Final 'Expendables' Poster and New Trailer
What exactly should we expect from this film?
At the end of last week the following trailer and poster for Lionsgate's The Expendables (8/13) debuted around the Internet and today I was sent the source files directly for addition to the site. I don't know about you, but I've noticed a bit of a cooling effect for this film from some corners after this latest trailer. I am still anxious to see it, but I can also understand some of the raised eyebrows and questioning parties.
There comes a point when the selling point for a film begins to outweigh the film itself and I can't help but wonder if such a thing has happened with The Expendables, which boasts a cast that includes Sylvester Stallone, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, Randy Couture, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke and Bruce Willis and what I understand to be a brief cameo from Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is pretty much all this latest trailer is selling and the poster doesn't aim to do much better. Instead of playing like a second trailer, this actually plays more like a teaser and I have yet to be blown away by any of the marketing for this film as it seems to lack the gut punch I was feeling with the early marketing reels for Rambo.
Of course, it wasn't as if anyone ever thought this was going to be a multi-million dollar box-office hit (most likely more along the lines of the $42 million Rambo delivered in 2008), but names like this are nostalgic and encouraging to those of us that have enjoyed action flicks from these fellas before. However, the long rumored PG-13 rating worries me and now such a beefy cast is beginning to look a bit problematic. I think Jeff Wells may be onto something when he takes the editing of the feature into consideration and the attempt to juggle all these names maintain enough screen time for each and try to tell a cohesive story.
Instead of the one man wrecking crew Rambo offered in R-rated glory, we are getting a large cast of egos and a film eying a PG-13 rating. I just called local publicity here in Seattle whether or not Lionsgate was going to be screening it for press and they still weren't sure, though I didn't necessarily get much of a feeling of optimism. However, this is Lionsgate we are talking about, it's a toss-up for most of their films anyway. I was originally told Rambo wouldn't screen for press and then a couple of days before the film's release I was watching it. Certainly, a couple of days before release isn't enough time for the dailies, but it screened nonetheless.
So, with all that said, here is the new trailer (sans virtually any actual footage from the film) and the latest poster, which you can see slightly larger in the RopeofSilicon gallery right here.
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I'm torn on the PG-13. In a way, I want this movie to succeed and a PG-13 rating will help it. But again, a cast like this I was expecting a full-blown R.
Then again, maybe an R would have made this movie a little too over-the-top à la Rambo, which was so graphic at times it was just laughable. And you know what, I'm sure this movie can deliver a solid viewing without having excessive blood and unnecessary F-bombs.
I'm still anxiously awaiting this one, and I'm avoiding trailers until I see it.
No where does it say Rated PG-13. Don't make stuff up.
I thought the marketing seemed backwards, to go from a trailer with footage to a bare-bones, mostly text/sound trailer. Regardless, I'm still pretty excited, although I hope the rumors that Stallone made a PG-13 cut are false.
PS: The word you're looking for is "eager". The word "anxious" carries a negative connotation and refers to apprehension or anxiety, and I'm guessing by this article that neither of those words describe how you feel about The Expendables.
Not true, there are multiple meanings for most words, such as anxious just as an example.
Fair enough. I'd always been taught to differentiate the two, but apparently anxious can go both ways. My apologies.
Would it be too much to release both versions theatrically? For instance, if they had the PG-13 version playing most of the time, and have the R rated for late night/midnight showings. Ive always thought that'd be a fair way to make money and deliver to fans. But Im assuming that wouldn't be financially sound.
I read a tidbit on this movie in Entertainment Weekly and Stallone promised a "hard R." So im optimistic that will be the case!
Let's hope so!
I'll be there opening weekend as I am an unabashed Stallone fan (yes I said it). I hope to God it rocks the shit but it does not look very good. The trailers have been pretty weak and the latest one, which pretty much sells the movie on Stallone, Willis and Schwarzeneger is pretty messed up. I had a fight party for the Rampage fight and every person in my house grew wood when the trailer came on and it looked like the aforementioned legends were teaming up, any kid that grew up in the late 80's early 90's had very cool day dreams about that possibility. I'm the only film geek among my friends so I knew the deal but they are all your average everyday movie goer. The studio knows they have a hot, steaming turd bomb on their hands. Why else mislead the general action fan? They're banking on opening weekend before word gets out those guys share the screen for 5 minutes and the movie sucks ass. Prediction: it'll open around 45 million but take a 60-70 persent nose dive the following weekend before it tops out at 75-80 million.
I am just stoked for this movie. CAN NOT WAIT.
My expectations are this: A fun actioner with a weak plot. The little jokes here-and-there & the cast will make up for the predictable plot and dialogue, making this movie merely a fun one.
Trailer's a bit of a waste of time, but then I suspect the whole movie will be.
If I didn't know better I would think I had watched a trailer for some kind of spoof/parody a la Naked Gun with clearly past-it looking 80s holdovers.
This kind of flick will either sink or swim. In a relatively weak summer it may just have an edge to perform better than it may deserve to but then again, it might not.
According to the official site, it's been given an R-rating, although a rating descriptor is not present.
http://expendablesthemovie.com/
Interesting, I went there before writing the article and never did hover over the "Legal" thing until now. Looks like it did get that R-rating. Thanks for the heads up.
If i see a PG rating or a 14A rating on this movie ( Canadian ratings for PG-13 movies) ill be pretty rattled. With a cast like this , you NEED to expect blood , violence , a lot of swearing , and a kick-ass good time. This should not be a movie for a teenage son and his Dad. This should be a movie for the Men.
i retract my above statement :) it might just get an 18A here . there is very rarely ever an R rating in Canada.
i just read on IMDB that the producer has two versions an R-rated and a PG-13….. He better choose wisely
Surely it will be a blockbuster, i cant wait to see this…
S**t the expendables got a HARD R
R- for strong action and bloody violence throughout and some language