The Expendables is the latest film from Sylvester Stallone, following new sequels in both the Rocky and Rambo film franchises, during what some have described as a "career comeback" for Sly. Written by, directed by and starring Stallone, The Expendables is a tribute of sorts to the old action films from the 1980s and early 1990s. You remember, the ones where stuff gets blown up ... constantly.

Stallone is the leader of a team of mercenaries-for-hire who take on the job of overthrowing the dictator of the small island country of Vilena, later discovering that an ex-CIA agent, portrayed by the often-typecast-in-this-type-of-role Eric Roberts, is behind the country's struggles. But, let's face it, the plot is secondary in this film. The entire purpose of this movie is to throw us back to those old-school, blow-'em-up action flicks, and it serves that purpose quite nicely. In the same vein as those films, plenty of stuff gets blown up, plenty of people get shot (often in brutal fashion) and plenty of cheesy one-liners are spewed by the cast.

Speaking of the cast, Stallone is surrounded by a "who's who" from action films past and present. Jet Li, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke are all members of the Expendables, with Terry Crews and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) legend Randy Couture rounding out the group. The aforementioned Eric Roberts is the main antagonist, and pro-wrestler-turned-action-star "Stone Cold" Steve Austin stars as his "muscle." (For the UFC and/or WWE fans, they even included an on-screen fight between Couture and Stone Cold.) Oh, and if that's not enough, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis appear in cameo roles, as they have a scene with Stallone placing all three action icons on-screen at the same time.

Like I said, there isn't much of a plot to speak of in this movie, and there are definitely no Oscar-worthy performances. But, anybody that goes into this movie expecting such probably shouldn't be seeing this film in the first place.

In closing, The Expendables is a more-than-suitable nostalgia piece for those of us who grew up watching action films in the 80s/early 90s. And it does exactly what it sets out to do - serve as a popcorn flick. No more. No less. In my opinion, the critics that think otherwise obviously had some unrealistic and uninformed expectations going in. Definitely take the time to go see this movie if you've ever enjoyed films from the genre. If not, you'd probably be better suited seeing something else.

Shane Brown's movie reviews on HobNobWilson are brought to you by The Roxy of Lebanon. The Roxy is located at 200 Legends Drive in Lebanon. For movie listings, please visit The Roxy website or call the Roxy Movie Line at 615-444-4RXY.