It’s a sign of the lack of planning that each of the big name stars in The Expendables are themselves seemingly expendable. The story of a band of mercenaries who decide to take on a job against all recommendations it features lots of explosions, big set pieces and a breakneck pace. But the reason most will go to see this film is for it’s cast featuring the likes of Stallone, Li, Statham, Rourke and more.

The Expendables completes the trilogy of big-action films set to come out this Summer, following The Losers and The A-Team, both of which were better. And what did they have? A simpler cast which let their characters, not egos, show through. Instead you end up with a mash of personalities in The Expendable, none of whom get the screen presence that we’re used to seeing.

Some characters, such as Schwarzenegger and Willis, literally appear for a single scene whereas others are never out of frame (Stallone and Statham are the two primary characters). What this means is the entire “It’s got everyone!” feeling is deflated when you realise you aren’t truly watching the actors you’re used to. Elsewhere in the film, action ranges from very well done to cheesy CGI explosions, with the final twenty minutes sheer carnage. And given the seemingly short runtime (100 minutes) there really isn’t a lot else in this film.

I know my review is harsher than most, even on IMDb it currently has an 8.3 rating, but I just can’t help but feel let down after comparing this to the current crop of films to come out of Hollywood. With such an amazing cast, there truly was the chance to make something special here as it’s unlikely to be repeated.

My rating: 5/10