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THE EXPENDABLES 2Movie Reviews
Action adventure about the reunion of the Expendables team for an easy job that leads to a quest for revenge when one of their own is murdered. Cast:Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Terry Crews, Jean-Claude Van Damme, John Travolta, Chuck Norris, Scott AdkinsDirector:Simon WestRelease Date:August 17, 2012DVD Release:November 20, 2012From:LionsgateRating:RLength:1 hr 43 min
The Expendables 2 played to good not great reviews. • Lesley Messer wrote in People, "...impressive explosions, a frying pan used as a deadly weapon and an airborne motorcycle crashing into a helicopter.... as satisfying as a cold beer." • And Rick Groen wrote in the Toronto Globe & Mail, "...efficiently and breezily forgettable." More Reviews Below...
The Expendables 2 Positive Reviews (34 Reviews, reviews below)
Lesley Messer, People: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...impressive explosions, a frying pan used as a deadly weapon and an airborne motorcycle crashing into a helicopter.... as satisfying as a cold beer."(See all of Lesley Messer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 172 words, 08/16/12
Steven James Snyder, Time: FAIR "...a saggy, rickety and occasionally winded geriatric action thriller.... Spoof or not, a movie needs to think of something original for its heroes to do."(See all of Steven James Snyder's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,022 words, 08/17/12
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...excellent crap, fine junk... campy movie nostalgia, and a demonstration of American supremacy in the field of nutty cosmetic enhancements for aging movie stars."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 444 words, 08/17/12
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: MODERATE(cg) "...all sound and fury signifying nothing, when at the very least it should add up to big, dumb fun.... The film doesn't wear down your resistance; it just wears you out."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 292 words, 08/16/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Stallone and his coterie of more than 50 action stars send-up their he-man images in this celebration of mindless machismo. Broadly amusing gags ensue."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 460 words, 08/17/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Even more than the original 'The Expendables,' this feels like an homage to the '80s, although maybe that's because of higher profile parts for Bruce Willis and Arnold..."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 693 words, 08/17/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Until Mr. Norris shows up, the script's efforts at sly comedy don't work all that well... [but] the movie is pleasantly dumb fun if you watch it with the right mind-set."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 431 words, 08/17/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Stallone is once more an amiable host. He even pulls off heroics despite having an ill-advised 'stache laying over his mouth, which nowadays looks like a squished octopus."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 395 words, 08/17/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...splashy and high-octane.... what gives 'Expendables 2' its charm is the film's unabashed nostalgia for the genre's best B-movie moments."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 668 words, 08/17/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...serves up a planeload of thickly sliced, well-aged beef and ham amid lots of stuff getting blown up.... Vigorously directed by Simon West..."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 429 words, 08/17/12
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: WEAK(cg) "Director Simon West ('Con Air') gives the movie a jokey, sloppy, straight-to-video feel, but he's not the only one.... mildly amusing but deeply unsatisfying."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 298 words, 08/17/12
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine: MODERATE "...all-star-mercenaries-blowing-up-foreign-lands flick is practically a spoof already: aggressively dumb, aggressively macho, and just plain aggressively aggressive."(See all of Bilge Ebiri's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 730 words, 08/16/12
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...does admittedly discover some ingenious new methods for disassembling the human form... any glee is offset by the film's weakness for mechanical self-reference..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 208 words, 08/15/12
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...efficiently and breezily forgettable.... all the coots seem comfortable in their surgically tightened skin - they're savvy screen veterans and surprisingly non-pathetic."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 536 words, 08/17/12
Phil Brown, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "As in any good cheesy action sequel, this time it's personal.... It's all idiotic and gratuitous, but at least knowingly and gloriously so."(See all of Phil Brown's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 200 words, 08/16/12
KEY CITIES (3 Reviews)
David Hiltbrand, Philadelphia Inquirer: MODERATE(cg) "...a cascade of explosions and blood splatter. Bad guys are decapitated, eviscerated, and vaporized. The plot is basically the same as in the first film."(See all of David Hiltbrand's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 363 words, 08/19/12
Roger Moore, Seattle Times: WEAK(cg) "When you're filling the screen with every big-screen action star of the past 25 years, and every one of them needs his own body count, you see the problem."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 231 words, 08/17/12
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: POOR(cg) "It's all explosions and guns and crashes and unnaturally loud punches, with faceless, nameless stuntmen taking all the risks.... barely qualifies as a movie..."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 788 words, 08/17/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (10 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...does admittedly discover some ingenious new methods for disassembling the human form... any glee is offset by the film's weakness for mechanical self-reference..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 208 words, 08/15/12
