The Losers

Rating: 3.5 Shurikens

I went to see The Losers recently, because it originated from a comic book. The intense action and the flow of the story made for an entertaining movie-going experience. This is a good movie to watch in the theater, because the explosions and most of the action are great on the big screen, with serious sound. I wouldn't spend the money to watch it twice, though. The second time would be on disc, at home.

The story is basically a team of five highly macho mercenaries plus one very beautiful woman. Th woman is tough, a heck of a good fighter, and very sexy. She has a plan for The Losers, but she is secretive about it. The movie begins with a mission gone astray, and the Evil Boss Leader tries to destroy the losers at the end of the mission. He fails, of course, or there wouldn't be a story.

The Losers are stranded in Bolivia, thought dead, when the beautiful woman picks a fight with Max, the leader of the team. She offers a plan for The Losers to get their revenge, and much of the movie is the implementation of the plan, which requires a vast amount of money. Somehow the woman has the money to pay for everything, so the story continues to flow.

The Evil Boss Leader is a real a-hole, who wants to obtain new kinds of weapons, which are science-fiction, and don't correspond to anything in the real world. This is obviously from the comic book story, and it is refreshing to see something like that not get replaced by nuclear-tipped cruise missiles. It keeps the comic book feel in the story. Anyway, the villain kills a few people somewhat gratuitously, reinforcing his evilness. He also has an endless supply of minions who can be killed or maimed by The Losers.

Much of the story is formulaic and predictable, but the characters are realistic and likeable on a personal level. There is an undercurrent of wisecrack comedy, as we have seen in comic book teams through the years. With a good pace to the action and some spectacular scenes involving fire and explosions, The Losers entertains.

In the end, there is betrayal, the woman's secret is revealed, and the door is open for a sequel, but I won't say anything more. No spoilers here. You will just have to go see it yourself. You should go soon, because it will be probably be out of the theaters once Iron Man 2 arrives. I give it 3.5 Shurikens.