As I watched the new trailer for the fourth “Expendables” film, I couldn’t help but wonder who this film is actually for? Originally, the “Expendables” franchise was this fun experiment, where some of the best action stars from the ‘80s and ‘90s came together for another adventure. Now, four films deep, it’s morphed into… a starring vehicle for 50 Cent and Megan Fox? What?
As seen in the new trailer, “Expendables 4” (I refuse to call it “Expend4bles”) follows a group of mercenaries as they combine forces for another job. Some of the franchise’s returning cast include Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and Dolph Lundgren. But not even those names are good enough to overcome what looks to be just a really paint-by-numbers action film.
And yes, there are new members of the cast, including Megan Fox and 50 Cent. Neither of those people is a legendary action star of a bygone era. Hell, neither of them is actually any sort of action star. 50 Cent’s movies have never been big hits, and Fox is probably still best known as the object of Michael Bay’s male gaze in “Transformers.”
So, it’s just difficult to figure out why this movie exists and who the target audience actually is. With franchises like “John Wick” showing how great action films can be in 2023 and “Fast & Furious” continuing to crank the ridiculousness up to 11, “Expendables 4” just feels like a weird relic of a time when all it took was a guy with a bunch of muscles to sell a film.
But hey, if this is the type of thing that gets you excited, more power to you. “Expendables 4” arrives in theaters on September 22. You can watch the trailer below: