Rambo - First Blood Part II (1985)

 Stallone Returns in RAMBO II !!
This sequel lives up to the original.
Stallone's way of saluting the VietNam war vets.
Along with most 80's action movies RAMBO II takes alittle
turn in the story, but to me it keeps the movie interesting.
John Rambo One of the best action heros in the 80's,
as well in the 21st century a new Rambo movie has been released this year.
I rate this movie a 9 from 1to10!! May 3, 2008

 "Pretty Solid Sequel"
After the first Rambo film 1982`s "First Blood" which reached a certain success with the audience,Stallone returned as John Rambo in "First Blood Part II" in 1985.This sequel is often remembered more than the original Rambo,who was based on David Morrell`s "First Blood" novel but was entirely rewritten for a movie but still keeping many of the basic elements of the book.Stallone gave us once again a great action movie that he can be proud of and that we can enjoy over and over again.It was filmed entirely in Mexico,not that it really matters,i just tought i`d add that in for extra information.It certainly has it`s own story and doesn`t copy the first at all,add to that it has even more violence than the first film.It seems that with each Rambo movies the more violence they have and that was proven to me with this one,"Rambo III"(1988) and "Rambo"(2008).

In "First Blood Part II" Rambo is currently serving five years in prison for his acts in "First Blood" at the beggening of the movie,until he gets released by Colonel Trautman if he accepts the mission the colonel gives him.As you could or should have guessed he accepted.Rambo must head for the P.O.W camp he escaped from in 1971 in order to find out if there are still some P.O.W.`s held in the camp.If he succeds he will be pardonned from jail and once again be a free man.Rambo does find many american hostages there and you can expect plenty of action from there.He must face many dangers that are very real.He also meets a young vietnamese girl whom he has a good relationship(not sexually)with and they become good friends.There are some flashback scenes from Rambo`s past in which he was tortured by the ennemies and we see how he got that big cut on his chest.I don`t want to give way the movie in every single details but there is plenty of action,killing,guns and other materials that can be 1)cool or 2)offensive depending of you,but be aware that all these aspects are in the film.

The special features.It is known already that the movie itself is incredible as well as a must see classic.The features from previous releases are gone for the most part.The first Rambo had the alternate ending s while this one has pretty much nothing.There are trailers for the movie,retrospectives and that`s about it.There are many possibilities for audio and visual which gives way to many options to set the movie to your liking with the metascopes and other modes that let you watch the film in different ways.I wonder why they cutted the extras,they did the same for the Rocky remasters.My advice : if you have the older versions don't get these you won't get anything new.its not worth it.If you cans score one of these "Special Editions" then you might consider yourself to have gotten a great deal.Those "Ultimate Editions" aren't so ultimate after all.

"First Blood Part II" stands as a classic and a must have.It does not suit everyone be advised so have to know a minimum on the movie before you actually rent and/or buy it.As mentionned above those editions aren't the best and the older editions are much better.Yet this one is easier to find and ainvailable nearly everywhere DVDs are sold which is pretty much the only advantage with these Ultimate editions.You can also save a lot by buying the "Ultimate Edition" boxed set of the first three Rambo.Overral,a solid sequel definatly worth seeing.Not the best Rambo but surely not the worst either and as a matter of fact pretty good!You can't go wrong by picking this up if you are a fan of action movies and/or Sylvester Stalone,I liked both so this definatly worked for me.

NOTE: A few weeks prior to writting this review the fourth Rambo was released,"Rambo",in theatres January 25th 2008. March 9, 2008

 The Most Accurate Documentary Ever Made!
This is definitely one for the ages! This is exactly what the Vietnam War was like. Our soldiers were fantastically superior killing machines that racked up huge bodycounts, and the exploding arrows really came in handy. There were plenty of times that one single man would walk into an enemy base carrying an M-60 and would wipe out an entire battalion. If only those dirty libs hadn't ended our fun so early, we wouldn't have had to pull out and leave a couple of them alive. We even left a handful of buildings still standing.
February 29, 2008

 Rambo Returns To Do What He Does Best...
Sometimes in the world of cinema it actually pays to follow the studio's instincts, or at least those of the creative forces behind a film. In the case of the `Rambo' franchise, the instincts of those involved focused on a decision of whether or not to ignore/omit certain aspects to the film's storyline even though it originated from the source material. This decision to make changes to the story, though questioned by some, was a very wise and extremely lucrative one for the series, as it has gone on to be one of the most successful action franchises in history and made the title character into one of America's beloved action heroes. Had those involved in the first film chosen to go with the original ending in the script, and the novel on which the film was based upon, then in the final moments of the movie the character of John Rambo would have committed suicide rather than having Col. Trautman bring him in safely to custody. If that downer, though probably more realistic, ending to the movie had stayed in the film (it was actually filmed, but was removed after test audiences felt it was too depressing), then Rambo would have never gone on to be featured in three more sequels, Sylvester Stallone would be stuck with having Rocky Balboa as the only signature role of his career (though there are worse fates for an actor), and America would have never been given the chance to make John Rambo into the hero and pop culture icon that he is today. As a side note, actor Kirk Douglas was originally cast to play Col. Trautman in "First Blood" but dropped out of the role when he learned of the possible changing of the ending, he wanted the film to remain as true to the book as possible right down to the suicide of John Rambo. Fortunately, all of that didn't happen and due to the great success of "First Blood" the prospect of a sequel was soon made into a reality when director George P. Cosmatos ("Tombstone"), along with stars Sylvester Stallone ("First Blood" and the `Rocky' franchise) and Richard Crenna ("First Blood") brought the highly anticipated, action-packed follow-up "Rambo: First Blood Part 2" to the big screen.

