THE EXPENDABLES 5

β Fictional Review (2025)
The Expendables 5: Final Reckoning is a brutal, loud, and unapologetically explosive return to the franchiseβs roots β and easily the best entry since the original trilogy.
π¬ Story
When a rogue private military empire known as The Black Covenant seizes control of a stolen orbital weapon capable of wiping out entire cities, the world turns to the only team reckless enough to stop them: The Expendables.
Barney Ross (Stallone) comes out of retirement for one final mission after discovering that the Covenantβs leader is a ghost from his past β a former Expendables recruit left for dead on a mission gone wrong.
The mission takes the team across:
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π₯ War-torn Eastern Europe
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ποΈ A fortified island prison
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π A high-altitude airship headquarters
This is the most high-stakes plot in the franchise.
π₯ Action
If you want explosions, this is your feast.
The highlights include:
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π₯ Donnie Yen vs. Scott Adkins in a ruthless martial arts showdown
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π A train hijacking sequence packed with close-combat gunplay
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π A helicopter dogfight between Statham and Idris Elba
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π£ A final base assault that mixes Rambo-level brutality with Fast & Furious-scale destruction
The choreography is sharper, the gunfights are heavier, and the stunts are wild.

π Characters
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Stallone gives Barney Ross a surprisingly emotional farewell.
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Jason Statham fully takes over as the franchise lead, delivering charisma and savage efficiency.
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Idris Elba is a terrifying and stylish villain.
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Donnie Yen steals the show in every fight heβs in.
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Megan Fox gets a more fleshed-out role as a tactician/sniper.
The film blends old action legends with modern action stars perfectly.
π₯ Tone
This is a gritty, testosterone-heavy, bullet-filled love letter to 80s and 90s action cinema β but with modern polish and better pacing.
β Verdict
The Expendables 5: Final Reckoning is everything fans wanted:
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More action
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Better story
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Stronger villain
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And a proper send-off for Stallone
It doesnβt reinvent the wheel, but it absolutely blows it up.