You can read between the lines of a film’s marketing campaign in the trailer. How does the studio view the film? The trailer tells you everything. And boy, oh boy, the new red band trailer for “Expend4bles” has a story to tell.
Let’s get this out of the way first— “Expend4bles” is the fourth film in the “Expendables” action franchise that typically features a revolving cast of action stars from yesteryear given another chance to shine. The first couple of films were big hits because it combined folks like Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, and Jason Statham. The ante was upped quite a bit with the sequel, as folks like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger were added to the mix. But the third film was a disappointment. And now, it’s been quite a number of years since then, so the fourth film has to attempt to draw back in all of those action film fans who were craving a macho, muscly, balls-to-the-wall action film. But guess what? In a world with “John Wick” and “Extraction,” just having aging (like really old) action stars just isn’t going to cut it. Folks demand more, and “Expend4bles” just feels like a film about 10 years too late.
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So, that brings me to the newest, red band trailer for the film. What does the new trailer do? Well, it features all the action that fans probably want, but it also puts a literal emphasis on the blood and gore, with actual social media posts being included begging the filmmakers to make the film R-rated and featuring dismembered body parts. Thus, the trailer highlights those comments and then just litters the footage with so, so, so much CGI blood (and it looks really gratuitous, but not in a fun campy way).
All that to say, there probably never has existed a more “try-hard” trailer in the history of cinema. This trailer makes it seem as if the studio/marketing team were desperate for any buzz, so they just literally filled the trailer with violence, blood, and gore just to somehow make it seem like “Expend4bles” is a badass, testosterone-fueled film. I was waiting for the trailer to grab me by the shirt, call me a wimp, and then give me a wedgie. It’s ludicrous.
But hey, there is an audience for everything, so I’m sure there are folks who will eat this up. Enjoy!
“Expend4bles” hits theaters on September 22. You can watch the red band trailer below.
Here is the synopsis:
A new generation of stars join the world’s top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in Expend4bles. Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone are joined for the first time by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give “new blood” a whole new meaning.