2008 Woodie Awards
Excessively violent 'Rambo' misses mark
1 star
Trevor Bougill
Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: FUSE
Originally published: 2/14/08 at 4:08 PM EST
Last update: 2/14/08 at 4:07 PM EST
Twenty five years after its inception, Sylvester Stallone decides to revisit the popular 80s action franchise, Rambo.
Similar to Rocky Balboa, Stallone attempts to reopen the franchise in order to breathe some life back into it.
While Rocky was considered a moderate success and a fitting closure to the series, the same cannot be said for Rambo.
The latest installment is unrelentingly violent - almost sickening - and mired by a standard plotline.
The plot sees a reclusive John Rambo, living a quiet lifestyle in Northern Thailand, tending to his boat on the Salween River. Rambo has undergone a spiritual transformation, having sworn off violence.
However, he must rescue some Christian missionaries who were captured by the Burmese Army.
It ends up being the rescue mission of the century!
Apparently he can just pick up a gun, start killing the bad guys and end the longest-running civil war in Burma's history.
This adds to the already erratic plotline, unsure of itself or where it is already going.
Stallone tries to provide some social relevance to the movie, using violence to accurately portray the current conflict in Burma.
Instead, it becomes a gruesome, excessive mess that leaves the audience cringing.
Stallone ends up destroying everything in his path - nothing we have not seen before.
A lot of the time, it seems Stallone was being violent just to be violent. The action was sloppy.
The gratuitous violence becomes tiresome. Viewers leave the theater feeling exhausted, almost ready to pass out.
John Rambo is a man of few words.
He was never a character who expressed himself verbally, which is a good thing.
The words that do come out of his mouth are pointless, proving the screenplay to be scattered and inconsistent. The dialogue does not serve a purpose.
Stallone has stated that if Rambo proves to be a success, he would like to make more of them.
Similar to Rocky Balboa, Stallone attempts to reopen the franchise in order to breathe some life back into it.
While Rocky was considered a moderate success and a fitting closure to the series, the same cannot be said for Rambo.
The latest installment is unrelentingly violent - almost sickening - and mired by a standard plotline.
The plot sees a reclusive John Rambo, living a quiet lifestyle in Northern Thailand, tending to his boat on the Salween River. Rambo has undergone a spiritual transformation, having sworn off violence.
However, he must rescue some Christian missionaries who were captured by the Burmese Army.
It ends up being the rescue mission of the century!
Apparently he can just pick up a gun, start killing the bad guys and end the longest-running civil war in Burma's history.
This adds to the already erratic plotline, unsure of itself or where it is already going.
Stallone tries to provide some social relevance to the movie, using violence to accurately portray the current conflict in Burma.
Instead, it becomes a gruesome, excessive mess that leaves the audience cringing.
Stallone ends up destroying everything in his path - nothing we have not seen before.
A lot of the time, it seems Stallone was being violent just to be violent. The action was sloppy.
The gratuitous violence becomes tiresome. Viewers leave the theater feeling exhausted, almost ready to pass out.
John Rambo is a man of few words.
He was never a character who expressed himself verbally, which is a good thing.
The words that do come out of his mouth are pointless, proving the screenplay to be scattered and inconsistent. The dialogue does not serve a purpose.
Stallone has stated that if Rambo proves to be a success, he would like to make more of them.
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