A few years back I reviewed the Rambo trilogy and tore into "First Blood" with a bit of viciousness. After watching the film on Blu-ray, I am either getting nicer in my advancing age or after watching the very nicely done "Rocky Balboa," find myself riding on a Stallone high and eagerly anticipating his storyline of the upcoming Rambo IV film that might end up being titled "John Rambo." I glanced over my review and was looking at potentially pillaging large portions of it for recycling into this review, but after seeing the negatives I piled on in that review, found myself disagreeing with myself. I guess opinions can change over the years, or a better perception of an actor can soften the harshness that one can deliver.
My older negatively spawns from familiarization with the original story. The film was heavily softened for the film adaptation. Rambo doesn´t kill nearly as many people as the character does in the book and whereas the novel was dark and nasty in tone, the film moved away from the original bloodbath. I´m not sure of all of the decisions that were made in bringing the film to the big screen, but Stallone was one of the credited screenwriters and my original review points many a finger at the actor/director/writer. I still feel that "First Blood" would have been a better film if it were darker, nastier and far more violent. There is nothing wrong with an R rating that pushes the boundaries of its rating classification with some nicely done bouts of violence and the original story behind "First Blood" called for that approach.
Other points I had issues with was the final fate of Rambo and the horrendous ending attached to the film. The original story had John Rambo being killed by his friend and mentor Colonel Troutman. This ending was actually filmed and is included in the supplements. However, the ending we are served with in the theatrical release finds Rambo going "Rambo" on the police station and blowing the entire damn town to hell. He does so with an M-60 that has its ammo strapped around his arm and the ending is so over-the-top and John Rambo´s outburst defending himself and his fellow Vietnam veterans is a poor attempt at tear jerking. A quote taken from my older review is that "First Blood is an entertaining film that missed its mark." My revisionist quote is now that "First Blood is an entertaining film that could have been better."
The adapted version of "First Blood" focuses on John Rambo, a loner who strays into a local town and is hassled by the local sheriff (Brian Dennehy). Rambo is roughed up and taken into custody because he is considered rift-raff and a disease to the peaceful community. During his short stay in the local jail, deputies abuse the tortured Rambo, who sees his captors as Vietnamese soldiers who tortured him in Vietnam. During these early scenes there is a heavy focus to show that John Rambo is haunted and troubled because of his stay in Vietnam and is unable to adjust to life in post-Vietnam America. It is not long before Rambo fights his way out of the jail and becomes a fugitive on the run from justice.
Dennehy's character and the police deputies pursue John Rambo (Noteworthy is the fact that one of the deputies is played by a young David Caruso.). Early into the manhunt for Rambo, one of the deputies is accidentally killed when he falls out of a helicopter while trying to shoot Rambo. This is the death of the film, and the only human casualty. This is a far cry from the original novel where around 250 people meet their fate to the hands of John Rambo. The reason for this change in body count was to bring the film to the screen and create a film not quite as dark and grisly.
After a while, Rambo's commander in Vietnam, Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna), arrives on the scene. He explains to Dennehy's character that sending his men into the woods would result in a bloodbath and that they should let Rambo go. The sheriff disagrees and tries to bring Rambo in, dead or alive. Rambo has already injured almost every deputy in the police department and the National Guard is called in to find him. The National Guard believes they have killed Rambo, but Rambo comes back and hunts down the Sheriff that brought his pains.
I see my younger instance´s reasoning for slamming "First Blood," but after watching the film again, I found myself ignoring the fact that I had said the film was entertaining, but focused on simply bashing "First Blood" for not being true to the original story. I don´t know how many times I´ve heard somebody say "The movie would have been good if I hadn´t already read the book." My father certainly uses that quote quite a bit and is still ranting at how "Flags of Our Fathers" is "crap" because he had read the original novel first. There is only so much adaptation that can be done to fit a full length novel into a 120 minute window. As a film fan, I´ve always tried to not rip into a movie too much because it is not completely faithful to the original books. I didn´t take my own advice when it came to "First Blood," because I wanted to see the original story on the big screen. Stallone had his own views towards the character and though I disagree with him to this day, he did craft a very entertaining action movie that helped him become the mega star he was back in the day.
