THE EXPENDABLES 3 [2014 / 2019] [Extended Edition] [Blu-ray + Digital ULTRAVIOLET] [UK Release] Big, Bruising and Brutal Action! Extended Edition Not Seen In Cinemas!
In ‘THE EXPENDABLES 3’ Barney Ross [Sylvester Stallone], Christmas [Jason Statham] and the rest of the team come face- to-face with an old enemy Conrad Stonebanks [Mel Gibson] and must fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of the Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables most personal battle yet. Featuring 6 minutes of extra action footage plus 84 minutes of extras included.
FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 2014 Golden Schmoes Awards: Nominated: Best Action Sequence of the Year for the “Final Battle scene.” 2015 Razzie Awards: Nominated: Worst Supporting Actor for Mel Gibson. Nominated: Worst Supporting Actor for Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Kelsey Grammer, Glen Powell, Antonio Banderas, Victor Ortiz, Ronda Rousey, Kellan Lutz, Jet Li, Ivan Kostadinov, Robert Davi, Nikolay Stoyanov Ilchev, Daniel Angelov, Slavi Slavov, Dimiter Doichinov, Nikolay Stanoev, Harry Anichkin, Boswell Maloka, Natalie Burn, Velizar Binev, Sarai Givaty, Liubomir Simeonov, Frank Pesce, Thomas Canestraro, Aleksandar Belovski (uncredited), Aleksandra Bogdanska (uncredited), Lilia Doytchinova (uncredited), Ivaylo Grancharov (uncredited), Wendy Kay (uncredited), Lisbeth Olofsson (uncredited), Cyndy Powell (uncredited), Bashar Rahal (uncredited) and Tzvetislav Samardjiev (uncredited)
Director: Patrick Hughes
Producers: Avi Lerner, Basil Iwanyk, Boaz Davidson, Danny Dimbort, Danny Lerner, David Varod, Giancarlo J. Sini, Guy Avshalom, Guymon Casady, John Thompson, Kevin King Templeton, Les Weldon, Lonnie Ramati, Matthew O'Toole, Robert Earl, Samuel Hadida, Trevor Short, Victor Hadida and Zygi Kamasa
Screenplay: Creighton Rothenberger (screenplay), Dave Callaham (characters), Katrin Benedikt (screenplay) and Sylvester Stallone (story)
Composer: Brian Tyler
Cinematography: Peter Menzies Jr. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: English: 7.1 Dolby ATMOS TrueHD Master Audio English: 2.0 Dolby Digital English Description Audio
Spanish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH and Spanish
Running Time: 126 minutes [Theatrical Version] and 131 minutes [Extended Version]
Number of discs: 1
Region: Region B/2
Studio: LIONSGATE
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: Say what you will about a cast of 1980s action stars whose average age is over 55, but they can all still pack a powerful punch and kick all sorts of ass. I’m here to say that ‘THE EXPENDABLES 3’ [2014] is loads of awesome fun, with some good laughs, decent action scenes, and seven solid one-liners. With a film like ‘THE EXPENDABLES 3,’ you have to walk into the cinema knowing what to expect. If you go in expecting something with a lot of depth and meaning, you’re going to be disappointed. But if you walk in expecting a fun thrill ride full of explosions, an impressive body count, and seeing your favourite action stars ham it up on the big screen, then you'll feel like you've won the lottery.
It’s good to see that Sylvester Stallone and his crew have finally realised what this ‘THE EXPENDABLES’ franchise can be. Instead of trying to make a serious action film, they've learned that poking fun at each other and having a ball with the cast, script, and action really go a long way towards delivering a much better viewing experience. For example, they break the “fourth” wall quite a bit here with this third sequel, whether it be newcomer to the franchise Wesley Snipes saying he has been imprisoned for tax evasion or Stallone scouting a new possible member of his Elite team, who is rock climbing, and saying, “I can do that,” with reference to ‘CLIFFHANGER,’ and it’s all here for our enjoyment and pleasure.
And producer Avi Lerner has no intention of slowing things down with ‘THE EXPENDABLES 3’ and very wise, as a 4th and 5th instalment have already been greenlit with former 007 Bond actor Pierce Brosnan and Hulk Hogan announcing their involvement in future sequels. This third film starts off very well, as we see our ‘THE EXPENDABLES’ [Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, and Randy Couture] fly in via helicopter armed with giant machine guns, and boarding a fast moving train, loaded with bad guys. Given the first PG15 rating for an ‘THE EXPENDABLES’ film franchise, this first scene has about 30 deaths. Sure you won’t see blood and guts too much, but the violence is there and it is brutal.
