The Expendables 2 brings together the Planet Hollywood trio, a cage fighter, Lone Wolf McQuade and the Transporter to exciting effect. In this follow-up to 2010’s The Expendables, the biggest surprise --other than seeing Jean-Claude Van Damme’s villainous charisma on the screen again -- is that Arnold Schwarzenegger does a lot more of the hands-on action stuff. Certain in-jokes related to The Terminator  are gold dust, helping to enrich the experience for veteran audience members as well as those with only a passing familiarity about such pop culture references.

Admittedly, there’s no Mickey Rourke and very little of Jet Li, but the film survives without them. The filmmakers ratchet up the revenge scenario by introducing elements of mystery and intrigue. When newcomer Billy (Liam Hemsworth) is executed by the ruthless Vilain (Van Damme), the Expendables team intend to exact their revenge in the worst way possible. Adding to which, Vilain has plans of his own, mainly to use the plutonium hidden away in an Albanian mine for his own ends.

The Expendables 2 offers more reliable entertainment per frame of action than its predecessor. Even Chuck Norris pops in momentarily to lend a hand. He plays Booker, a “lone wolf” or solo operative who takes a secret kind of delight in always being around when needed. The secret weapon here proves to be Schwarzenegger. He makes the action scenes indelible, evoking memories of his True Lies and Eraser days. When he runs out of ammunition for an automatic shotgun, he simply discards it and picks up another weapon, while on the move. He’s a handy guy to have around when trouble’s brewing.

Van Damme has played a baddie before. To the best of my recollection, his awkward presence in martial arts flicks like No Retreat, No Surrender and Black Eagle utterly failed to get the job done. In The Expendables 2, we watch as editor Todd E. Miller teases the performance from the star. Although Van Damme barely holds his own for more than a few seconds, Miller illustrates that key pieces can add up to a significant whole.

Sifting through the avalanche of great moments, a little scene near the beginning in which Hemsworth confesses to Stallone that he’s unhappy with the life of a mercenary touches a deep chord. An important revelation prior to this gives a strong indication that director Simon West (Con Air) may be winking at the audience, letting them know this is supposed to be fun.

The Expendables 2 represents the type of escapism I love: intriguing minor characters, fast-paced, comprehensible action and memorable one-liners. A perfect score from Brian Tyler echoes throughout the cinema, reminding us of what action films should sound like. The whole experience left me cheering for another sequel.

(Released by Lionsgate and rated "R" by MPAA.)