My older negatively spawns from familiarization with the original story. The film was heavily softened for the film adaptation. Rambo doesn´t kill nearly as many people as the character does in the book and whereas the novel was dark and nasty in tone, the film moved away from the original bloodbath. I´m not sure of all of the decisions that were made in bringing the film to the big screen, but Stallone was one of the credited screenwriters and my original review points many a finger at the actor/director/writer. I still feel that "First Blood" would have been a better film if it were darker, nastier and far more violent. There is nothing wrong with an R rating that pushes the boundaries of its rating classification with some nicely done bouts of violence and the original story behind "First Blood" called for that approach.
Other points I had issues with was the final fate of Rambo and the horrendous ending attached to the film. The original story had John Rambo being killed by his friend and mentor Colonel Troutman. This ending was actually filmed and is included in the supplements. However, the ending we are served with in the theatrical release finds Rambo going "Rambo" on the police station and blowing the entire damn town to hell. He does so with an M-60 that has its ammo strapped around his arm and the ending is so over-the-top and John Rambo´s outburst defending himself and his fellow Vietnam veterans is a poor attempt at tear jerking. A quote taken from my older review is that "First Blood is an entertaining film that missed its mark." My revisionist quote is now that "First Blood is an entertaining film that could have been better."
The adapted version of "First Blood" focuses on John Rambo, a loner who strays into a local town and is hassled by the local sheriff (Brian Dennehy). Rambo is roughed up and taken into custody because he is considered rift-raff and a disease to the peaceful community. During his short stay in the local jail, deputies abuse the tortured Rambo, who sees his captors as Vietnamese soldiers who tortured him in Vietnam. During these early scenes there is a heavy focus to show that John Rambo is haunted and troubled because of his stay in Vietnam and is unable to adjust to life in post-Vietnam America. It is not long before Rambo fights his way out of the jail and becomes a fugitive on the run from justice.
Dennehy's character and the police deputies pursue John Rambo (Noteworthy is the fact that one of the deputies is played by a young David Caruso.). Early into the manhunt for Rambo, one of the deputies is accidentally killed when he falls out of a helicopter while trying to shoot Rambo. This is the death of the film, and the only human casualty. This is a far cry from the original novel where around 250 people meet their fate to the hands of John Rambo. The reason for this change in body count was to bring the film to the screen and create a film not quite as dark and grisly.
After a while, Rambo's commander in Vietnam, Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna), arrives on the scene. He explains to Dennehy's character that sending his men into the woods would result in a bloodbath and that they should let Rambo go. The sheriff disagrees and tries to bring Rambo in, dead or alive. Rambo has already injured almost every deputy in the police department and the National Guard is called in to find him. The National Guard believes they have killed Rambo, but Rambo comes back and hunts down the Sheriff that brought his pains.
I see my younger instance´s reasoning for slamming "First Blood," but after watching the film again, I found myself ignoring the fact that I had said the film was entertaining, but focused on simply bashing "First Blood" for not being true to the original story. I don´t know how many times I´ve heard somebody say "The movie would have been good if I hadn´t already read the book." My father certainly uses that quote quite a bit and is still ranting at how "Flags of Our Fathers" is "crap" because he had read the original novel first. There is only so much adaptation that can be done to fit a full length novel into a 120 minute window. As a film fan, I´ve always tried to not rip into a movie too much because it is not completely faithful to the original books. I didn´t take my own advice when it came to "First Blood," because I wanted to see the original story on the big screen. Stallone had his own views towards the character and though I disagree with him to this day, he did craft a very entertaining action movie that helped him become the mega star he was back in the day.
