Summary

• The Expendables franchise cleverly uses character names that have deeper meaning and reflect aspects of the characters' personalities, such as Yin Yang and Hale Caesar.
• The CGI blood in The Expendables movies contributes to their B-movie feel, paying homage to the action B-movie genre that many of the stars have worked in.
• The casting of real martial artists adds authenticity to the action scenes in The Expendables and aligns with the franchise's B-movie aesthetic. The series doesn't take itself too seriously and knows how to appeal to its audience.

Despite being known primarily for its ridiculous action sequences, The Expendables 4 performed poorly at the global box office, it still managed to try some new things with its beloved cast of characters.

Often criticized for its absurd and bombastic depictions of paramilitary groups, the thing that made The Expendables a successful franchise in the first place was its over-the-top depictions of violence and hyper-masculine action stars. To assume The Expendables was going to be anything short of a silly wild ride would be to invite disappointment. However, the franchise has stashed away a few nuggets of brilliance that make The Expendables a little smarter than the average action movie has any business being.

7 The Expendables' Character Names Are Clever References

While some characters have more common names like Luna or Maggie Chan (played by Rhonda Rousey and Yu Nan respectively), other characters have names that sound too cartoonish to be true. Some examples include Lee Christmas, Yin Yang, Doctor Death, Toll Road, Hale Caesar, and Lawrence "The Brit" Sparks. These names could be laughed off if it wasn't for the fact that each character's name says something meaningful about them. In the case of Yin Yang (played by Jet Li) or Hale Caesar (played by Terry Crews), the references become a little more on the nose after a little scrutiny.

Yin Yang is the Chinese philosophy that pontificates on concepts like good and evil or light and dark, and accepting the balance that both forces bring. Li's Yin Yang is portrayed as having a personality that reflects that idea, in that one minute he's sour and friendly in the next. When one thinks of Caesar or anyone else from the Roman Empire, they might associate the time with warriors fighting to the death for the king's amusement. In the case of The Expendables, Hale Caesar is like a modern-day version of that visage and acts very similar to one of the soldiers from that era.

6 The CGI Blood Contributes To The Expendables' B-Movie Feel

Another common criticism of Stallone's The Expendables franchise was its reliance on CGI blood as opposed to using squibs, blood packs, and other practical effects apt for a John Woo movie. Among some of the more critical comments levied against the CGI blood were claims that it immediately made the movies in the franchise feel like something more appropriate for a mid-2000s B-movie. As valid as those complaints might be, they unintentionally highlight the brilliance of what Stallone was going for.

Considering the fact many of the stars in The Expendables franchise have worked prolifically in action B-movies, it actually makes sense to harken back to the genre as much as possible. In addition to the CGI blood, nearly every character is played over-the-top and spouts ridiculous one-liners before or after dispatching a foe. All of these elements are very much so B-movie-esque, and The Expendables has a very distinct feel from its competition because of that approach.

5 Stallone, Schwarzenegger, And Willis' Roles Reference Planet Hollywood's Failure

One of the biggest selling points for audiences was the promise of Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Willis teaming up. This was hyped up with a stinger near the end of the Expendables trailer showing the three action movie icons meeting up inside a church and exchanging knowing glances right before it ends. In reality, the roles for Schwarzenegger and Willis would amount to glorified cameos, but it was still exciting seeing them on the screen together in The Expendables 2. As disappointing as the execution was, it might have been a clever reference to the three stars' failed plans to launch a chain of Planet Hollywood restaurants worldwide despite the hype surrounding the promotion in the 1990s.

4 Terry Crews' Hilarious Shotgun Scene in The Expendables Is Accurate

One of The Expendables' memorable scenes is a scene near the movie's climax in which the team is outnumbered by a group of highly trained mercenaries. Equipped with an automatic shotgun, Hale Caesar elects to firing off shot after shot all while yelling and screaming at his fleeing adversaries. He ends the affair by yelling, " this sh*t at Christmas" and it was an immediate scene-stealer of a moment.

Despite its comedic nature, this moment actually references real-life shock and awe techniques used by various military groups around the world. In a nutshell, the technique comprises someone using an overwhelming amount of force to overpower enemy forces. While it isn't the most tactical of maneuvers, it has its uses, and Crews' scene in The Expendables proves the movie is quite clever.

3 Gunner Jensen Is One Big Dolph Lundgren Joke

Gunner Jensen was played by Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren and was one of the best-received characters in the franchise. The actor delivered a performance that stood out in a movie full of onscreen legends and egos. One detail about Gunner, however, was his affinity for creating deadly explosives and overall knowing more about them than his comrades. Considering that Lundgren earned a Master’s degree in chemistry and even earned a scholarship to MIT, Stallone making a seemingly dense character intelligent couldn't have been on accident.

2 Using Real Martial Artists From Around The World Was Brilliant

Arguably one of the best decisions the producers of The Expendables made was to not only hire onscreen action legends, but real-life martial artists as well. From Randy Couture and Rhonda Rousey to Wesley Snipes and Victor Ortiz, The Expendables franchise has always prided itself in hiring the right people for the right job. Interestingly enough, in the case of Rousey and Ortiz, their lack of acting experience meshed perfectly with the franchise's B-movie aesthetic while also ensuring authenticity in their respective action scenes.

1 The Expendables Doesn't Take Itself Too Seriously

The greatest sign of The Expendables being secretly brilliant is the simple fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Each movie is filled to the brim with enough B-movie flare and cheesiness, that it would be a sin to think of these movies as anything but dumb fun. In The Expendables 3, Snipes proved he was a good sport when a reference to his tax evasion conviction was used in his character's backstory. For better or worse, The Expendables is a more self-aware series than most would assume because it knows exactly who its audience is and how to appeal to them.