Just finished watching Rambo for the second time today...

[Craig]

Now THAT'S how you do a modern sequel for an older series!

I doubt there's many Rambo fans who wouldn't agree this movie was a brilliant installment in the series. I'll admit I did get a bit sceptical when I first saw the stereotypically foul-mouthed British mercenary, but about 10 minutes on I realised my worries were nothing but movie industry paranoia.

[Danny]

i havent seen it since its cinema release and i still think its one of the best action movies in the last ten years.

[EvilNed]

I watched Missing in Action 3 yesterday, and I'm a bit put off by the whole formula right now. Never was a fan of "super strong, american warrior takes down the entire ****ing army all by himself" type of films.

[MinionZombie]

Craig, Hellsing - men after my own heart.

I recently watched Rambo for my third time and it's still awesome. The best slice of action blokery since the Berlin Wall fell down. Superb action and another series resurrection that succeeds in spades from Stallone. :cool:

[Craig]

I watched Missing in Action 3 yesterday, and I'm a bit put off by the whole formula right now. Never was a fan of "super strong, american warrior takes down the entire ****ing army all by himself" type of films.
Well it's not just him this time, there's a team of mercenaries sent in to do the job and Rambo decides to 'tag along'. Thinking about it, another interesting scenario would have been a team of mercenaries hunting him down and him offing them one by one.

[Terran]

This Rambo installment was hilariously entertaining....I enjoyed every minute of this action packed gorefest

[EvilNed]

Well it's not just him this time, there's a team of mercenaries sent in to do the job and Rambo decides to 'tag along'. Thinking about it, another interesting scenario would have been a team of mercenaries hunting him down and him offing them one by one.

Just not my genre. I mean, I enjoy dumb films. I love them. But this is just too dumb of a genre for me.

[Terran]

Just not my genre. I mean, I enjoy dumb films. I love them. But this is just too dumb of a genre for me.

If you havent seen it you should give it a try....I also do not like this genre that you describe....but this movie is very entertaining....



I doubt there's many Rambo fans who wouldn't agree this movie was a brilliant installment in the series.

Im not a Rambo fan(though the first one was good)....but I still loved this movie....

[bassman]

I watched Missing in Action 3 yesterday, and I'm a bit put off by the whole formula right now. Never was a fan of "super strong, american warrior takes down the entire ****ing army all by himself" type of films.

Agreed. First Blood is the only film in the series that I like and i've heard that this new installment is like 2 and 3. So I don't even care to see it. I won't pay for it, anyway. I'll probably check it out when it's on TV...

[EvilNed]

If you havent seen it you should give it a try....I also do not like this genre that you describe....but this movie is very entertaining....


I'll give it a try eventually. But I know I'm not a fan of the genre so I'm not going to pursue it. It'll happen when it happens. :p

[Minerva_Zombi]

i think stallone realised that he really had nothing going on in his career and that he was apart of two of the most beloved movie series ever in rambo and rocky. so, i think he wanted to do two good quality sequels for both. and he definatly succeeded. rambo was awesome. this is the kind of film die hard 4 should have been. yippie ki yay mother.... BOOM! lol. lame.

[Craig]

so, i think he wanted to do two good quality sequels for both. and he definatly succeeded. rambo was awesome. this is the kind of film die hard 4 should have been. yippie ki yay mother.... BOOM! lol. lame.
I totally agree, and I haven't even subjected myself to DH4.

Stallone is doing another Rambo for 2009 and according to a quote on Wikipedia he wants to take Rambo away from the action and into a different genre apparently... I'm interested, if not a little sceptical of how it'd work.

[MinionZombie]

Rambo in another genre?

Errr ... the point in Rambo is he's all guns and fight.

It would be interesting to see him back in America though. First Blood was him in America, but after that point he's fought various wars and come back after it all, so it'll be interesting to see what that would be like.

However - in another genre? Leave Rambo be I think, or at least leave him be in the action genre.

After the one-two punch of Rocky Balboa and Rambo, it'd be silly to stuff it up with another Rocky V, you know.

He's only saying it at the moment, hopefully he'll have a proper think about it, and has had an idea floating around for a good while.

But I don't see Rambo working in any other genre but action, he's an action hero, leave him there. He's not sci-fi, he's not horror, he's not anything else but action - and there's nout wrong with that.