A few years back I reviewed the Rambo trilogy and tore into "First Blood" with a bit of viciousness. After watching the film on Blu-ray, I am either getting nicer in my advancing age or after watching the very nicely done "Rocky Balboa," find myself riding on a Stallone high and eagerly anticipating his storyline of the upcoming Rambo IV film that might end up being titled "John Rambo." I glanced over my review and was looking at potentially pillaging large portions of it for recycling into this review, but after seeing the negatives I piled on in that review, found myself disagreeing with myself. I guess opinions can change over the years, or a better perception of an actor can soften the harshness that one can deliver.
My older negatively spawns from familiarization with the original story. The film was heavily softened for the film adaptation. Rambo doesn´t kill nearly as many people as the character does in the book and whereas the novel was dark and nasty in tone, the film moved away from the original bloodbath. I´m not sure of all of the decisions that were made in bringing the film to the big screen, but Stallone was one of the credited screenwriters and my original review points many a finger at the actor/director/writer. I still feel that "First Blood" would have been a better film if it were darker, nastier and far more violent. There is nothing wrong with an R rating that pushes the boundaries of its rating classification with some nicely done bouts of violence and the original story behind "First Blood" called for that approach.
Other points I had issues with was the final fate of Rambo and the horrendous ending attached to the film. The original story had John Rambo being killed by his friend and mentor Colonel Troutman. This ending was actually filmed and is included in the supplements. However, the ending we are served with in the theatrical release finds Rambo going "Rambo" on the police station and blowing the entire damn town to hell. He does so with an M-60 that has its ammo strapped around his arm and the ending is so over-the-top and John Rambo´s outburst defending himself and his fellow Vietnam veterans is a poor attempt at tear jerking. A quote taken from my older review is that "First Blood is an entertaining film that missed its mark." My revisionist quote is now that "First Blood is an entertaining film that could have been better."
The adapted version of "First Blood" focuses on John Rambo, a loner who strays into a local town and is hassled by the local sheriff (Brian Dennehy). Rambo is roughed up and taken into custody because he is considered rift-raff and a disease to the peaceful community. During his short stay in the local jail, deputies abuse the tortured Rambo, who sees his captors as Vietnamese soldiers who tortured him in Vietnam. During these early scenes there is a heavy focus to show that John Rambo is haunted and troubled because of his stay in Vietnam and is unable to adjust to life in post-Vietnam America. It is not long before Rambo fights his way out of the jail and becomes a fugitive on the run from justice.
Dennehy's character and the police deputies pursue John Rambo (Noteworthy is the fact that one of the deputies is played by a young David Caruso.). Early into the manhunt for Rambo, one of the deputies is accidentally killed when he falls out of a helicopter while trying to shoot Rambo. This is the death of the film, and the only human casualty. This is a far cry from the original novel where around 250 people meet their fate to the hands of John Rambo. The reason for this change in body count was to bring the film to the screen and create a film not quite as dark and grisly.
After a while, Rambo's commander in Vietnam, Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna), arrives on the scene. He explains to Dennehy's character that sending his men into the woods would result in a bloodbath and that they should let Rambo go. The sheriff disagrees and tries to bring Rambo in, dead or alive. Rambo has already injured almost every deputy in the police department and the National Guard is called in to find him. The National Guard believes they have killed Rambo, but Rambo comes back and hunts down the Sheriff that brought his pains.
I see my younger instance´s reasoning for slamming "First Blood," but after watching the film again, I found myself ignoring the fact that I had said the film was entertaining, but focused on simply bashing "First Blood" for not being true to the original story. I don´t know how many times I´ve heard somebody say "The movie would have been good if I hadn´t already read the book." My father certainly uses that quote quite a bit and is still ranting at how "Flags of Our Fathers" is "crap" because he had read the original novel first. There is only so much adaptation that can be done to fit a full length novel into a 120 minute window. As a film fan, I´ve always tried to not rip into a movie too much because it is not completely faithful to the original books. I didn´t take my own advice when it came to "First Blood," because I wanted to see the original story on the big screen. Stallone had his own views towards the character and though I disagree with him to this day, he did craft a very entertaining action movie that helped him become the mega star he was back in the day.
