1. It Found a Great Balance Between Grim & Gritty and Self-Deprecation
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What the
Expendables 2 did so well was striking the right balance between over-the-top and realism. You could feel their pain when they got hit, you could fear for them, yet you kinda knew they would be safe because a one-liner would defend them against a hail of bullets and nothing would ever harm them, even a French-speaking bad guy. Probably the most iconic line of the movie, which was (almost) the last line, was their one-liner about a "piece worth going to a museum", without spoiling it too much. Like the movie Red, Expendables and particularly Expendables 2 was never ashamed to play with their actors' age. Never. They also made fun of their actors' most famous one-liners, particularly Schwarzenegger's. I read an online review that mentioned that this particular one-liner was mentioned too much. I didn't count it, but I would guesstimate that after 3 utterances, the viewer (and the stars) made fun of the line immediately! So, that shows you how self-aware, and fun!, the movie was. Yet, there were deaths, tragedy, suspense, and most of all blood and grit aplenty in the movie! You couldn't tell what would come next: blood splatter or bladder humor! And that's a perfect balance!