The Expendable Plot.

So today I purchased the Expendables, a new Stallone film that features almost all the old action stars from the eighties to the early nineties. Now I know that most film critics, if not all, listed this in the top ten of worst movies of the century but I am listing it as a three star on my five star rating system.
Why?
Because I am a big fan of the saying "It is what it is," and what that means is sometimes a film is going to be nothing more that what it appears to be. So in film terms it means when you watch a certain movie you know exactly what you're going to get. With past Stallone films like Rambo or The Specialist you know that there will be lots of explosions, lots of blood, and almost no plot to speak of.
Now most of the time this is a bad thing. Personally when I go to see a new film I am looking to be surprised by plot twists or be stunned by the actor's ability to maintain a strong performance throughout the film. However; sometimes I just want to sit down and watch some mindless violence and in those instances the last things in the world I am looking for are plot and strong performances. In these films I want to see blood and gore, I want the girls to be helpless and topless and above all I want the hero to win. If like me, you find yourself in this mood the Expendables is the the film for you.
Directed by Stallone, the film's plot is basic and none important as the action lasts from end to end. The cast is well built and showcases stars we either hear too much from, like Dolph Lundgren, or don't hear enough of like Mickey Rourke. In fact the only thing at all I can find to complain about is near the end of the film the CGI took over and it was unneeded and poorly used. For instance, in scenes where bad guy is getting riddled with bullets, instead of using sqibs, CGI is used and blood that is too bright and holes that are too black and badly arranged take over. In another case when bad guy is set on fire, it is very clear that the fire is not real and that just ruins the whole affect.
So what's the lesson here? Keep it simple stupid. When making a film of this magnitude you want the action loud and constant and you don't want to see a former wrestling superstar surrounded by fake flames, you want them real. In this Stallone really could have taken a lesson from Steven Seagal who has yet to use CGI for his affects.