The Expendables 3

"The Expendables 3" lacks a lot in terms of wit, charm and style, but the fight sequences have an almost realistic integrity and the charisma of its cast members makes it nearly watchable. Most of the jokes merit a mere smile and the plotting is simply a series of flimsy strings holding together a big bundle of fight sequences. Nevertheless, the names on the marquee represent some of the biggest box-office draws for this genre in the last three decades.

Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his team of "Expendables" are usually able to take on entire armies of faceless enemy soldiers, slaying them in ever more fantastic ways while barely getting scratched, until something happens that makes the leader want to want to throw in the towel. He discovers that an old enemy, Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), a man he thought he killed, is still alive. Moreover, one of his guys was wounded by this maniac.

The incident makes Ross question whether his team has all the ass-kicking power he thought they did: Maybe this lifestyle is too risky. So when Ross heads out to capture his nemesis, he hires a whole new team of bad-asses.

This crew is younger, faster and more tech-savvy -- and with names like Victor Ortiz, former WBC Welterweight Champion, and the Mixed Martial Arts fighter Ronda Rousey, we can assume they do some of their own stunt work -- but mostly Ross wants a team that means nothing to him, so if he loses them it won't hurt so much.

When Stonebanks turns the tables and kidnaps everyone in new Expendables crew, Ross realizes that The Expendables need both old and new blood.

As usual, Jason Statham kicks ass and takes names without losing any of his sex appeal, while the presence bigger names such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren serves simply as irony. The biggest surprise in the film is Antonio Banderas, who takes his performance to the next level and pretty much ends up stealing the show. This is one actor who can hold his own on a screen full of talent.

Special features like "The Expendables 3 Documentary" may help you better appreciate the talent behind the scenes, even though the features "New Blood: Stacked and Jacked" and "The Total Action Package" are just glossy advertisements. There's also a gag reel.

"The Expendables 3"
Blu-ray + DVD
131 min (unrated) / Rated PG-13
Lionsgate.com