EXPEND4BLES (Scott Waugh, 2023)

[Jox]

This issue of the 50 year-old French cult magazine is more on Stallone himself but so far I think it's the first publication that has an EX4 cover...

[bomaz]

Well the movie is already out of the Top 10 this week-end in the US, with 1m$ for a 15m$ total so far. 43 million worldwide. It started first in Vietnam though .

[Jox]

Are the Old School Action Veterans Headed Into Forced Retirement? by Tom Jolliffe
https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2023/10/ ... etirement/

[GeneralMcFaiL]

After the first film the series has just been marketed/handled so poorly. Even though the second film loaded up on big stars and with Dolph having his best moments it was still an over the top cheesefest. Really could of toned it down a bit more and kept it similar to the balance of the first film.

I'm not sure that Sly really had an overall vision for this thing other than lets do a Fast & Furious thing for all the 80/90's OG's. There was potential there to do a trilogy with a more cohesive story outside of the bro fest between statham and stallone. I would have loved to see Stallone do an unforgiven style love letter to the old school action movie star but alas it was never meant to be.

[Jox]

It went out of control after the first one.

For me the original had the strength of leaning towards an auteur's movie. Sly's original vision for the first film I think, was really to tell a character piece, with the stories of each of these broken down, has been, individuals...

Then you have a studio whose roots go back to things like US SEALS and OPERATION DELTA FORCE and basically as EXPENDABLES sequels progressed they did more and more of the same but this time with stars...



Coming out on VOD/digital this Friday a mere three weeks after the theatrical release and as it's only coming out in important territories such as France and Australia...
https://screen-connections.com/2023/10/ ... -details/#

[GeneralMcFaiL]

Agree. I think they just went too much into the silly/lighthearted stuff. Not to mention Sly tends to lean heavily into corny dialogue for whatever reason. I won't be seeing the 4th film and what on earth were they going for with Dolphs look in this film?

I could barely get through the 3rd one if it wasn't for Mel's performance... only reason it was watchable.

[Gieferg]

4 is way better than 3.

And I mean WAY better. The only sequel that is really close to what I wanted to see after Ex1 (which I really like) and never have until now, and the only one that I am happy with. It just has that Ex1 feel somehow - similarly filmed fights, quasi-serious tone with balanced humor and even ending song.

That, of course, doesnt mean you will like it.

[GeneralMcFaiL]

It's a shame if that's true ... because the marketing was just so awful for the 4th film honestly I would have thought it was some random 50 cent movie with Megan Fox jumping around beating up bad guys (somehow).

[Gieferg]

I was going to skip it because of reviews and trailers, but it just happened that there was some cheap-tickets-day in theaters so I gave it a chance after all and I am glad I did.

Of course it looks bad CGI-wise, but it didn't spoil the experience too much.

[Jox]

4 is way better than 3.

And I mean WAY better. The only sequel that is really close to what I wanted to see after Ex1 (which I really like) and never have until now, and the only one that I am happy with. It just has that Ex1 feel somehow - similarly filmed fights, quasi-serious tone with balanced humor and even ending song.

That, of course, doesnt mean you will like it.

I agree to disagree, in my opinion it is no better than EX3 (perhaps equal, I don't know) and it couldn't be further from the first film. I don't know what to think of this entry, I was expecting something really bad so it was watchable by just taking it in but it's so wrong on so many levels (and not mentioning some unwelcome vulgar/gravelly humour)...

[Jox]

Released in France today with over 600 screens which is quite something.

Will see how it does but given what's going on in the Israel & Palestine I'm thinking people will likely not want to go see military carnage on screen...

[Moltisanti]

It's also weird how comical the series got when you think that it was the '08 RAMBO that sort of got the ball rolling for the EX franchise. That was a minor hit for Sly and Millennium and the same year it was released they ended up making the first announcement that they're doing THE EXPENDABLES.

Made me think that at some point we'd get something from the EX films on par with the savagery of that 4th RAMBO. But studios don't really make those sort of pictures any more. Everything needs an ironic or comic bent to it.

[Jox]

Yeah, that's the shame, and I find this constant comic/ironic spin on things to make the films of our era more cynical in some way, it lacks sincerity and much else...




Ranked #7 among new releases of the week for its first showings in Paris only at 2pm with 322 admissions... That's not good. Upcoming numbers for the entire first day and first week will draw a "better picture".
https://www.zickma.fr/top-premieres-sea ... obre-2023/

In comparison:
EX2: 2,105
EX1: 1,638
EX3: 1,403
EX4: 0,322




EDIT:
https://www.allocine.fr/article/fichear ... 46246.html
So opening day nationwide in France, #4 rank with 22,603 tickets sold (10 times less than PAW PATROL)

EX2: 213,000 admissions
EX1: 168,000 "
EX3: 121,000 "

[Jox]

New featurette (8 min)



By the way copyright year is 2022, and it's quite possible the movie has been completed for a year and they've been siting on it for all this time.

[savagesketch]

Check out the 100th episode of the show (yes, Episode #100!) in which past guests David Rosen, Matt Poirier, and Richard Hawes come back to share their opinions and discuss Dolph's latest -- EXPEND4BLES! Enjoy!

https://imustbreakthispodcast.wordpress ... pend4bles/

As always, please feel free to rate and review the show on iTunes or wherever you go to subscribe! As a side note, it's been a pleasure doing this show for the last six years. Hard to believe that the end is in sight with only a handful of episodes remaining!