EXPEND4BLES (Scott Waugh, 2023)

[alex.sp89]

Director Waugh speak about action on the next level and it doesn't feel when we watched it on the big screen. Or they had a big ego stating they are making a really big movie and ended up a mess. 100 million feels like a DTV. U can shoot 20 indie movies with this money, no worse than this. Action on nest level just on 2 action scenes set pieces.

[Jox]

Devon man rocks Expend4bles with Sylvester Stallone
https://www.devonlive.com/news/celebs-t ... er-8830858

Gavin said he grew up with Rocky films and loved Stallone’s character. He also admired Dolph Lundgren, who played Drago in Rocky IV.

“I loved Dolph Lundgren’s character Drago in that franchise. When I met Dolph, he told me how he loved AC/DC, and he was surprised I was in an AC/DC tribute as he thought I looked more like somebody in an Aerosmith band.

“I was already thinking how insane it was to chat with him when Sylvester Stallone walked in, came over, and he was such a gentleman. He was so professional, accommodating and welcoming.

“He told us all to enjoy what we were doing on set. He told us we were there to have fun and thanked us all for being there.”

[Jox]

VFX breakdown demo from Worldwide FX London (1 min)
https://vimeo.com/868387176

[Tom]

I don't know why they'd want to show those vfx off. They're not up to standard and wouldn't be even if the film had cost 10 million and not (the very doubtful) 100 million.

The fact Avi still uses Worldwide FX having used them since the Nu Image DTV era in the early 00's speaks volumes about his cheap mentality.

[alex.sp89]

ThiS VFX looks really bad. Look at Under Siege filmed in 1991 on real Alabama ship and sets look so real even taday. Or Double Impact (1991) last act also a combination of real ship and sets – very good, real looking. In EX4 every set looks fake- FOX house, bar, desert stuff, plane, helicopter, ship, Jaa’s boat, water moving, sky. I thought they filmed on real ship in Greece, but looks they never used that footage. Or greek lawsuit forced them to erase that stuff from existence.
I gave EX4 a second chance on VOD few days ago. On smaller screen looks better. There more fights in this one which is nice, but they are edited choppy with many intercut shots shot u barely can the acrobatic stuff because they are filmed too close, rarely used wide angles aka Van Damme stuff movements with splits from the 90s. One big minus that Fox doesn’t have a fight seq. with a villain woman showing her skills to be a leader of the team in this mission. Dolph could have a good choreographed fighting seq with his axes(they are mentioned and showed a lt on posters but never used properly in the movie, very weak in my opinion.

[alex.sp89]

