Rambo (BD)

When the first movie in the “Rambo” series, “First Blood” (1982), was released, the “Rocky” series was already in its third offering, “Rocky III” (1982). It became increasingly clear that each sequel in the two series was worse than its predecessor. Over the years, the characters of “Rambo” and “Rocky” became fodder for countless parodies. Weird Al Yankovic’s “UHF” (1989) poked fun at “Rambo” by copying Rambo’s action sequences and his dialogue delivery style that now has its own cult following. No doubt by the late Eighties: “Rambo” and “Rocky” were shunned and renounced by critics and moviegoers. Then in 2008, Stallone decided to resurrect his American Hero, John Rambo, in “Rambo,” perhaps for the last time. The movie was well received by audiences and became a decent earner at the box office.

In the story, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) now lives in Thailand in an area close to the Burmese border. He makes his living by hunting snakes and selling them in a nearby local region. Soon, a missionary, Michael (Paul Schulze), approaches Rambo and asks him to take a group of missionaries to a region in Burma so they can provide the needy with food and medicines. Initially, Rambo refuses to take the job, but at the insistence of Sarah (Julie Benz), he decides to help the missionaries. Along the way, Rambo’s boat is stopped by pirates. After getting rid of the pirates, the group arrives at the destination, and Michael tells Rambo that their group will travel by road for rest of the journey.

Upon reaching the village, Michael’s group is attacked by an opposition military leader who later kidnaps the missionaries. The pastor soon comes back to Rambo and informs him that the missionaries have been missing for the last ten days. He asks Rambo to lead a group of mercenaries that will eventually rescue the missionaries. Meanwhile, Sarah and the other members are rescued, but the group is again attacked by the Burmese army. Rambo engages the entire army and saves the group.

I was actually surprised how much I enjoyed this movie in my second viewing. “Rambo: First Blood Part II” and “Rambo III” were downright miserable, and I had no hopes from “Rambo.” Surprisingly, I was pleasantly entertained by Stallone’s latest Rambo movie. One thing that struck me about “Rambo” was its serious tone, which connects at an emotional level. Stallone fabricates Rambo’s character in a manner that is, in fact, a continuity of his character from the first movie. Here, Rambo is disillusioned and angry with the world just as he was in the beginning of “First Blood.” He retreats to a quite village in Thailand away from his home in the U.S. All these years, he has become emotionally cold and rigid. Considering his past, Rambo’s behavior is completely understandable and realistic. In addition, “Rambo” deals with a similar theme about war and its harmful effects on the community, as seen in the previous Rambo sequels.

“Rambo” succeeds because of the prevailing on-screen tension between the characters, which was also evident in “First Blood.” Sarah’s persistence in getting Rambo onboard and Michael’s disapproval of Rambo’s maverick ways inject adequate drama to the story. The action occurs much later in the film, and the buildup to the action is carefully planned and executed. The editing is superior, and the movie breezes fast in its nine-nine-minutes of duration. As an action movie, “Rambo” erases our memory of its dreadful sequels and comes very close in the entertainment value to “First Blood.”

Nonetheless, “Rambo: First Blood Part II” and “Rambo III” were both criticized heavily due to the filmmakers’ propensity to show out-of-context and overextended action sequences along with sloppy stories. “Rambo” is no less in this aspect, but the action has a place in the context of the overall story. Then again, the action is overly stylized with a high body count, in which people are blown to bits, not once, but on numerous occasions.

The baddies here are treated like zombies, and the kills depicted are repetitive, brutal and definitely not for the weak. I realize there is a message buried in all of this, but Stallone went overboard in depicting excessive action. More so, the movie suffers from a predictable plot, and it rarely springs any surprise on its viewers. Finally, “Rambo” does not reinvent the wheel in the action department. We have seen this template for Rambo in Vietnam and Afghanistan, and certainly his military approach in Burma is nothing innovative. Probably, this is the only thing that “Rambo” does well.

Note: This cut of the film includes an additional nine minutes, which is nothing but deleted scenes edited back to the movie. The inclusion of the new footage does not have any impact on the overall story.

Video:

Similar to its first release on Blu-ray, “Rambo” boasts a terrific-looking transfer that is perfect demo material for home theaters. The landscapes and jungles are beautiful to look at and have a natural-feel to them. Mostly, the movie is shot in deep jungle interiors with rapid action sequences. The transfer holds up well with increased sharpness and detail. There is some grain present, especially in the rescue night-action sequence. The presence of grain provides the necessary gritty, warlike appearance to the movie. The photography style resembles that of a Vietnam War movie. Similarly, skin tones never appear to be washed out and retain their true lifelike form.

Audio:

Lionsgate has produced a pulse-pounding, aggressive track through the use of a 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. The dynamic characteristics of action sequences make this track a very immersive and engaging experience. The surround channels remain active throughout. The bass is heavy in action scenes, but never overly loud. As expected, the dialogue is clear and crisp during the entire duration. This is a demo-worthy audio track from Lionsgate. Also, the movie can be viewed with Spanish subtitles.

Extras:

The only extra included for this release is an eighty-three-minute featurette, “Rambo: To Hell & Back.” This is basically a production diary made during the shooting of “Rambo.” In this, Sylvester Stallone discusses his thoughts on the fourth “Rambo,” the cast, the crew, and the various locations used. Lionsgate has dropped all the features from the previous release. Fans might want to hold on to the previous “Rambo” release.

Parting Shots:

The appalling sequels of “Rocky” and “Rambo” are still fresh in people’s mind. Stallone reprising Rambo’s character probably raised a lot of eyebrows, but he keeps things simple in directing “Rambo.” Certainly, John Rambo breathes new life in this edition, and his character comes close to “First Blood” in terms of the entertainment value and content. However, the movie still has its obvious flaws and never threatens to surpass “First Blood” in any respect. Lionsgate has produced a splendid-looking Blu-ray that excels in the audio and visual departments, but the lack of extras might be the only flaw in the release.



Final ratings:

Video = 10/10

Audio = 10/10

Extras = 6/10