Expend4bles (The Expendables 4) - CGI Catastrophe!

In another Sylvester Stallone Podcast Network crossover, hosts Ryan Rebalkin of Going The Distance, Craig Cohen of Slycast, and Doug Greenberg of Rocky Minute reluctantly dissect The Expendables 4 (aka Expend4bles, 2023), Scott Waugh's underwhelming R-rated swan song that squanders a $100M budget on PlayStation 2-level CGI boats, forgettable ship-bound climax, and charisma-vacuum newcomers like Megan Fox's abrasive Gina and 50 Cent's placeholder Easy Day. The trio mourns the franchise's faded glory—praising Jason Statham's elevated Lee Christmas lead, Tony Jaa's disciplined fighter, and fleeting OG chemistry with Stallone's four-day cameo and Dolph Lundgren's aged Gunner—while eviscerating phoned-in villains (Iko Uwais' Rahmat, Andy Garcia's Ocelot), choppy AI-like banter, zero stakes, and passionless filmmaking that prioritizes F-bombs over practical '80s-style explosions, deeming it a fine-but-forgettable misfire that killed the series despite meta nods and martial arts flair.