If I WOULD WRITE this story it would be differently.
1. The first scene into the movie will be a mission where Barney and the team capture Rahmat in the desert (like in every EX movie). Rahmat is telling them that OCELOT will save him and kill them all. Barney is stoned hearing this name.
2. The nest scene Barney and Lee are at the bar where Barney is telling the story of Ocelot where he barely survived with Gunner and a new guy named Decha who is now retired sitting in Thailand.. Gina is showing up sayind that they did a good job and their money will be soon transferred for successful executed mission. She leaves saying that she waits Christmas at hame. After that a drunk company starts conflicting at the bar Barney and Lee have a god fight.
3. Later that evening Barney and Lee are racing on motorcyles, stopping at Gina’s home. They say good bye to each other and Lee is having a love scene with Fox that night.
4. The next day Barney and Lee are in the CIA building wanting to participate in Rahmat interrogation.Marsh is there with other CIA bosses. They hardly push on Rahmat especially Marsh. Unexpected Rahmat henchmen are bombing building , they show up shootout starts, Lee, Barney participate trying to stop them shooting back but enemies are very good prepared and they manage to free Rahmat. Barney follow them and a second explosion happens on another part of the building. Barney is reveled dead amond many others. After Barneys’ funeral Marsh is telling Christmas is out of this mission of capturing Rahmat again because he takes it too personal after BR death.
5. Rahmat and his men are napping the CARGO ship where they kill all security guard and men on ship revealing that this ship was un undercover CIA vehicle.
6. Lee comes to Gina’s house where they talk about deceased leader Barney. They hug each other, Gina is saying that she is going with his team to find Rahmat. Lee gives her an amulet on her neck to bring her luck on future mission. Basically it is a tracking device to know her location.
7. The team is getting ready for the mission leaving on the plane. Lash is introduced with few other soldiers. At the same time Lee arrive to Thailand where he tries to find this guy named Decha who was with Barney in that failed mission. He interact with a homeless looking guy that irritates Christmas. They have a really good fight before they understand who they really are. EX tatoo or ring being that connection. They take the boat and go after tracking device talking on the road to detect that ship.
8. Gina, Marsh and team land on that ship, but enemies knew they are coming. A good shootout, kills, fight are going on but they are finally captured by Rahmat. Gina is almost defeated by a villain woman which bothers her a lot
9. Bad guys are asking who is the leader and after some altercations Marsh reveals that he is the one in charge. Enemies are taking Marsh to another part to talk privately with Rahmat. Surprisingly Rahmat and Marsh hug each other. Marsh is calling CIA bosses playing the victim, telling that Rahmat wants to free eyewitness who knows OCELOT. Marsh could be played here similar to Tommy Lee Jones - motivational speeches role stuff from Under Siege, Garcia could have more Joker play role.
10. Christmas and Decha show up on the ship killing the bad guys ang free Gina, Gunner and the rest of the team. Gunner is soned to see his old pal Decha. Together they fing the bomb, shot out begin. Each character is showing his skills. Marsh and Rahmat understand that intruders are on the ship and send more people. Team kills them ,Gunner fights with his axes, Decha fights a martial art expert, Gina fights villain woman (like in last Mortal Kombat movie stuff ). Marsh shows up saying that he escaped. He wants to kill the leader and bring them into a trap but he accidentally kills Lash. Eveyone understand that Marsh is AN ENEMIE and OCELOT. Team manages to back up and hide for a while. Marsh receive a call where is informed that prisoner is almost there, he goes to the deck saying Rahmat to take care of them. EX Team kills the other baddies, Rahmat is facing against Rahmat. Lee defeats and wounds Rahmat. At the same time Heelicopter arrive on the deck (it is actually a dron automatic controlled with a muppet inside). EX is hurrying leaving the ship to Decha’s boat. Enemies are opening the door of the helicopter on the place where prisoner should be is a toy with MARSHELOT written on his shirt , it explode immediately. Everyone is dead except Marsh. Lee decide to sacrifice himself and stop the ship. He goes back and stops engine of the ship. Marsh show uo and they have a good hand to hand kombat. Marsh is almost defeated bur he find a pistol and wants to kill Lee but Barney unexpected shows up and blow him away from helicopter. Lee is shocked , wounded Rahmat show up from the door shooting at Christmas saying this is from OCELOT. Lee jumps into Barney’s helicopter. Bomb counts 4,3,2,1 and Rahmat and ship explode. EX team on the boat see helicopter and they salute Lee and resurrected Barney. Later that day the helicopter land on military base camp where CIA bosses are waiting. Barney reveal that after Rahmat escaped from CIA building he somehow figured out that Marsh is the OCELOT. After revealed dead Barney showed up to CIA bosses too tell his suspicions. They played their game. Lee asks where is the eyewitness prisoner that knows OCELOT. CIA tells that he is alive in the prison and that they never play bandits terro.. s games. When CIA leave Gin asks how he managed to find them, he smiles saying I am your talisman.
TONE OF THE MOVIE WILL BE MORE TO THE FIRST EX MOVIE. This is my vision of how this movie could have more action sequences and more logical in parts of story delivery.

[Jox]

I don't know why they'd want to show those vfx off. They're not up to standard and wouldn't be even if the film had cost 10 million and not (the very doubtful) 100 million.

The fact Avi still uses Worldwide FX having used them since the Nu Image DTV era in the early 00's speaks volumes about his cheap mentality.

What I noticed in the end credits was how many VFX companies were used...!

[preacher]

The fact Avi still uses Worldwide FX having used them since the Nu Image DTV era in the early 00's speaks volumes about his cheap mentality.