Rambo, by the way, was awesome. :)

[EvilNed]

But I don't see Rambo working in any other genre but action, he's an action hero, leave him there. He's not sci-fi, he's not horror, he's not anything else but action - and there's nout wrong with that.

How about the drama genre? You know, like First Blood? The one that was actually good?

[bassman]

How about the drama genre? You know, like First Blood? The one that was actually good?

HIGH FIVE!
http://members.iinet.net.au/~carlm/misc/jrnl_scrubs.jpg

[clanglee]

Seriously. . Ned and Bass. . the recent Rambo is really good. Really really good.:D

[MoonSylver]

Rambo in another genre?

Errr ... the point in Rambo is he's all guns and fight.

It would be interesting to see him back in America though. First Blood was him in America, but after that point he's fought various wars and come back after it all, so it'll be interesting to see what that would be like.

However - in another genre? Leave Rambo be I think, or at least leave him be in the action genre.

After the one-two punch of Rocky Balboa and Rambo, it'd be silly to stuff it up with another Rocky V, you know.

He's only saying it at the moment, hopefully he'll have a proper think about it, and has had an idea floating around for a good while.

But I don't see Rambo working in any other genre but action, he's an action hero, leave him there. He's not sci-fi, he's not horror, he's not anything else but action - and there's nout wrong with that.

Rambo, by the way, was awesome. :)

The word had been when it went into production that he was planning on doing two sequels. I don't think this one was as big a hit (financially or critically) as Rocky Balboa though was it? So we'll see.

Rambo back it the states would be awesome. Not sure how you'd put him up against, but it would be cool.

Rambo in another genre? No way.

[Craig]

You have to admit First Blood has to be the most thought-provoking and original movie in the series.

However, the novel of First Blood that the movie is based on had Rambo as more of the bad guy, and he ended up offing a lot more police and national guardsmen. So I guess the book had him more like he is in the movie sequels... if that makes sense.

[Skippy911sc]

Stallone has something going for him...I just watched Rocky Balboa and thought it was really really good. I also thought Rambo was pretty good. I must admit I truly enjoyed the first movie...First Blood, and enjoyed the second...Rambo...but third was well ...ahhh. But the fourth was splatterific. I watched this and several times sat there open mouthed saying oh my god. I cant believe the **** they showed.

[MinionZombie]

Moon - success wise, surely several factors weigh in:

* Budget - Rocky 6 was $24m, Rambo 4 was $50m

However, Rambo still made $112m worldwide, so it far from flopped.

* Rating? I'm not sure about what they were in the USA, but here in the UK Rocky was a 15 and Rambo was an 18 - therefore it cuts down the amount of people who can legally view it in the cinema, and buy the DVD.

* Genre - Rambo is all blood and guts and guns and explosions and the gritty horrors of Burma, so it's probably the cup of tea of less people, than Rocky, which is the story of a champion boxer from the streets who's been through it all and kept on going, a truly inspiring figure.

* Sequel reputation - First Blood only had 2 and 3 prior to Rambo, and 2 and 3 weren't a patch on the first film (however, Rambo is f*cking awesome).

Rocky had three quality sequels ... and then the fifth, which was all rather meh ... then Rocky Balboa just picked up the usual trend. So maybe more people went to it in the cinema as they figured it was more likely to be quality, instead of Rambo when it came out a couple of years later?

...

As for Rambo, apparently the weapon damage is quite realistic, like ballistics and stuff, is this the case? It certainly packs a punch alright. I think it uses the action quite well too, when the innocent are getting minced it's shocking and horrific, but when the bad guy junta chaps are getting minced, you're chanting "RAMBO! RAMBO!" with a massive grin on your face, so it treads that line - which other franchises and filmmakers might easily fall off of - very skillfully.

...

First Blood - aye, that was a great film, and it did indeed pack a punch. More of an emotional punch really, because you see this guy who went to war, saw true horror, fought for his country, then his country forgot about him and were disgusted with him upon his return - and that's a powerful story indeed. So you could say it has a hint of drama about it, but it's generally an action film ... just an action film with a conscience, though...that's how I see it. It's not like Beaches or something. :p

Rambo, on the other hand, is more about packing a visual punch and going for the gut - but like I said, it does it both in a true 1980s action flick style (when bad guys get it in the neck), but also in a very grown up "look at the sick sh*t going on in Burma to real people" way (when innocents are getting it in the neck).

It definitely goes First Blood, Rambo, First Blood Part II: Rambo, Rambo III.

