8.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Vietnam War veteran John Rambo is pursued into the mountains surrounding a small town by a tyrannical sheriff and his deputies, forcing him to fight back.
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, Bill McKinney, Jack StarrettAction | 100% |
Thriller | 81% |
War | 31% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
English: DTS-HD HR 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
Hidden Dolby 2.0 track
English, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
They drew first blood, not me.
Let's get one thing out of the way right off the bat: First Blood is one of my favorite
movies, period. It consistently cracks my top five list, and it's likely it always will. I find First
Blood to have the perfect mixture of action, drama, raw emotion, fine acting, excellent
direction, and music. This is a movie that rivals the novel it is based on in terms of quality,
entertainment, and pace. There are certainly some major differences between the two, and while
both convey the same basic story, the film and the novel differ enough that they become separate,
individual entities that are both strong entries into the world of fiction.
I'm telling you, for the last time, I want you to pin that medal on my kidney, not my liver!
First Blood is not a fancy, glossy, bright picture and will never rival the best of the best transfers of the slick and modern action movies, but this 2.35:1, 1080p transfer is solid. This is a rather drab looking film that takes place mostly at night and in a damp forrest. Colors don't overly impress, but there is not a lot of color to be seen in the first place. Shades of dark greens, blacks, and browns permeate the length of the film. This is a rather two-dimensional looking image, but it looks great for its age and compared to the various DVD and VHS versions of the film, this Blu-ray disc is nothing short of brilliant. Blacks are spot-on for the majority of the movie, but here and there they lighten up to a dark gray. Detail is good but not extremely high. The image is neither very sharp nor overly soft. Skin tones look natural. Overall this is a fine presentation of a movie that is 25 years old.
Lionsgate presents First Blood with two audio options: a 1.5 Mbps DTS 5.1 track and a 5.1 Dolby Digital EX track that runs at 640 kbps. I sampled both but listened to the DTS track for the majority of the runtime of the movie. This is a loud and aggressive track. Goldsmith's score plays rather subtly and crescendos beautifully several times throughout. It's clear and mesmerizing in how perfectly it complements this film. Bass is aggressive. Explosions sound great and rumble your seat. There is some good use of the surround channels here and there, but for the most part this is a front-heavy mix with good separation of the front channels. My only complaint is that dialogue can sound a bit muddled at times, but it's mostly just fine. Not as rambunctious as modern action soundtracks, First Blood is still a fine example of how good a quarter of a century old track can sound.
This is a fine offering of supplements, highlighted by two commentary tracks. The first features
author of the novel First Blood and creator of the iconic John Rambo, David Morrell. I've
heard this track
before (it's ported over from the DVD release) and it's one of my favorites. Morrell sounds like he
is
giving a lecture on the movie during a college survey of film course, and to me, that's a good
thing.
His delivery is natural and conversational. Much of what I discussed above is what he covers in
his
track, so I won't recap it further. Give this one a listen. It's definitely in the top tier of
commentary
tracks.
The second track is again a solo effort, this time featuring Sylvester Stallone. This is a
surprisingly
thoughtful, well done track. It's a rather personal track that also includes some fun trivia, but he
delves pretty deep into the meaning of the movie, the character, and the subsequent view of
John
Rambo in America. Again, much of what he discusses here I have written about above, so I
won't
say any more except to that this, too, is a very good and worthwhile track. Together, these two
tracks make up the best overall set of commentaries I have heard to date.
Out of the Blu Trivia is a text-based trivia track that pops up with fun facts here and
there throughout the movie. Did you know some real weapons were stolen off the set during
filming, supposedly by professional gun runners? Please note that watching First Blood
with this option will force the audio into a Dolby Digital 2.0 track.
Drawing First Blood (480p, 22:35) is a solid making-of documentary featuring
discussions with Sylvester Stallone, author David Morrell, producers Mario Kassar and Andrew
Vajna, and director Ted Kotcheff. They talk about getting the film made from the novel to the big
screen, their thoughts on the Vietnam conflict, the controversy over how the movie should end,
and the differences between the novel and the book. Deleted Scenes (480p, 5:33),
including the controversial alternate ending, are included. 1080p trailers for The Descent, Crank, and a
montage of currently available Blu-ray discs from Lionsgate
round out this group of extras.
This is not the most extensive set of supplements available, but the high quality of both
commentary tracks earns this disc a high rating for extras.
If you have yet to see the genesis of John Rambo, I urge you to buy First Blood on Blu-ray, and also to pick up the novel by David Morrell. If you thought Rambo was nothing more than a one man army who wreaks havoc on Vietnam and Afghanistan, as I did growing up, completely unaware of this film, you owe it to yourself to see this film. It's a film that helped redefine the action genre and it is exciting, thought-provoking, and poignant. This Blu-ray edition boasts fine picture and sound quality and two of the best commentary tracks out there. First Blood earns my highest recommendation.
1982
Rambo
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Rambo / Retro VHS Collection
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