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "How much you enjoy all the CGI blood and flying bullets and goofy one-liners will probably depend on how much nostalgia you have for these guys..."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 606 words, 08/15/12
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "Old action heroes never die, they take steroids, become governor of California, and end up in Simon West's 'The Expendables 2.' "(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 169 words, 08/23/12
Scott Tobias, AV Club: FAIR(cg) "...makes a franchise out of a novelty item, and the nostalgic kick is gone: It's a reminder that most of those '80s actioners were xenophobic and dumb..."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 375 words, 08/17/12
Jesse Hassenger, Pop Matters: MODERATE(cg) "...half predictable, half nonsensical... its stupidity, its faith in its blockheaded star power, has its charms, perhaps especially for loyal fans of these guys."(See all of Jesse Hassenger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 900 words, 08/22/12
Alison Willmore, Movieline: WEAK(cg) "...just a group of guys pounding each other on the back between takes and reassuring themselves that they've still got it.... there's little evidence of the fact on screen here..."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 814 words, 08/15/12
John Semley, Slant: VERY GOOD(cg) "...feels like a juiced-up wish-fulfillment fantasy.... nothing if not a colossally silly indulgence... all the wink-nudge genre nostalgia seems entirely validated."(See all of John Semley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 767 words, 08/13/12
Phil Brown, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "As in any good cheesy action sequel, this time it's personal.... It's all idiotic and gratuitous, but at least knowingly and gloriously so."(See all of Phil Brown's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 200 words, 08/16/12
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: POOR(cg) "...if there's one thing '2' is really good at -- and there is pretty much just this one thing -- it's demonstrating that 'The Expendables' was a one-joke wonder... feeble..."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 689 words, 08/13/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (5 Reviews)
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "...jokes are there to be mined... But does it all have to be so tedious?... many of the inside jokes are pretty funny, and Mr. Lundgren is close to hilarious..."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 313 words, 08/17/12
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Until Mr. Norris shows up, the script's efforts at sly comedy don't work all that well... [but] the movie is pleasantly dumb fun if you watch it with the right mind-set."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 431 words, 08/17/12
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: GOOD "Anyone who soldiered through 'The Expendables,' two years ago, will be touched, and a little surprised, to learn that there is more to expend."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 615 words, 08/27/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...splashy and high-octane.... what gives 'Expendables 2' its charm is the film's unabashed nostalgia for the genre's best B-movie moments."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 668 words, 08/17/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...this muscle-bound meathead extravaganza is a sometimes blissfully cretinous endeavor, delivering the maximum firepower and zero brainpower..."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 751 words, 08/13/12
Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "Stallone grasps the action-oriented DNA of the films' badass cast of reprobate mercenaries with an intuition derived from dozens of genre roles."(See all of Justin Lowe's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 957 words, 08/13/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...splashy and high-octane.... what gives 'Expendables 2' its charm is the film's unabashed nostalgia for the genre's best B-movie moments."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 668 words, 08/17/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...old-school mercenaries are about to find themselves at the brink of global disaster, and driven to extract their own brand of up-close and personal vengeance."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 961 words, 08/14/12
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Until Mr. Norris shows up, the script's efforts at sly comedy don't work all that well... [but] the movie is pleasantly dumb fun if you watch it with the right mind-set."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 431 words, 08/17/12
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "...jokes are there to be mined... But does it all have to be so tedious?... many of the inside jokes are pretty funny, and Mr. Lundgren is close to hilarious..."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 313 words, 08/17/12
15.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Expendables 2's reviews are separated by an average 15.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Expendables 2 (34 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Expendables 2's reviews cover 71.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 18,404 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 541 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 1.8 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Expendables 2's reviews on average broke 1.8 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Expendables 2's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Expendables 2 (34 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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