It really is curious why Hollywood is all of a sudden obsessed with ‘80s action again, especially when, as of late, these vehicles have tanked.

Yes, “The Expendables” was popular. It was nostalgic to see all of those stars on screen in a movie that captured late 20th century action hits. But that was three years ago and neither of the two main characters in “Escape Plan,” (Rated R; 116 Min.) Sylvester Stallone as Breslin and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Rottmayer, have really proven their box office stability beyond that first “Expendables.” Even the second “Expendables” was disappointing.

“Escape Plan” is interesting in theory but a dud in execution. As Breslin, Stallone is a man who can break out of any prison presented to him. In fact, it is what he does for a living. The government hires him to point out the flaws in their security system by sending him deep inside as an inmate. This seems like a pretty dangerous scenario to be sending an ordinary citizen into, but it is a neat setup, one Stallone seems to be perfect for.

Breslin is hired to go inside a first-of-its-kind, privately-funded prison where people can pay to have others locked up. It is meant to be a place where dangerous drug lords and terrorists are sent, but for the right price anyone can be forced inside. Still a pretty interesting idea, but the movie stalls when Breslin meets Schwarzenegger’s Rottmayer and discovers someone set him up — the warden (Jim Caviezel, quite reserved, but clearly having fun) does not know who he is and someone has paid a lot of money to keep him in there forever.

The two plot their escape but instead of coming up with anything remotely interesting, the whole escape seems tired. Neither Schwarzenegger nor Stallone seemed to be incredibly interested in the proceedings. Brief shots of the outside world where Stallone’s associates, played by Amy Ryan and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, seem to be an afterthought and the movie’s two or three twists do not make a whole lot of sense. The whole thing seems half-baked and borrowed heavily from the old Fox show “Prison Break.”

It is weird that about the only thing worth completing here are the villains. Caviezel controls every scene he is in and his top henchman, Drake (Vinnie Jones) does not seem all there, but does have a few moments where he gets to shine.

In the pantheon of these ‘80s action throwbacks, “Escape Plan” is not as bad as Stallone’s last effort “Bullet to the Head” simply because the plot is half-interesting. But it is about time for the studios to realize that no matter how hard they try, they simply are not going to capture the magic again.