[SRP76]

I liked this movie. I'm sure it makes some people angry about the so-called "message", though.

[Terran]

I liked this movie. I'm sure it makes some people angry about the so-called "message", though.

There was a message?

[SRP76]

Some would see it that way.

The "wrong to take a life" people that were out to "love thy neighbor" wound up doing nothing but getting tied to a cage, while the evil, life-taking barbarians had to come save their asses.

Kind of goes against the good, wholesome, "violence never solves anything" picture that people like to paint. I'm surprised people weren't out "protesting the evils" that this movie portrays.

[Terran]

Oh that message....hehe...I found the missionaries viewpoint so ridiculous that I hardly paid much attention to it.....but your right, yeah I suppose that is the message


Missionary:"Im still going to have to report you"....
LOL what a doosh...

[MinionZombie]

Hmmm ... I guess that might have been a message, but I took it more along the lines of when Rambo was going on about "have you got any weapons?" - and Chappelle from 24 is like "no" - and then Rambo says "you ain't changing anything", in other words you can't deal with completely evil bastards - like the Burmese military junta - with bibles and flu jabs, if you really wanna help the people, you have to depose the rulers ... it's the same thing with Zimbabwe really.

The only way to really help the people, is to get Mugabe out and have his military turn against him. Only then will outside aid really be properly effective ... that was what I took from that message in the movie.

I also think it was a case of holding a big sign up for the viewers to say "this is the sort of sh*t going on in Burma in real life", but within a full-on 1980s style action fest, which I thought was a brave decision on Stallone's part, but also an interesting one as you wouldn't normally expect such a message in such a movie.

[zombie04]

I think the message of the new Rambo movie wasn't really the missionaries point of view or Rambo's to a degree, it was Stallone just trying to say something along the lines of "this sh!t's really happening in Burma! I have to say though I definitely support Rambo's idea that you have to actually do something (even if it may be morally wrong) to dispose of true evil that cannot be bargained with as MZ said. If you watch the documentaries on the dvd I think one of them said right now in Burma it is a 10 year prison sentence if you are caught owning a bootlegged copy of the film and a life sentence if you are caught selling it. I think those with the movie would probably just be shot and that just supports Stallone's reason for making the movie.

And to those who refuse to watch it because you can't stand the genre and say you'll see it when you see it, just make sure you don't watch it on some cable network when you're bored and all the violence is cut out. It would only reduce the impact of what Stallone was going for.

As for me I'm off to have a little Rocky marathon...Rocky Balboa just impressed the hell out of me.

[EvilNed]

First Blood - aye, that was a great film, and it did indeed pack a punch. More of an emotional punch really, because you see this guy who went to war, saw true horror, fought for his country, then his country forgot about him and were disgusted with him upon his return - and that's a powerful story indeed. So you could say it has a hint of drama about it, but it's generally an action film ... just an action film with a conscience, though...that's how I see it. It's not like Beaches or something. :p


Oh come on, First Blood was a drama. Infact, it was a melodrama. It wasn't about action at all, and there wasn't much of it anyway. When I watched Rambo 2 I was like "What the hell? This is not even the same character I'm watching!" and so, I refuse to accept that the Rambo character could ever work in any other genre than the one he originated in:

Drama! And a damn fine drama it was. Part 2 and 3 are craaaaaaaaaap.

[MoonSylver]

Was reading up on the character of Rambo just out of curiosity, when I came across this:

Rambo V has been confirmed and is in pre-production.On February 2, 2008, Sylvester Stallone informed Reuters in an interview that making a fifth Rambo would depend on the success of the fourth movie but that he thought he was "gearing one up" and that it would "be quite different".

On March 10, 2008, Moviehole.net revealed that in an interview with Metro magazine, Stallone said that he was "half-way through" writing Rambo V and that it would not be another war movie. On March 20, Moviehole.net also said that ScreenDaily.com had revealed that the film would be shot in Bulgaria and later received word from a source that Bulgaria was to double for John Rambo's home town in Arizona.

Interesting...so Johnny's coming home eh?

"Would not be another war movie"...so...what IS it going to be then?:rockbrow:

[MinionZombie]

I know, it kinda sounds like making a Rocky movie that's not about boxing ... kinda "you wot, mate?" :rockbrow:

Hmmm ... but it's Rambo, so it's gotta involve guns and violence and muscles - that's what Rambo is!

