7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.3 |
Vietnam War veteran John Rambo leaves his job as a river boatman to accompany a group of mercenaries on a daring rescue mission.
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Matthew Marsden, Graham McTavish, Reynaldo GallegosAction | 100% |
Thriller | 74% |
War | 24% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Bonus View (PiP)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Given the number of franchise reboots in recent memory, it wasn’t terribly surprising when I first heard of Sylvester Stallone’s intention to bring the Rambo franchise back to the big screen. After all, the reluctant action hero still resides among Hollywood’s list of iconic characters, gradually acquiring a growing fanbase over nearly three decades. Though I wouldn’t count myself among the devoted followers of the original trilogy, the film buff side of me always has a sense of reservation at the idea of someone tampering with such a beloved classic. Thankfully, those worries quickly abated during my initial viewing of Rambo, as I realized we were in for something much closer to the tone of First Blood (as opposed to the campy nature of the two sequels). I’m not suggesting the prior sequels are without merit, but somewhere during the course of the original trilogy the name Rambo became a bit of a parody, favoring style over substance. There’s still a bit of that here, but we can thank Stallone for replacing the chest-pumping bravado with a gritty, personal take on the character.
A man without fear.
Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 22Mbps), John Rambo incorporates all of the strengths found in the original Blu-ray release, while seamlessly integrating the new footage as if there from day one. Fine object detail is abundantly clear, revealing every blood splattered CGI effect with almost too much precision (occasionally wavering into fake territory). Whether we're witnessing shots of the lush green jungle, or close-ups of actor's faces, every texture is exposed in a manner that gives the image an almost three dimensional quality. Considering the sense of depth found in the image, one would expect equal proficiency in the areas of contrast differentiation and black level consistency. For the most part the results are quite vivid, but the dark camerawork during several nighttime sequences proved a bit difficult for the transfer to keep up with. I'm confident the issue is present in the source material (likely requiring some black level adjustments in post-production), but it does detract slightly from the overall strength of the transfer. Fortunately, once the sun rises and we return to the well-lit exterior shots, the rich hues of the jungle emerge to restore our faith in Stallone's eagle-eyed sense of staging.
Perhaps it was just my ears playing tricks on me, but I felt the volume level on this release was a little higher than the prior edition. After only stepping away for several minutes between my double-feature viewing session, I quickly found myself fumbling with the remote to diminish the ensuing earthquake that pounded my home theater. Quite simply, John Rambo is the type of film that will literally take your breath away with the constant aural assault, leaving a lasting impression that begs to be revisited. Above all else, the main strength in the mix arrives in the form of extensive surround separation, which left bullets zinging from speaker to speaker until the precise moment when they strike their fleshy target. In the middle of the madness you can expect punctuated moments of LFE bliss, as explosions erupt from your subwoofer. Put together, these two elements may have hijacked the entire track, but thanks to the precise attainment of volume balance and clarity, the mix never tosses aside dialog or the musical score in favor of the abundant environmental effects.
Rambo: To Hell and Back (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 83:33 min): Structured as a complete production diary of the 42-day shooting schedule, this supplement can be played in its entirety or easily broken down over the course of multiple nights. In essence, this fascinating behind the scenes supplement displays on-set footage of the cast and crew while Stallone provides an enlightening after-the-fact commentary track. If you ever thought Stallone was simply a knucklehead action star with big muscles, this should completely change your opinion. During the course of the lengthy featurette, Stallone provides extensive history on the conflict in Burma, discusses his strengths and weaknesses as a director, and even comes across as quite the comedian from time to time.
Contrary to my original suspicions, I've been informed by the producer of this fine supplement that the original camera footage was shot in standard definition, leaving little reason to devote additional disc space to a 1080p upconversion. While this may seem disappointing to some viewers, the lack of a high definition transfer is worth the sacrifice in exchange for such fascinating content.
Forming a recommendation on the extended Blu-ray edition of John Rambo is almost an exercise in futility. On the one hand, we have Stallone's incredible production diary, which easily elevates this into "thumbs up" territory for the avid Rambo fan. However, the lack of meaty additions to the film itself leaves little cause for current owners to upgrade, creating a difficult decision between the two options. Both editions can be had for around the same price, but each offers a slightly different take on the film and vastly different supplemental features. If I had to make a recommendation between the two, I'd go with the new extended cut, but owners of the prior edition shouldn't feel too downtrodden if forced to stick with what they already have.
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