The Flickering Myth writing team share their thoughts on Rambo: Last Blood following the release of the first trailer…
Sylvester Stallone reprises his iconic role as John J. Rambo to unleash hell one final time this year with Rambo: Last Blood, and following this week’s release of the first trailer, the Flickering Myth writing team share their early thoughts on the franchise-closer after this first peek at the movie…
Shaun Munro: Looks like a fun spin on the series’ formula, and hopefully they’ll actually stick with it being the last one. Feels more like a dreary western than a relentless murder-a-thon, so that’s neat. Could give Stallone the floor to give his best performance in the role since the first. I’m cautiously optimistic.
Tom Jolliffe: I’m sold on it. I dug the first three quarters of the last film until the action got way too repetitive (and CG heavy). This looks like a nice Western cross on the Rambo formula, and it’s nice to see more of the ingenuity and traps from First Blood being brought back again. It looks properly old school as well, so I’m hoping the finished product hasn’t had poor CG spray painted over pyrotechnics when it’s not really necessary, and this is often a Millennium speciality. Will we see anything particularly new? Not really but for a close to John J’s story, I think this looks like it has a lot of promise to satisfy and it looks another winning performance from Sly too. This looks a lot better than Terminator: Dark Fate.
Allen Christian: I’m there for it. I’ve liked all of the Rambo movies, except maybe III, which has aged poorly. I like the kind of western spin this seems to have. I don’t know what this is about, though. A movie that markets itself as the last one should provide some bit of narrative closure.
SEE ALSO: Sylvester Stallone shares behind the scenes video from Rambo V: Last Blood
Gary Collinson: I thought the ending to Rambo was about as perfect as you could ask for, so this feels unnecessary. However, I expected a train wreck from the last one and absolutely loved it, so I have faith that we’re going to get an even better ending to the series here. My only fear, as Tom points out, is bucket loads of awful CG blood, so I’m just hoping they’ve went as practical as possible on that too and are holding it back for a hardcore red band trailer.
Tom Jolliffe: I’m excited to see how Adrian Grunberg puts this all together. I really enjoyed How I Spent My Summer Vacation and he’s somewhat unfortunate given how well he directed that, that it came out and got quickly buried by the Mel Gibson blowout at the time. I think putting this film in his hands was a good choice by Sly and co, so hopefully it’ll pay off.
EJ Moreno: Stallone is hitting a real Clint Eastwood level of “I’m old and just going to make the movies I want for my fanbase.” Which is fair, and he’s earned that right as a filmmaker, but I can’t help but feel this looks like too much “been there, done that.” The freshest thing about this trailer is the song, and that meme is almost out the door. Maybe if this were a Netflix Original, I’d be sold on it more, but I can’t see this being a cinematic viewing. But hey, there are worse things he could be making than something that reeks of “streaming service Logan.”
SEE ALSO: Rambo V: Last Blood will take Rambo on “a real dark journey”, says Sylvester Stallone
Gerald James: To me a trailer is defined by it’s music. Sometimes licensed tracks are used to great effect. However when a trailer opens up with what essentially is a meme song (as much of a banger as it may be) I can’t take the ensuing violence very seriously.
Tai Freligh: I’m curious about this movie, but probably won’t see it in the theater. I’ll wait to rent it. Having said that, I think it had potential to be a fun movie and fitting conclusion to the Rambo storyline. While the “retired killer comes out of retirement one more time” trope is heavy here, I think it works and look forward to all the ways people will die in this movie. I agree with Allen in that I have no idea what the plot is – why are they coming for him? Hopefully we get that in subsequent trailers. I also agree with Gerald that the choice of a joke song for the trailer really does no favors to taking it seriously. All told, I’m interested, but need more.
What are your thoughts on Rambo: Last Blood? Are you looking forward to the final entry of the series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or tweet us @FlickeringMyth…
Almost four decades after he drew first blood, Sylvester Stallone is back as one of the greatest action heroes of all time, John Rambo. Now, Rambo must confront his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission. A deadly journey of vengeance, RAMBO: LAST BLOOD marks the last chapter of the legendary series.
Rambo: Last Blood is directed by Adrian Grunberg (Get the Gringo) and sees Sylvester Stallone joined in the cast by Paz Vega (The OA), Sergio Peris-Mencheta (Snowfall), Adriana Barraza (The Strain), Yvette Monreal (Faking It), Oscar Jaenada (The Shallows) and Joaquin Cosio (Narcos: Mexico).
Originally published June 1, 2019. Updated June 2, 2019.