Sylvester Stallone and his team are there to rescue Wesley Snipes, who has been imprisoned for many years, who was a former original member of ‘THE EXPENDABLES’ whose expertise were knives and being a medic. The next scene has the team plus Wesley Snipes head out on a job right away, which goes haywire when the big bad villain Conrad Stonebanks [Mel Gibson], a ruthless arms dealer shows up, leaving one of “The Expendables” in bad shape. This prompts Stallone to get real angry, tell his team to lead a good life, and leave “The Expendables” then enlist the help of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and ask Harrison Ford to journey out again and take out Mel Gibson.
When Sylvester Stallone gets the okay, he realises he needs more people than just himself, so he figures out that he is too old to do it alone and he scouts out his friend Kelsey Grammer, a hilarious drunk jokester, to find new young recruits for his team including Kellan Lutz, Glen Powell, Victor Ortiz, Ronda Rousey, and the best character of the film Antonio Banderas. No matter what happens during the middle of the film, it all leads up to the small “Expendables” team fighting Mel Gibson and his army of 500 bad guys in tanks, planes, and vehicles. And it does not disappoint. Director Patrick Hughes hasn’t done much, only a couple of short films, but Stallone must have seen something in him can give him this impressive job. Hughes knows his way around an action scene and instead of quick cutting every second and a half, he allows the camera to fully focus on each actor’s ability to handle a gun or do their marital arts. This comes into play specifically with Wesley Snipes and Ronda Rousey, which is always good to see.
I can now see why the studio wants Patrick Hughes to direct the American remake of ‘The Raid.’ Sure, some of the dialogue is cheesy and has no meaning, but there are some genuine moments and you can see they are all trying. But the scenes with Sylvester Stallone and Kelsey Grammer pack some great laughs as it seems Kelsey Grammer was just messing with Sylvester Stallone and trying to make him laugh the entire time. Their chemistry is spot on. And then there is the always impressive actor Antonio Banderas, whose character, Galgo is basically modelled after a 13 year old boy who gets his wish to star in a film with all of his favourite action stars. It’s too funny. Mel Gibson plays the bad guy perfectly and I wish he would take on darker roles in the future.
‘THE EXPENDABLES 3’ will not win any awards nor will it change the filmmaking game, but you’ll definitely have loads of fun with this movie. And to hear Schwarzenegger yell “Get to da Choppa” again satisfied my younger self so much that I nearly passed out. That all being said, Mr. Sylvester Stallone please include Bruce Campbell in your next instalment of ‘THE EXPENDABLES.’ Thank you in advance.
THE EXPENDABLES 3 MUSIC TRACK LIST
COME FOR ME (Written by Steven Van Zandt) [Performed by Steven Van Zandt]
String Quartet No. 13, Op. 130: II. Presto (Written by Ludwig van Beethoven) (Arranged by Timo Elliston and Brian Jones)
BAPTIZED IN DIRTY WATER (Written by Chris Thomas King) [Performed by Chris Thomas King]
COME WITH ME NOW (Performed by The Kongos) [Written by John Joseph Kongos]
DELIRIUM (Written by Ken Ramm) [Performed by Euphoria]
METEOR (Written by Eric Vasquez, Spencer Blair and Simon Curtis)
A LIGHT THAT NEVER COMES (Written by Rick Rubin Reboot) [Performed by Linkin Park]
CALLE CALLEJERO (Written by Marco E Masis, Josias de la Cruz, Juan Luis Morera Luna and Llandel Veguilla Malave) [Performed by Wisin and Yandel]
TICKING BOMB (Written by Antonina Armato, Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III, Timothy James Price and Adam Schmalholz) [Performed by Aloe Blacc]
PARA LA GENTE (Written by Cadence Blaze and Francisco Santacruz)
FIRE IN THE STREET (Written by Andrew Thomas Brewer, Douglas Jeffrey Jones, Kevin Lindley Jones and Joseph Frank Selby) [Performed by Taddy Porter]
OLD MAN (Written by Neil Young)
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Blu-ray Image Quality – ‘THE EXPENDABLES 3’ comes with an impressive 1080p image transfer and is presented in an equally impressive 2.40:1 aspect ratio. This action film looks mighty impressive on all fronts. This has a crystal clear image with excellent detail and clarity. However, by having this digital look to it, the big bad CGI effects don't look as real as they could, but that is really the only gripe I have with this video presentation. Detail is very vivid in both close-ups and wide shots. Close-ups show every wrinkle, scar, wound, and individual hair on these aging action star's faces. You can even see some of the plastic surgery Sylvester Stallone has had over the years quite well. Their tactical gear reveals some fine stitching and background props and sets look amazing, giving the picture some real depth when there is no CGI background. Colours pop off screen at all times, whether they are in a green field or the blue sky. All colours are well saturated and look realistic. Skin tones are always natural and never seem murky and the black levels are very deep and inky. There are zero instances of banding, aliasing, and motion blur throughout, giving this video presentation top marks. