If you’re interested in Expend4bles, or Expendables 4, then you’ve likely seen and enjoyed the first three action romps headlined by Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and Dolph Lundgren. The fourth entry sticks to the established formula with plenty of “old man” jokes, over-the-top set pieces with a seemingly smaller VFX budget than its predecessors, and a couple twists and turns sprinkled in for good measure.
With a new installment, which you might think is the last by about the midway point, there’s also new blood just as expendable as anyone else in the cast. That includes Andy Garcia in a handler role, Megan Fox in a love-and-hate relationship with Jason Statham, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Levy Tran, Tony Jaa, and Iko Uwais as a n0-nonsense villain whose opening scene ruthlessness proves he’s not to be trifled with.
Despite the cache of new faces ready to lock and load, Expend4bles lives and dies with Jason Statham grimacing effortlessly in the lead. He’s got plenty to quip about as usual, and an assortment of clever kills to dole out.
Expend4bles comes close to turning the formula on its head but ultimately takes the easy way out. If this is the final installment, maybe it’s best these characters are remembered for coming out on top yet again by defying all odds against them,
Lionsgate hasn’t dropped the ball when presenting any of the the Expendables films in 4K with Dolby Vision HDR thus far and this fourth feature is no different. Not only does it look great during the opening act in broad daylight to the final act at night, but the Dolby Atmos soundtrack is also a winner with ample explosions and gunfire crackling throughout.
If anything the sharp 4K presentation works to the film’s disadvantage at times when the CGI effects aren’t quite up to par, or the green screen backgrounds look a little fake versus the foreground.
Bonus features offered for Expend4bles are a little slimmer than the previous four films, which seems to mirror the diminishing box office returns.
- Audio Commentary with Director Scott Waugh
- Bigger, Bolder, Badder: The Expendables in Action
- More Than a Team: New Blood Meets Old Blood
- Theatrical Trailer
In the just shy of 40 minutes of featurettes you do get to spend some time with the old and new cast, and also get an inside look at the various filming locations. They’re certainly worth watching once the film has been viewed.
Expend4bles won’t go down as the best film in the franchise. It does however fit in seamlessly with the previous installments as a decent B-movie sequel action romp from start to finish, and the new cast members are intriguing enough that maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to see more of them should a fifth film materialize.
You can also purchase Expend4bles in 4K alongside the previous three films in a Steelbook package.
