What We Want on the Expendables DVD and Blu-ray

The movie kicked ass in theaters this weekend, here's how it could kick some more at home.

Judging by the box-office numbers, we know a lot of you saw The Expendables this weekend. And a lot of you are going to want to buy it on DVD or Blu-ray when it comes out. But what will that eventual home-video release look like? What will make the difference between must-own and must-rent? As always with big titles like this, we like to play a little game where we imagine what we'd put together in terms of technical specs and special features if we were the ones producing the DVD or Blu-ray. For The Expendables we're aiming for something that equals the fire power and star power of the movie itself. So let's see what we want to see.

Face-melting Audio

This movie is all about the gunfights and explosions, so the sound mix had better tear the paint off the walls. We want thumping bass that you can feel down to your bones. If the neighbors aren't complaining within the first 10 minutes, this disc will not have done its job. Of course, it must be digital and for the Blu-ray we'd love to hear it in lossless 7.1 HD. The Expendables would be a fantastic showcase for that format, and make for great reference material to show off that elaborate home-theater setup. What else is it there for?

Sly Commentary

The next, absolutely essential element is a commentary from director, co-writer and star Sylvester Stallone. If you've ever seen the man interviewed, heard one of his other commentary tracks or caught the Expendables panel at Comic-Con, you know that he's surprisingly eloquent about his craft and can be both an interesting and charming speaker in real life. We expect he'd have all kinds of insights to provide about the making of the film and informative tidbits about the people involved. And we might as well add to this wish list a separate commentary featuring as many cast members as possible joining Stallone for a little good-natured ribbing and even more behind-the-scenes dirt. For the Blu-ray, make it a picture-in-picture video commentary and we'd be more than satisfied.

Comic-Con Panel

Speaking of a certain San Diego convention, it would be great to include the Expendables panel in its entirety for those who weren't lucky enough to be there. Of all the movie panels we attended (and there were a lot of them), this was one of the most fun Q&A sessions, and the crowd really ate it up. Sure, it seemed a lot like a mutual admiration society at times up there, but there was plenty of bantering and swaggering involved too. It would be a waste to let something like that fade away, never to be seen again. Even those who were there might appreciate reliving the experience without the long line and crowded seats. And wasn't there something about Stallone being inducted into some sort of Action Hero Hall of Fame?

Inside the Stunts

If you stuck around for the credits in the theater you probably saw that huge list of stunt performers scroll by (seriously, it must have taken up half the screen). How about giving some of these guys their turn in the spotlight? We also can't help but wonder how the older stars coped with the physical demands of their roles (and who got injured and how). In addition to focusing on the big action set pieces and explosions, a bit about the fights would be cool, too. For instance, it couldn't have been easy pairing Jet Li's Hong Kong style of fighting with Dolph Lundgren's two-fisted brawling. We'd like to see these guys really working together, not just Li and Lundgren, but all of them. They obviously put a lot of effort into the film, and that should get more attention than main feature allows.

Gag Reel

Despite all that hard work we mentioned, you know there must have been more than a few lighthearted moments on the set. It sure seemed like the actors were having the times of their lives. Let us in on that with a gag reel or some outtakes showing that even macho men make mistakes and get tongue tied just like everyone else. Line flubs are to be expected, but we want to see these guys goofing around, letting off steam and just being themselves. Give us an idea of what it was like to be on the set the day Bruce, Arnold and Sly filmed their scene together. Every production has moments where things don't go as planned and someone breaks character. Those moments can sometimes be as much fun to watch as the movie itself.

Character Bios

Each member of the Expendables team seems to have their own backstory and an intriguing relationship to the rest of the members. Whether it's Stallone's Barney Ross, Statham's Lee Christmas, Li's Ying Yang or Terry Crews' Hale Caesar, we suspect there could be enough material on each character to fill a "confidential" dossier on each of them. They could be linked to scenes from the film and interviews with the actors about what they came up with in terms of personal histories for their characters.

Who Didn't Make the Cut?

Okay, we know this one is unlikely, but we'd really like to see some kind of discussion about the action stars who didn't make it into the film, maybe even a cameo or a brief interview with some of them. Where was Jean-Claude Van Damme? How about Kurt Russell? Or The Rock? We know these guys don't take themselves too seriously in real life (unlike Steven Seagal, who we won't even suggest), so they could probably have some fun with it, faking outrage or commenting on what they thought of the film. It might even be worthwhile to hear them talk about what being an action star means to them. And of course, there's always The Expendables II.

Is there anything you want to see on the Expendables DVD or Blu-ray? Drop us a line in the comments section below and let us know what you think!

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