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – This release comes with an outstanding Dolby ATMOS audio presentation, but since I haven't upgraded to ATMOS yet, the audio automatically changes to a 7.1 Dolby TrueHD surround audio option, and it sound amazing. The 7.1 audio is quite impressive. This action film is full of gun shots, explosions, cars, planes, trains, boats, and fighting. I mean, what do you expect from an ‘EXPENDABLES’ film. The sound effects are clear, loud, and very robust. The surrounds pump the sound constantly, which fully immerses you into each gun battle and fight scene.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: The Making of ‘THE EXPENDABLES 3’ [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [52:00] Here is a fun and extensive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film documentary. There are tons of cast and crew interviews mixed with a treasure trove of on-set footage that covers the stunt work, fight choreography, characters, and more. Looks like everyone had a great time on set, which makes this a lot of fun to watch. Contributors include: Antonio Banderas, Dan Bradley, Jason Constantine, Terry Crews, Boaz Davidson, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Patrick Hughes, Avi Lerner, Danny Lerner, Dolph Lundgren, J.J. Perry, Glen Powell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wesley Snipes, Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Kevin King Templeton, John Thompson and Les Weldon.
Special Feature: New Blood: Stacked and Jacked [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [17:00] Here is some similar stuff like the above documentary, but this one focuses more on the new young cast members. Cast and crew interviews are here along with some on set footage. Well worth the watch. Contributors include: Antonio Banderas, Randy Couture, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Patrick Hughes, Dolph Lundgren, Kellan Lutz, Victor Ortiz, Glen Powell, Ronda Rousey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wesley Snipes, Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham.
Special Feature: The Total Action Package [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [7:00] This bonus special feature centres on the stunts and visual effects of the film. Cast and crew interviews mix with on set footage that showcase a lot of wire work and green screen. This was quite fun to watch and see how they did the big set pieces. Contributors include: Antonio Banderas, Randy Couture, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Patrick Hughes, Dolph Lundgren, Kellan Lutz, Victor Ortiz, Glen Powell, Ronda Rousey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wesley Snipes, Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham.
Special Feature: Gag Reel [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [3:00] Here is a fun blooper reel with everyone missing their cues, flubbing lines, and a lot of laughter on the set. This is very funny.
Special Feature: Extended Scene: Christmas Runs the Gauntlet with Jason Statham [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [3:00] Here is an extended scene of one of Jason Statham's scene where he takes out a bunch of bad guys.
Special Feature: Bookmarks: With bookmarking you can mark favourite scenes or places in a disc to quickly find them again. More sophisticated DVD players let you bookmark several discs, and will remember your bookmarks even when the disc is removed. Many new Blu-ray models lack this feature.
Finally, ‘THE EXPENDABLES 3’ is a lot of totally brilliant fun the third time around. They finally found their footing and knew what type of movie to make rather than trying to be serious all the time. The result is a highly entertaining and very funny movie. The action is great and seeing all of these excellent action stars from our childhood is a riot, not to mention so much fun. With the top notch 1080p encoded image, as well as the awesome Dolby ATMOS audio presentation, are both top notch. The extras are all well worth watching and informative as well. If you're looking for a fun time with a big and entertaining action film with tons of 1980's film stars, and ‘THE EXPENDABLES 3’ is well worth adding to the other two ‘THE EXPENDABLES’ Blu-ray Collection. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
