Post by ck100 on May 22, 2020 3:21:31 GMT
Any fans of "Rambo: First Blood Part II"? How has it held up after 35 years?
I don't think anyone will say it's a great film, a great Rambo film, or even one of the greatest action films ever made. But I think we can at least say it's an entertaining film, a good action film for what it is, and even an entertaining Rambo film even though it's not great. I'd even venture to say it's my favorite of the Rambo sequels (but again, not great). I think Siskel and Ebert were right in saying that it's best to enjoy it as a mindless action comic book movie come to life than a serious drama. It's like if "Commando" was played seriously then this is what we'd get. And I think Stallone wanted us to take this movie seriously even though it's hard to take it that way. I mean "Hot Shots! Part Deux" heavily parodies this movie and Rambo III.
A lot of people know this movie more for the impact it had on pop culture when it came out than for the movie itself. You had action figures marketed to children, a cartoon TV show marketed to children, Ronald Reagan making references to it, etc. I think this was even the second highest grossing film of 1985 after Back to the Future.
Maltin Movie Guide Review:
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) - 2 out of 4 stars
"Comic-book action saga of one-man army who goes to Cambodia in search of American MIAs and finds he's been duped by Uncle Sam. Never boring but incredibly dumb; if one were to take it seriously, it would also be offensive, as it exploits real-life frustrations of MIA families and Vietnam Vets."
