'The Expendables 2' has somewhat surprisingly scored positive reviews from critics, with action-nostalgia apparently making up for the often clunky-acting and over-the-top explosions. Armed with a muscle-heavy cast including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis, the movie hits cinemas this weekend with its eye firmly on the No.1 spot.
The cast alone should be enough to see 'The Expendables' overtake 'The Bourne Legacy', though what should moviegoers expect of the sequel? Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times praised the all-action romp, saying, "What gives "Expendables 2" its charm is the film's unabashed nostalgia for the genre's best B-movie moments". The New York Times' Neil Genzlinger perhaps summed it up best, musing, "Pleasantly dumb fun if you watch it with the right mind-set", while USA Today's Claudia Puig wrote, "The Expendables 2 is corny, barbaric and sometimes visually murky. But humor and self-deprecating macho charm make this male pattern badness crowd-pleasing fun". However, critic David Malcolm of This Is London may have discovered exactly why the movie works so well, recalling, "Someone more experienced in such matters told me that when Willis wears a wig the film is generally awful; when he is bald it's often okay. Here he's hairless".
With audiences expected to flock to theaters this weekend for the sequel, attention is already turning to 'The Expendables 3', with Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford and Wesley Snipes reportedly in talks to appear.