When Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his band of aging mercenaries enlist a crew of younger, fitter and savvier prodigies to embark on a suicidal mission to exterminate the one man capable of destroying the Expendables, disaster strikes.

When Barney and Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson) had originally founded the Expendables, they were undeniably unstoppable.   Years later, Stonebanks turned on the team to become a trigger-happy arms dealer, forcing Barney to kill the one man he called brother.  Little did Barney know that Stonebanks survived and has been biding his time planning the perfect revenge.  It is an all out war.  Stonebanks is out for blood, and with the help of Lee Christmas (Jason Statham) and the surviving Expendables, war is what Stonebanks will get.

This film serves as a great throwback to the classic old-school action movie.  With retired A-Lister names, such as Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Harrison Ford, the generation of film that epitomizes the action hero stereotypes is brought back to life with a modern 21st century twist.  This star-studded airstrike, backed by up-and-coming names such as Kellan Lutz and Ronda Rousey, takes us to a time that allowed viewers to believe that ordinary people could be heroes too.

The one character who shows promise is Kellan Lutz as Smilee.  Smilee’s stereotype is portrayed as the underdog. Because of  his size, it is a shock when Smilee voluntarily chooses to join the Expendables and risk his life to protect his friends.  Viewers watch as Smilee’s character gains confidence in himself as Lutz convincingly portrays the vulnerable superhero brilliantly.  Smilee encourages viewers that despite a lack of skills, the underdog can also be a hero.

The level of skill and technicality that cast members have serves as the backbone to the movie.  Impressive man-to-man combat scenes of martial arts and modern military warfare put viewers at edge of their seats believing that they are viewing scenes first-hand.  With modern cinematography and graphic effects, scenes are brilliantly exaggerated with intense drama.

Running at 126 minutes, this film is fairly long.  There are multiple occasions where too much chaos is occurring, confusing the audience.  There is never a scene that is too slow, which makes it hard for audiences to assimilate all that is going on or how much time has passed from scene to scene.

Despite the film’s minor shortcomings, “The Expendables 3” is an action-packed thriller that is well worth the time of anyone looking for adrenaline and old school action.