13 Small Changes That Would Make Terrible Movies Awesome

8. It's R-Rated - The Expendables 3

The Expendables 3 was a disaster for one reason above all others: Lionsgate got greedy and gave it a PG-13 rating in a misguided attempt to bring in more money.

Ironically, it ended up the lowest-grossing entry into the franchise, which was inevitably blamed on a screener of the movie leaking online a few weeks before release, when in reality it was because the core fanbase lost interest in a movie that wasn't R-rated.

Though these films are never works of art as far as writing goes, the previous two films at least brought the gnarly violence and tongue-in-cheek action, while part three featured offputtingly bloodless set-pieces that just felt totally at odds with the spirit of the franchise.

Even the film's Unrated Cut on home video was mostly bloodless, underlining how at a conceptual level the film was designed to appeal to the teen crowd who, of course, don't really care about a bunch of guys who did their best work three decades ago.

If it was shot to be an R, the movie would've hit so much harder in every way, and Mel Gibson could've truly been able to unleash the full extent of his savagery as the villainous Conrad Stonebanks. He's still the best part of the movie, but you can tell he's holding back because of the kiddie-friendly rating.