In Expendables 3, Barney (Stallone) faces off with an old enemy and must fight old blood with new blood, bringing in a new era of Expendables who are younger and faster. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise when The Expendables find themselves in their most personal battle yet. (Gary Reber)
Special features include a documentary (HD 51:56), the featurettes New Blood: Stacked And Jacked (HD 16:11) and The Total Action Package (HD 06:40); the Christmas Runs The Gauntlet extended scene (HD 02:46); a gag reel (HD 05:41); upfront previews; and an UltraViolet digital copy.
The 2.40:1 1080p AVC picture was digitally photographed with the Red Epic camera system. Image quality is excellent, with a nicely saturated color palette, with rich and warm hues throughout. Contrast is well balanced with deep, solid blacks and shadow delineation. Fleshtones are naturally hued. Resolution is revealing of fine detail throughout, especially during close-ups. This is a strongly hued picture with a natural presence, though, stylistically rough and tough.
The Dolby® Atmos soundtrack has a TrueHD 7.1-horizontal channel with height information delivered to additional loudspeakers, depending on system configuration. The holistic® presence is effective throughout, with the added two horizontal channels enhancing the soundfield and the height channel adding to the hemispherically immersive dimensionality. Directionally is aggressively positioned throughout the soundfield with strong surround envelopment. Atmospherics and sound effects are dynamic sounding, with effective nuanced sounds and loud effects, such as gunfire and explosions. Deep bass is powerful and extended in the .1 LFE channel, which enhances the dynamic impact of the action scenes. The orchestral music score is nicely presented with a wide soundstage that extends aggressively to the surrounds. Dialogue is clear and decently integrated. This is a dynamic action-prone dimensional soundtrack experience that is exciting.