Doesnt Millenium own Worldwide VFX? I think so and that explains why they use them.
Pretty rough work in any case

[Jox]

Yes, they do own them. The company was pretty much started for their own titles when Nu Image settled in Bulgaria late 90s / early 2000s.




EDIT:
The US 4K / BR /DVD release is now officially set November 21. There will be an Amazon exclusive that has 2 additional extras:
https://www.hometheaterforum.com/commun ... ay.380751/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH3YDN13/?c ... g_dp_it_im

Special Features:

- Audio Commentary with Director Scott Waugh

- Bigger, Bolder, Badder: The Expendables in Action

- More Than a Team: New Blood Meets Old Blood

- Theatrical Trailer

- We Get the Job Done: Breaking Down the Fighting Styles (Amazon Exclusive)

- Costuming The Expendables (Amazon Exclusive)

[Jox]

The US 4K / BR /DVD release is now officially set November 21. There will be an Amazon exclusive that has 2 additional extras:
https://www.hometheaterforum.com/commun ... ay.380751/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH3YDN13/?c ... g_dp_it_im

Cover of the Amazon steelbook exclusive

[Jox]

154,647 tickets sold in France for its entire first week (nationwide)...

By comparison:
EX2: 935,219
EX1: 773,121
EX3: 590 362



EDIT:
Slightly off-topic but who knows, maybe not...
Gerard Butler’s $10M ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ Profits Lawsuit Settles
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/busin ... 235616935/

Gerard Butler has resolved a legal fight over allegations that he’s owed at least $10 million in profits from the 2013 blockbuster Olympus Has Fallen.

Defendants Nu Image and Millennium Media notified the court on Tuesday of a settlement, which is conditioned on the completion of certain terms within 45 days. Specifics of the agreement weren’t disclosed.

Butler and his production company G-Base Entertainment in 2021 sued in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging some producers have earned tens of millions of dollars from the film but have refused to pay him his share of profits. He pointed to a “comprehensive, premeditated scheme” designed to “grossly misrepresent the finances of the film.”

Under his deal to star in and produce the movie, Butler is owed box office bonuses, 6 percent of domestic revenue, 2 percent of foreign revenue and 10 percent of net profits.

According to the complaint, an audit revealed that Nu Image and Millennium Media understated their receipts and profits from Olympus Has Fallen by over $11 million. This included failing to report roughly $8 million in payments to their senior executives. Among other alleged misrepresentations were understating domestic revenue by over $17.5 million and deducting residuals that were never paid, which may have had implications for the crew’s health care eligibility, the lawsuit said.

Butler argued distribution agreements were fraudulently structured so distributors didn’t have to report all gross receipts.

“Producers instructed those distributors to deduct certain amounts from the grosses they would report to Producers,” stated the complaint. “Producers, in turn, did not include these deducted amounts in the financial information provided to Butler.”

The alleged scheme included entering into agreements that were designed to undermine producers’ ability to properly account to and pay Butler. The lawsuit claimed, “Producers then reneged on their promise to have certain of those third party distributors account to and pay Butler directly. This allowed Producers to control and manipulate how they would report the Film’s proceeds to Butler.”

Butler also nodded to a legal fight between the producers and the Directors Guild of America. By allegedly failing to report profits, they have threatened the health care eligibility of the movie’s director and assistant directors.

The complaint alleged fraud, breach of contract, and intentional interference with contractual relations, among other claims. The defendants argued that can only advance a breach of contract claim in the absence of false representations that Butler relied on to back up a claim for fraud. A trial was scheduled for January 2024.

[bomaz]

Yeah, the movie reached 50m$ worldwide.

[TEMIRLAN]

Why did the make this movie actually? They didn't do it better or bigger. They didn't even promope it, no premieres, no interview on night shows. Pure caerless! Did they just want to throw some money in the air?

[bomaz]

Well, given the SAG/WGA strike, it was hard for them to promote it, and I think it didn't make sense to postpone the release, might as well get it released fast and have it available on platform where it can make a quick buck I guess.

[Jox]

Japanese trailer and poster