy Couture
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Spenser Cohen, John Joseph Connolly, Max Adams
- Prequel(s)
- The Expendables 3
- Franchise(s)
- The Expendables
- Budget
- $100 million
There should be no debate that The Expendables 4 is the worst movie in the franchise. Despite a return to the expected R-rating, the movie is an indication that the series has run its course. Jason Statham's Lee Christmas takes on the lead role, but the story loses the parts of the franchise that were enjoyable. Christmas is left on his own for most of the movie, as the rest of The Expendables 4's cast is locked in a room to cement the feeling that new additions like Megan Fox, Levy Tran, and 50 Cent are wasted. Tony Jaa has a few moments where he gets to shine, but they are fleeting, and Iko Uwais' villain doesn't deliver on the hype.
The lack of originality and fun makes it clear that the Expendables franchise has grown old and is in need of a massive reinvention.
The issues with The Expendables 4 go far beyond a lack of team-ups or memorable action sequences. The CGI is egregiously poor. The humor largely doesn't land. There is a ridiculous death fakeout that viewers will see coming a mile away, as well as an underwhelming villain reveal about Ocelot's true identity. The lack of originality and fun makes it clear that the Expendables franchise has grown old and is in need of a massive reinvention. After all, the 80s and 90s action movie throwback idea doesn't work as well when the majority of the people involved weren't actually part of the genre at the time.
3 The Expendables 3
Going To A PG-13 Rating Was A Mistake
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The Expendables 3
- Release Date
- August 15, 2014
- Runtime
- 131 Minutes
- Director
- Patrick Hughes
WHERE TO WATCH
In The Expendables 3, Sylvester Stallone's Barney Ross once again assembles his team of mercenaries to fight their co-founder, Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson). This time, Jason Statham's Lee Christmas, Dolph Lundgren's Gunner Jensen, and Terry Crews' Hale Caesar recruit new such as Doctor Death (Wesley Snipes), Galgo (Antonio Banderas), Luna (Ronda Rousey), Yin Yang (Jet Li), and two old friends, Drummer (Harrison Ford) and Bonaparte (Kelsey Grammer).
- Writers
- Katrin Benedikt, Creighton Rothenberger, Sylvester Stallone
- Prequel(s)
- The Expendables
- Sequel(s)
- Expend4bles
- Franchise(s)
- The Expendables
- Budget
- 90–100 million
The Expendables 3 ranks poorly in a franchise ranking, due largely to the PG-13 rating and the inclusion of a younger cast. The decision to move the franchise away from an R-rating was a serious problem, as it meant watered-down action sequences and more tamed portrayals of the mercenaries. This flew in the face of the Expendables movies' DNA in what was seemingly a hope for a bigger box office haul, which did not come. Retaining the R-rating and leaning into the more hardcore violence could have been a potential saving grace, but it still would not help the movie's positioning in a franchise ranking that much.
The Expendables Abandoned Its Perfect Future 10 Years Ago
With four franchise titles to its name, The Expendables series missed out on the perfect opportunity to expand its movie universe several years ago.
The other major problem with The Expendables 3 came with its younger cast of up-and-comers like former MMA fighter Ronda Rousey, former boxer Victor Ortiz, Twilight's Kellan Lutz, and Glen Powell, who didn't return to The Expendables 4. They shifted the focus away from the classic stars like Stallone, Statham, Lundgren, Terry Crews, Jet Li, and Randy Couture all returned for the third outing, ed by an impressive line-up of iconic action stars. Coupled with the lackluster action, hammy performances, and a generally uninspired direction, The Expendables 3 feels like an edited-for-TV version of the franchise, more so than a proper conclusion of the original trilogy.
2 The Expendables 2
A Fun Action Romp
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The Expendables 2
- Release Date
- August 12, 2012
- Runtime
- 1h 43m
- Director
- Simon West
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Sylvester Stallone, Richard Wenk
- Prequel(s)
- The Expendables
- Sequel(s)
- Expend4bles
- Franchise(s)
- The Expendables
- Budget
- 100 million
Director Simon West (Con Air) was brought on to direct The Expendables 2, while Stallone continued on as writer, producer, and star. West traded the hard-nosed action of the first film for a more polished look that matched the vibe of a 90s-era action romp. Stallone was thusly freed up to wrangle the all-star cast, which this time included Jean-Claude Van Damme as the villain (he initially turned down a role in the first film), along with some freshly added legends like Chuck Norris and Scott Adkins, with expanded roles for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis, who made cameos only in the first film.
Audiences tuned in for guns, knives, explosions, and macho one-liners, of which the sequel has plenty.