"Rambo: First Blood Part 2" takes place some time after the events of the original film, and John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is serving out his prison sentence in peace. However, when Col. Trautman (Richard Crenna) arrives with a top-secret proposal from the U.S. government that would grant Rambo an early parole, just so long as he does what they are asking of him, Rambo's peaceful existence comes to a rather abrupt end. Per the government's orders, the only way Rambo can gain this early parole is for him to agree to return to Vietnam in search of American POW's left over from the war. With freedom in his grasp, and the possibility of freeing some of his brothers-in-arms, Rambo will stop at nothing to find his fellow American's trapped behind enemy lines, and God be with anyone that gets in his way.

The original film, "First Blood" was an extremely fast-paced, intense survivalist adventure that also served as an interesting study on the treatment of war veteran's by society. For the sequel, "Rambo: First Blood Part 2" the story's focus is shifted somewhat away from the fractured psyche of John Rambo and his mistreatment by U.S. citizen's from his time spent serving in Vietnam, and more onto Rambo's attempts to find and rescue as many of his fellow soldiers as possible. Some critics complained that those responsible for "Rambo: First Blood Part 2" made a mistake in eliminating the heavier story elements and replacing them with even more action than what was contained in the original film. I for one disagree with this sentiment; yes there is a lesser amount of time spent dwelling on the deeper issues of the title character, but audiences would no doubt grow tired of the series if the focus never moved on beyond Rambo's struggle to come to grips with himself and the world around him. The choice to ratchet up the action within the film was a good decision for the filmmakers to make, after all this is an action film (as was the first one), and what would an action film be without plenty of violence, explosions, and weapons galore? Now, you might say well it sounds like the critics complaints may be accurate and that this franchise had become just another action franchise, just with a much more recognizable character as the hero, but other than that it's no different. Well, my response to that is this, yes there's plenty of action all throughout the film, but the heavy elements of the original film are still intact and receive numerous references over the course of the movie. As for the rest of the film's story, there are plenty of interesting plot points and character developing moments to drive the story forward, without needing to rely solely on the action to keep things moving along.

The characters for the film were brought to life by an extremely talented group of actors, comprised primarily of character actors, led by stars Sylvester Stallone and Richard Crenna, both reprising their roles from the original film. I enjoyed seeing Rambo tackle a different kind of villain than the one he had faced in the original movie, the original film featured villains that weren't actually evil people, they were just ordinary, everyday citizens that were too blinded by their prejudices and fear of what they don't understand, that they went too far to protect their way of life. In this film, the villains are much darker and more evil, as we are shown over the course of Rambo's mission in Vietnam to save POW's; however, the villains weren't only those holding our soldiers prisoner, there were also some wolves hiding in sheep's clothing so to speak, that were supposedly working alongside Rambo during his mission. It was this aspect of duplicity within some of the characters that made for numerous interesting sequences throughout the film, serving to create some juicy drama and tension among the characters giving the film a sense of unpredictability, and served as a key reason for why this franchise still remains a cut above the rest of its genre.

For those nay-sayers that want to believe that "Rambo: First Blood Part 2" was the initial signs that the franchise was losing its focus and becoming just another run-of-the-mill action series, I say give the film another look. There is plenty of drama, character development, and plot twists to keep the story moving during the times when Rambo isn't killing someone or blowing something up on screen. Is this sequel as deep as the original film? No, but it isn't shallow by any means either and still contains many of the deep issues that were introduced in "First Blood" without focusing on them completely so as to not seem like a rehash of the first movie. "Rambo: First Blood Part 2" is an extremely exciting, fast-paced, action thrill ride that serves as a fitting sequel to the original film that introduced America to the hero that is John Rambo.

"Rambo: First Blood Part 2" is rated R for violence and language. February 27, 2008

 Rambo II
I loved Rambo II. We get to see John Rambo back in Vietnam -- "in his element" as the saying goes. His character is better developed. We get to see him coming from a place of strength instead of a place of weakness as in Rambo I. His misplaced aggression in the first movie is re-directed in a positive direction in this one. Because he engages a real enemy in Rambo II, there is more violence and blood than in the first one. He looks better in the second one, too!! February 18, 2008

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