This may be a bit of a cheat because, technically, I've never seen Rambo III, so I can't really compare the 4th installment of this franchise to it's immediate predecessor. But I'm going to assume it just upped the 80's cheesiness of the 2nd movie and, with the 20 year hiatus until Rambo, it made everyone ok with leaving John Rambo alone. Potentially forever.
However, in 2008 Stallone brought the character back and, instead of being a Franchise Killer, it was a whopping Franchise Resurrection! Rambo isn't an Oscar-caliber movie, but it is a dang fun movie. As far as I'm considered, this entry is the most enjoyable film in the series (noting that I still haven't seen Rambo III).
First Blood was a serious and sober look at a special forces soldier returning from Vietnam. The second movie tossed that aside for a more over-the-top action focused war movie. I believe the third movie followed suit. Rambo follows in the pattern of the other sequels as well, but with extreme gusto! Stallone basically made an 80's action movie...in 2008! That means we get 2008 style, technology, and special effects to solidly frame the excessive, hyper-realistic gore and mayhem that John Rambo dishes out in the jungles of Burma.
So, it's a wonderful romp of action and violence. But what about the story? Who cares! It's got something to do with rescuing missionaries in Burma. But no one saw Rambo because of the plot, story, or acting. People went to see John Rambo blow stuff up and kill a lot of people. And boy, does this movie deliver! While he only killed 1 person in the first movie, Rambo kills 83 in this one. A total of 236 people are killed throughout the duration of the movie, averaging to about 2.59 people killed per minute (source).
A lot of these kills occur during the climax while our protagonist utilizes a mounted machine gun on the back of a jeep. This is surely one of cinema's finest sequences!So how does this fare, overall? First Blood is still the superior movie, but Rambo is definitely the most fun. The other two fall somewhere in between, I'm assuming. If anyone out there has seen Rambo III, go ahead and tell me if I'm right or wrong. But I'm right.
Best in Series: No.
Worst in Series: No.
Worst in Series: No.
Well, how many Todds is it worth? Or have you abandoned that rating system completely. Blasphemy!
ReplyDeleteAlso, check out The Expendables.
Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mickey Rourke, Terry Crews and Steve Austin....enough said.
Hmm. I was more going for comparing these movies to others in the series, not necessarily an overall score of them. But, I don't see why not. This would definitely get a 9.86/10 Toddsperience. What with all the killing and whatnot.
ReplyDeleteOh, believe you me, I'm keeping an eye out for the Expendables. I'm very excited about that. As well as any further Rambo sequels.