Expendables 4

The latest chapter in a franchise that hasn’t aged as well as its stars, Expendables 4 shows how stale its concept has become, even after a nine-year hiatus.

The latest salute to testosterone-fueled machismo rolls out another ensemble of action heroes — minus some legendary faces from previous installments — for a globetrotting adventure that doesn’t stray from the template established by its predecessors.

The last sequel in 2014 was quite the star-studded affair, featuring appearances by Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Antonio Banderas, and Wesley Snipes. None of them are back for this go-around, and neither are series regulars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews, and Jet Li.

Among the returnees is franchise creator Sylvester Stallone as Barney, leader of the elite mercenary group known as the Expendables, who loosely operate under CIA jurisdiction.

For their latest mission, Barney and his team — weapons expert Christmas (Jason Statham), unstable Gunner (Dolph Lundgren), demolitions expert Toll Road (Randy Couture), and newcomer Easy (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) — are summoned to Libya to stop the theft of nuclear warheads by a rogue agent (Iko Uwais) representing a mysterious foreign crime syndicate known as Ocelot.

Taking their orders from a CIA operative (Andy Garcia), the group suffers a tragedy that splinters their ranks and necessitates passing the torch. They recruit Gina (Megan Fox), an ex-girlfriend of Christmas, and a former colleague (Tony Jaa) before regrouping in Asia attempting to prevent World War III.

Once again emphasizing brawn over brains, the film showcases some impressive pyrotechnics and set pieces, intense chases and confrontations, along with a handful of amusing quips — mostly winking self-deprecation — delivered by actors who at least don’t take themselves or the material too seriously.

After all, nobody is anticipating a plot that is clever or even coherent, and franchise devotees aren’t showing up for emotional depth or thematic complexity.

Still, even with those measured expectations, the proceedings here are uninspired, with generic villains and contrived stakes to supplement the throwback vibe. The climactic showdown at sea is competently staged by director Scott Waugh (Need for Speed).

With the series running on fumes at this point, it becomes clear that Expendables 4 was conceived more for financial motives than creative reinvigoration. It’s time to blow it up.

Rated R, 103 minutes.