HOLLYWOOD—I will be the first to admit as silly as it sounds, “The Expendables” was a film that shocked me. I was thoroughly pleased with its sequel “The Expendables 2” that followed in 2012, with more famous action stars.  In 2014, we have “The Expendables 3” which reunites the entire clansman, plus a few new faces to the cast.

So is the third installment worth your money? If you’re fan of a good B-movie, high-octane, shoot’em up, explosions galore, mediocre dialogue, than this film is for you. If you’re planning on walking into the theater to see something fresh, original and downright epic, you’ll be greatly disappointed.

“The Expendables” is not a franchise keen on layered character development, I mean with the list of actors in this movie: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Kelsey Grammer, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson, would you expect otherwise?

Stallone is still at the helm of the group, with a few new recruits in John Smilee (Kellan Lutz), Luna (Ronda Rousley) and Mars (Victor Ortiz) who find themselves battling a villain who knows there every move in Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson). Its funny when you think of an action hero, Gibson is on the good side, but I must admit he portrays the role of a villain very well.

Look at “The Expendables 3” as a wave of ushering in the new action superstars of the future. It’s a melding of the old with the new, and a few surprises along the way. Barney (Stallone) is forced to face an enemy from his past that he betrayed, and it’s an all out war. This is definitely a man’s man movie. Its so much testosterone, one could only imagine what would have transpired if another action superstar was added to the cast. So many egos, so many one-liners, so much fun!

This movie provides a fun-time at the multiplex, with some faces from the past immersing themselves into roles that made them icons to begin with. I must say “The Expendables” franchise has been one of my favorites since its launch; can only imagine what Stallone and the rest of the gang have planned for the fourth outing.

By LaDale Anderson