297. Escape Plan 2 - Hades; movie review

ESAPE PLAN 2 - HADES
Cert 15
94 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, injury detail, language

When will Sylvester Stallone's bubble burst? He is 72 and is still playing an action hero.
Nobody can deny that he looks amazing for his years but Escape Plan 2 - Hades might be the signal that the game is up.
In common with many of this summer's sequels,  Steven C. Miller's film dims the reputation of its predecessor which Mrs W and I had, unexpectedly, rated as better than much of Stallone's movie catalogue.
Sadly, Escape Plan 2 fails to reach the bar. Indeed, in my view, it is a bit of a mess.
Stallone reprises his role as Ray Breslin, a security expert whose crack team are adept at handling the tightest of corners.
However, they find themselves in their toughest arena when they are picked off, one by one, and taken to a secret prison called "the zoo".
There they are forced the fight fellow inmates in "battles" which are intended to wear them down and force vital information from them.
Huang Xiaoming is the first prisoner from the Breslin team, along with his cousin (Chenying Tang) a computer genius whose information could lead to the crippling of satellites worldwide.
The former combines brain and his super-sharp martial arts skills to try to escape but pretty soon finds the jail is tighter than Alcatraz.
Therefore, he has to lean on the talents of the rest of the Breslin team (Jesse Metcalfe, Dave Bautista and 50 Cent) to defeat the bad guys.
Meanwhile, there are myriad confusing high-tech elements which are designed to intrigue the audience but serve only to dilute the action.
In addition, Escape Plan 2 has many other weaknesses.
For example, the character exploration is so weak, I couldn't have cared less whether Sly's mates are rescued or not.
Meanwhile, the action is pale compared to the summer opposition from the likes of Mission Impossible - Fallout.
Finally, Stallone has seen his day. The Expendables should have been his last hurrah but he is still trying to convince us that he is John Rambo. He ain't.
It all adds up to a box office flop. Perhaps cinema-goers are finally sending a message to dear 'old' Sly.


Reasons to watch: To see Sly Stallone still be an action hero at 72
Reasons to avoid: Its storyline is banal and its dialogue is hackneyed

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 3/10

Director quote - Steven C. Miller: "I had fun shooting this w/ @TheSlyStallone & @DaveBautista @50cent @welliver_titus @weschatham @Jaime_King @jessemetcalfe Enjoy! #EscapePlan2

The big question - When will Sly finally put away his pecks?

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