Rambo: First Blood Part II

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Julian C @juliancooper_12 Nov 12 This movie is nothing like the first one. James Cameron and Sylvester Stallone made this movie with a lot more action and I like it. I like the jungle setting of Rambo, which suits his combat style very well. The only thing that I am mixed on is there is no plot; it's just Rambo destroying the Vietnam military base and freeing all the POWs. But, at the same time I still enjoy the movie as much as the first one. See more Guilherme M Oct 26 Rambo II shows an seemingly basic history, but it evolves well, and with the special touch of action, just like Rambo fans like. It's a movie for the fans not only because of Rambo, but Sylvester Stallone incredible acting. See more Maai K Oct 8 Stuck in the past. Too insensitive. The plot drags. See more Kyle C @kylekc Oct 5 First Blood is a surprisingly grounded character study wrapped in an action film. Part II trades all that away for explosions, clichés, and sweat. The movie opens with a nice bit of misdirection, but it quickly dives into every trope imaginable, right down to the “top-secret mission gone wrong” setup that gets Rambo out of prison in record time. The plot is basically on rails: he’s told not to rescue the POWs, so of course he does. The early plane sequence is a lazy excuse for an action beat, and from there it’s just one set piece after another with almost no tension or moral ambiguity. In the first film, Rambo’s resourcefulness made him compelling; here, he’s just an indestructible action figure. The supporting cast doesn’t help much. His local contact, Co, is meant to be a foil—someone who wants peace and normalcy while Rambo lives for combat—but her dialogue and accent make the scenes hard to take seriously. Her inevitable death is pure cheese, and the movie’s attempts at emotional depth fall flat. There are a few fun moments like the guard in flip-flops and Rambo camouflaged in the mud, but most of it feels like watching a bad video game. The film leans hard on “good guys vs. bad guys” simplicity, completely dropping the moral complexity and PTSD themes that made First Blood so effective. By the time Rambo delivers his awkward final speech, the movie has long since lost any emotional core. There’s plenty of muscle and explosions, but not much heart or reason. It’s not unwatchable, but it’s a hollow follow-up that mistakes noise for intensity. See more Kevin P Oct 1 An entertaining guilty pleasure dumb fun action flick that's the epitome of 80s shoot em' ups. Not nearly as good as the original, but arguably more iconic. This is arguably what most people think of when they hear the name Rambo (myself included when I was a kid). As a sequel to the First Blood, it's very jarring with how insanely different tone, themes, character building, and story quality are when compared to the original (also a LOT of coke product placement). Rambo barely talks and his character is shallower now. The acting from some of the side characters is rather wooden. But I do like the returning Colonel Trautman, as well as the slimy Murdock and the villainous Russian Commando. As for pros, the movie is unabashedly laser focused on the action set pieces, and it definitely delivers. The action scenes are awesome with Rambo tearing up hordes of men and scorching the entire bases with his one-man army standoff. It's equally cheesy and cool, despite the paper-thin characters and acting. Jerry Goldsmith's score is also solid, and they did a good job with the on-site location shooting of the jungle scenes. It feels like an entirely different franchise than First Blood, but it owns up to its premise and is a lot of fun if you turn your brain off and just enjoy the ride. See more Michael M @Michael_Myers Aug 18 Classic action flick. See more Read all reviews

Rambo: First Blood Part II

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