Movie Review: Expend4bles

When your franchise’s entire appeal hinges on assembling aging action stars to exchange quips and blow things up, the novelty inevitably wears thin. What the film itself defines as “prickism” (clinging to past glory ) perfectly captures Hollywood’s decision to resurrect this exhausted formula for a fourth outing.

Having apparently exhausted their roster of available 1980s and 1990s action legends, the filmmakers attempt to inject fresh blood through extended Asian cast members on both hero and villain sides. While this gesture toward inclusivity might seem progressive, it feels more like demographic box-ticking than genuine creative evolution.

The film saddles viewers with Randy Couture’s meandering monologue about his cauliflower ears and forces a lifeless romantic subplot between Megan Fox and Jason Statham that generates zero chemistry. These moments exemplify the franchise’s fundamental problem: mistaking screen time for character development.

Set against painfully obvious CGI backdrops, the mandatory fight sequences and increasingly preposterous stunts feel obligatory rather than exciting. The action lacks the practical authenticity that made earlier entries occasionally charming, while the self-referential humor falls flat, coming across as smug rather than clever.

Marketed as the franchise finale, “Expend4bles” positions itself as a final farewell to these aging warriors. Unfortunately, while the boys may be back in town for one last hurrah, audiences moved on long ago. What remains is a hollow exercise in nostalgia that serves no one; neither the performers recycling their worn personas nor viewers seeking genuine entertainment.

The franchise limps to its conclusion not with a bang, but with the hollow thud of missed opportunities and squandered goodwill. 4/10