What's Next On My List? The Expendables Trilogy

Growing up I was a big fan of Sylvester Stallone. I still am, but he had to be put on hold, as one can't only watch action movies. Even though, many of us do. During the winter break, however, I caught up on a couple of old favorites and new movies I hadn't gotten around to yet! And it was the best time I have ever had :D I am telling you, they key to world peace are Stallone movies! So welcome to the first #StalloneMonth, and, not the last!

This is actually what gave me the idea to start this review series, and you know these movies, there isn't much to say individually, but if you do a marathon like I did and you watch the three together, you won't be able to shut up! Let's crack them down:

The Expendables

Barney Ross (Stallone) is the leader of a team of mercenaries who get called in to eliminate a rogue CIA operative and a dictator. The team is called 'The Expendables' and they are made up of men seeking a purpose in life. Some of them grew up in war, others are soldiers. The team includes Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Hale Ceasar (Terry Crews), Toll Road (Randy Couture) and Tool (Mickey Rourke) back at the base. They manage to stop the dictator, James Munroe (Eric Roberts) at his own compound.
I had no idea what this movie was going to be like and I was not at all disappointed! I enjoyed every second, every twist and the acting very much. The idea was to get a cast of old bad-ass action stars who fight a villain and it does that very well. There are jokes, a shit ton of bullets fired and there is even an emotional string in the movie that brings it all together. It is all in good fun! After watching it, I just couldn't wait to see more. One of my favorite movies, Staying Alive was directed by Stallone, so with him overseeing the project, I knew I was in good hands!

The Expendables 2

Ross' team finishes up a mission just to be called to action again by a man named Church (Bruce Willis). They have to retrieve a little black box from a wreckage, but they are ambushed by a man named Vilain (Jean-Claude Van Damme). The latter kills one of the Expendables, Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth), making the matter personal for Ross. The team goes in to stop Vilain from selling plutonium on the black market, helped by Trench (Arnold Schwarzenegger) - who owes them a debt - and Booker (Chuck Norris), a private mercenary who worked the case before them.
I loved the second movie because the dialogue was brilliant! Ross and Christmas keep going at it and it is hilarious! I might not have said this before, but I love these movies because they know that they are action movies and they don't try to be more than that! You know, that's why sometimes I just fall asleep during comic book adaptation - they are trying so damn hard to have some kind of deeper meaning, while, nobody cares! We want to see the action or the characters develop. And what this does is add in a couple of simple dialogues among the characters to make as fall in love with them and what follows is great action scenes, explosions one after the other with actors who you love! Bunch of old dudes coming together and clearly enjoying themselves while making something for us: What more do you need?

The Expendables 3

After saving an old member of the team, Doc (Wesley Snipes), the team hads to stop a bomb exchange only to be faced with someone they believed to have died years ago. The latter is Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), who used to be part of the first team, and Ross decides to go after him with a new team of youngsters, all of them recruited by Bonaparte (Kelsey Grammer): Thorn (Glen Powell), Mars (Victor Ortiz), Luna (Ronda Rousey) and Smilee (Kellan Lutz). When the team is captured Ross is rescued by Trench, they go home only to find a man named Galgo (Antonio Banderas) in their hanger, who begs for a job. When Ross tells him that it could be a one way ticket, he tells him that one way is better than nothing. The old team of Expendables stops them on the runway and lets Ross know, that he cannot push them aside on a mission of such importance. In a little country on the brink of war, the team has to escape a building rigged by C4 explosives while fighting a whole army. They manage to escape in a helicopter flown by Drummer (Harrison Ford), Church's replacement, along with Trench and Yin Yang, after Ross killed Stonebanks.
What can I say? This movie was the best so far. I just laughed my ass off and I really liked the soundtrack! And I'll be honest with you, Ford and Stallone in the same shot might be the single coolest thing that has ever happened on this planet! I want more of that please! I also enjoyed that the villains were actors who haven't been portrayed that way yet. If you look at all the movies from the 90's, really any of them could've been on each side of the coin. It's good fun, is what it is! Just go and watch them, will you?!

I checked imdb because I just loved the third too much, and there is a fourth movie coming and I swear, I am rarely this excited about a movie and I just can't wait! I know that it is a long shot, but I do have a list of actors who I would love to see in the next, like James Woods, Jean Reno, Jackie Chan and even Nicolas Cage - and please, please, please Kurt Russell :D Let's make it happen people!

Until the next item on my list!