The action in The Expendables 2 is cleaner than the original, giving it a bigger and flashier appearance. If The Expendables was ripped from the 80s, then The Expendables 2 is ripped from the 90s, which is a credit to West's directing style. The R-rating allowed the violence to be over-the-top and push the limits a bit compared to The Expendables' raw, hardcore grit. The plot of all The Expendables films serves merely as a backdrop for the big show, so it's hard to fault The Expendables 2 over anything to do with storytelling, as audiences tuned in for guns, knives, explosions, and macho one-liners, of which the sequel has plenty.
1 The Expendables
The Peak Of The Franchise
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The Expendables
- Release Date
- August 13, 2010
- Runtime
- 103 minutes
- Director
- Sylvester Stallone
Cast
Mickey Rourke
Steve Austin
WHERE TO WATCH
The Expendables is the first film in the action franchise that follows the exploits of a close team of mercenaries that complete dangerous jobs worldwide. Hired by a covert operator, the Expendables are tasked with heading to South America to deal with a dangerous dictator and liberate a country from his oppressive rule. However, they soon learn that the dictator is a front, leaving them caught in a dangerous mission with a threat higher up the chain than they could have imagined.
- Writers
- Dave Callaham, Sylvester Stallone
- Sequel(s)
- The Expendables 3
- Franchise(s)
- The Expendables
- Budget
- $80 million
The original is often the best when it comes to movies, and The Expendables is no exception to that rule. Hot on the heels of Rambo, the fourth entry in Stallone's long-running action series, the director/star jumped into The Expendables with the same attitude and style of that film. Merging a raw, hardcore grit to the action, while pushing the limits of blood and gore, the original Expendables movie was an ode to the excessive over-the-top 80s era, while serving as a modern-day entry in the genre.
5 Ideas To Save The Expendables After 2023's $51 Million Flop
The last Expendables movie was a box office bomb, but there are still some ways to save the franchise, like an all-female spinoff or casting The Rock.
The macho posturing, eye-rolling one-liners, big-gun spectacle, outrageous characters, and fiery explosions are all there, but there's also a strong sense of showmanship, led by Stallone and Statham, who make ample use of displaying their prowess for the genre and establishing a fun, goofy duo in the process. The Expendables represents a true ion for the action genre, led by Stallone, who pulled together a great group of aging action icons to do what they do best. It's not high art, but The Expendables is a trip down memory lane for those who grew up watching these stars in their prime, frequently with VHS tapes and DVDs.
In the end, The Expendables first mission to the big screen is the most successful one.
The director's cut of The Expendables is by far the superior version, which features 15 additional minutes of footage. This includes alternate takes that heighten the action and violence, as well as more backstory of the key players. A notable addition is the use of Shinedown's "Diamond Eyes" song in the final action scene (used in the original trailer), which gives the sequence a fun, rock-and-roll vibe amidst the carnage. These changes make the director's cut even better than the theatrical cut, but both versions are still enjoyable. In the end, The Expendables first mission to the big screen is the most successful one.
What's Next For The Expendables Franchise?
It's no secret that The Expendables franchise has seen diminishing returns over the course of the series, with the fourth installment falling well below the other three films at the box office. It has gotten to the point where the franchise actual continuing or not, is unclear. There will need to be a major audience-drawing development to bring the franchise back to its former glory, but that doesn't seem like a possibility anymore.
The Expendables 5 Needs To Happen Just So Stallone Can Finally Break An Annoying Career Trend That Ruined A Lot Of His Films
The Expendables 5 may never happen after the fourth movie bombed, but if it does it can finally fix Sylvester Stallone's most annoying movie rule.
Still, Hollywood loves to continue to go back to the same well of IPs, which always leaves the door open for another installment in The Expendables franchise. Given how poorly the fourth film was received, and the money it lost at the box office, it doesn't seem like The Expendables 5 will be happening anytime soon. The entire premise of the franchise is predicated on seeing iconic action stars fighting alongside and against each other, and when that feels played out, it feels like The Expendables as a franchise might need to be retired completely.
- Created by
- David Callaham, Sylvester Stallone
- First Film
- The Expendables
- Latest Film
- Expend4bles
- Cast
- Wesley Snipes
- Video Game(s)
- The Expendables 8-Bit, The Expendables 2 Videogame, The Expendables 2: Deploy & Destroy
The Expendables is an American action film franchise created by David Callaham and Sylvester Stallone. It revolves around a team of elite mercenaries and serves as an homage to 1980s and 1990s blockbuster action films, featuring iconic action stars. The franchise includes four films, released between 2010 and 2023, along with comic books, video games, and potential spin-offs, including a canceled all-female film. Known for its ensemble cast and explosive action, The Expendables celebrates both classic and modern action heroes.
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