[MoonSylver]

I know, it kinda sounds like making a Rocky movie that's not about boxing ... kinda "you wot, mate?" :rockbrow:

Hmmm ... but it's Rambo, so it's gotta involve guns and violence and muscles - that's what Rambo is!

I've been thinking on that a lot. There's been a lot of crazy speculation on it, but I think it could be easy to read too much into it. If you think about it you can make a ACTION picture without it being a WAR picture. Sort of a hazy distinction when it come to the Rambo movies, but the original First Blood is more of an action picture whereas III is definitely more war oriented.

One thing I've read is that it might be based on the original story idea for IV, that Rambo discovers he has a daughter, who has been kidnapped by a (satanic?) cult.

Not sure how I feel about that, but that could definitely fall into the realm of a "slightly different genre" & an action movie but not a war movie.

[MinionZombie]

As long as it stays action, then I'm most likely happy. :)

(I too was thinking "well, there's war and then there's action ... so ...")

[DjfunkmasterG]

I think I posted a mini review of this flick back in January when I saw it in theaters... However, my opinion still stands.

For the first 45 minutes the film is so-so, the last 45 has some great action moments, however, I still think it has a long way to go before being considered one of the better action films on today.

I like First Blood the best, and no sequel in that series has ever compared to how great that first film was, they just pale in comparison.

Rocky Balboa has been the only Stallone sequel, to match the greatness of the original film.

[MoonSylver]

I did a marathon of them all yesterday leading up to my first viewing of IV. I was a great movie, BUT (& this is not a dis mind you) it had a different vibe than the other 3. It was Rambo for the new millinium/new school of film making, which is appropriate I suppose. If he had tried to make it old school style it probably would have come off as cheesy & bombed. But it it did make for a different feeling as a viewing experience. The 1st 3 flow together pretty well. In this case it's like 1,2,3...........and 4 way over here, which again, is probably appropriate given the long gap between 3 & 4.

Very gritty & fast paced. Doesn't lag. Wish it was a tad longer. Overall damn fine though.

As for the ending & the new direction of the possible sequel...

Really liked the ending. I could see how this is either a definitive end to the series OR a set up for a sequel depending on how you look at it. One thought I had on how you could continue the series is maybe he has to protect the old man's farm from bankers, land developers, etc. A sort of modern western if you will. I think it could be exciting & would be another way to take the series in the "somewhat different genre" direction mentioned. Would also capture some of that First Blood vibe as well

[SRP76]

I think we've had enough Rambo. The story's been told; there's no need to milk it with stupid **** like "Rambo Rides the Bus" or "Rambo at Day's Inn". There comes a point where the franchise is over. We just passed that point.

[MoonSylver]

I think we've had enough Rambo. The story's been told; there's no need to milk it with stupid **** like "Rambo Rides the Bus" or "Rambo at Day's Inn". There comes a point where the franchise is over. We just passed that point.

Eh...we'll see. I was somewhat skeptical of the FORTH one after all this time, & I was mildly pleasantly surprised, so I'm willing to keep an open mind & see what develops.

[bassman]

There comes a point where the franchise is over. We just passed that point.

We passed that point after First Blood, imo.....

[MinionZombie]

We passed that point after First Blood, imo.....
Have you seen the new Rambo?

If not, shaddup. :D

[bassman]

Have you seen the new Rambo?

If not, shaddup. :D

No, but there were two sequels before that. Those were bad enough and I hear this new installment follows their example of sh*tting on the original's good name.


I'm sure I'll see it eventually, but I'm not paying for it. ;)

[Dillinger]

Anyone who thinks Rambo is a 'dumb' genre really needs to read David Morrell's "First Blood."

I loved First Blood and I love the new Rambo, but even both of those don't do the book justice. When Trautman blows Rambo's face off with a shotgun at the end, I was literally in tears. It's such a damn good story of an elite soldier who comes home and can't seem to readjust to civilian life. Rambo was still a kid basically in the book too, probably 19 or 20 i'd say. It's pretty gut wrenching that a kid goes off to a war he doesn't understand and is trained to kill people with his bare hands, meanwhile he hasn't even been laid yet. Uncle Sam's pitbull is still a virgin, and probably doesn't even have hair on his nuts. It makes you think.

As for the new movie. It was really great. I felt like it captured the dark tone set forth in Morrell's book. The movie really wasn't about Rambo. It was about people trying to change what is. This is a story about what happens when you bring bibles and good intentions into a warzone. Brute force and ignorance has always ruled this planet and it always will.