My older negatively spawns from familiarization with the original story. The film was heavily softened for the film adaptation. Rambo doesn´t kill nearly as many people as the character does in the book and whereas the novel was dark and nasty in tone, the film moved away from the original bloodbath. I´m not sure of all of the decisions that were made in bringing the film to the big screen, but Stallone was one of the credited screenwriters and my original review points many a finger at the actor/director/writer. I still feel that "First Blood" would have been a better film if it were darker, nastier and far more violent. There is nothing wrong with an R rating that pushes the boundaries of its rating classification with some nicely done bouts of violence and the original story behind "First Blood" called for that approach.
Other points I had issues with was the final fate of Rambo and the horrendous ending attached to the film. The original story had John Rambo being killed by his friend and mentor Colonel Troutman. This ending was actually filmed and is included in the supplements. However, the ending we are served with in the theatrical release finds Rambo going "Rambo" on the police station and blowing the entire damn town to hell. He does so with an M-60 that has its ammo strapped around his arm and the ending is so over-the-top and John Rambo´s outburst defending himself and his fellow Vietnam veterans is a poor attempt at tear jerking. A quote taken from my older review is that "First Blood is an entertaining film that missed its mark." My revisionist quote is now that "First Blood is an entertaining film that could have been better."
The adapted version of "First Blood" focuses on John Rambo, a loner who strays into a local town and is hassled by the local sheriff (Brian Dennehy). Rambo is roughed up and taken into custody because he is considered rift-raff and a disease to the peaceful community. During his short stay in the local jail, deputies abuse the tortured Rambo, who sees his captors as Vietnamese soldiers who tortured him in Vietnam. During these early scenes there is a heavy focus to show that John Rambo is haunted and troubled because of his stay in Vietnam and is unable to adjust to life in post-Vietnam America. It is not long before Rambo fights his way out of the jail and becomes a fugitive on the run from justice.
Dennehy's character and the police deputies pursue John Rambo (Noteworthy is the fact that one of the deputies is played by a young David Caruso.). Early into the manhunt for Rambo, one of the deputies is accidentally killed when he falls out of a helicopter while trying to shoot Rambo. This is the death of the film, and the only human casualty. This is a far cry from the original novel where around 250 people meet their fate to the hands of John Rambo. The reason for this change in body count was to bring the film to the screen and create a film not quite as dark and grisly.
After a while, Rambo's commander in Vietnam, Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna), arrives on the scene. He explains to Dennehy's character that sending his men into the woods would result in a bloodbath and that they should let Rambo go. The sheriff disagrees and tries to bring Rambo in, dead or alive. Rambo has already injured almost every deputy in the police department and the National Guard is called in to find him. The National Guard believes they have killed Rambo, but Rambo comes back and hunts down the Sheriff that brought his pains.
I see my younger instance´s reasoning for slamming "First Blood," but after watching the film again, I found myself ignoring the fact that I had said the film was entertaining, but focused on simply bashing "First Blood" for not being true to the original story. I don´t know how many times I´ve heard somebody say "The movie would have been good if I hadn´t already read the book." My father certainly uses that quote quite a bit and is still ranting at how "Flags of Our Fathers" is "crap" because he had read the original novel first. There is only so much adaptation that can be done to fit a full length novel into a 120 minute window. As a film fan, I´ve always tried to not rip into a movie too much because it is not completely faithful to the original books. I didn´t take my own advice when it came to "First Blood," because I wanted to see the original story on the big screen. Stallone had his own views towards the character and though I disagree with him to this day, he did craft a very entertaining action movie that helped him become the mega star he was back in the day.
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