6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
Vietnam War veteran John Rambo goes to Afghanistan to rescue his former commanding officer.
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Marc de Jonge, Kurtwood Smith, Spyros FokasAction | 100% |
Thriller | 70% |
War | 24% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
God would have mercy. He won't.
John Rambo is back for the obligatory cash-in sequel, this one a fun ride but ultimately flat and
mostly uninspired compared even to the second entry into the Rambo series. Typical of
your less-than-stellar 1980s action sequels, Rambo III joins the likes of the second and
third Missing In Action films, or most anything released by the Golan-Globus group as
second-rate thrill rides with little plot, even less acting, but plenty of guns, explosions, and
corpses.
Rambo III once again places Rambo in the middle of the hot-button political topic of the
day, this time tackling the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, a campaign labeled in the West as the
Soviet's
Vietnam. This conflict proves to be the perfect means through which Rambo can justify his
existence, a running theme throughout a movie mostly devoid of other meaning. The Vietnam
War was another conflict in the overall scheme of the Cold War, a war by proxy against the Soviet
Union and communism. While the U.S. did not directly engage the U.S.S.R., that nation did
supply the North Vietnamese with modern equipment, and years later the roles would be
reversed, the United States suppling the Afghani Mujahideen rebels in yet another proxy war at
the tail end of the Cold War. Ultimately, this conflict, insofar as Rambo's involvement, is a sort of
redemption for the lost cause that was Vietnam, a conflict where he believed he could actually
make a meaningful difference, a stark contrast to the themes of the first two films where Rambo
decries the lack of victory and support in Vietnam.
Take this, Weird Al!
Rambo III hits Blu-ray in a 2.35:1 framed, 1080p high definition transfer that looks good and fares decidedly better than its predecessor. Compared to Rambo: First Blood Part II, this film is crisper, sharper, brighter, and showcases a good bit more detail. This solid transfer allows us to see every bead of sweat on the face of John Rambo during his stick fighting match at the beginning of the movie. Other small nuances in the image -- the wear and tear on guns and clothes, the detail in faces, and even each pebble and grain of sand in close-up shots of the desert floor -- look great, lifelike, and certainly better than I expected. A very fine layer of grain is noticeable throughout most of the film. It's unobtrusive and only heavy in dark, underground scenes. Colors are strong and natural; earth tones dominate the picture, from the tans of the desert to the greens of military uniforms, all looking just as they should. Just as much action takes place at night as it does in the brightly lit deserts of Afghanistan, and both look equally great. Flesh tones appear as natural as they did in the previous Rambo film. I did not note any blue bars this time as appeared in Rambo: First Blood Part II, but a few scattered black vertical lines did appear in at least two scenes during the film's climactic battle scene. Rambo III looks great on Blu-ray, probably as good as we're ever likely to see it, in fact. This is another winner from Lionsgate.
The DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless sound mix accompanying Rambo III is, like the video, noticeably improved over what we heard in Rambo: First Blood Part II. The rear channel presence is notably heightened, but still reserved in a few places where one might expect a livelier surround presentation. It's mostly in areas where fine ambient sound would heighten the realism of the track where this one seems lacking, but the more action-oriented sequences sound marvelous. We hear helicopters buzzing from the rear of the soundstage to the front in chapter 4, the directionality and imaging perfect. Echoes and reverberations also make an appearance in the rear channels in several lower-key scenes in underground passages or in other close-quarter locales. Surrounds also erupt with gunfire in the film's third act, sounding punchier and more defined than they did in Rambo: First Blood Part II. Bass is still a bit more reserved than expected, and some explosions still fail to work the subwoofer all that hard. However, as the film moves on and the action intensifies, the track does pick up in power and authority. Dialogue reproduction is once again nothing to worry about, proving to be one of the disc's strengths. All in all, this is a perfectly acceptable high definition sound mix, one that is probably about as good as we're likely to hear from a mid 1980s B-grade action film. I wasn't quite as impressed with this one as I was other 1980s action flicks in high definition like Predator or Commando, but it's solid nevertheless.
Rambo III hits Blu-ray with an average amount of extra materials. The main attraction is a feature-length commentary track with director Peter MacDonald. He discusses the ousting of Russell Mulcahy as director and his short time to prepare for the task of directing one of the biggest films of the year. In between quite a bit of dead air, MacDonald dryly and monotonously takes listeners through various stages of production, provides stories from the set, discusses shooting locations, the set-up and implementation of numerous special effects shots, and other odds and ends. Some of it is interesting, some of it is not. Sadly, the track, for the most part, is incredibly dull, even when MacDonald recounts some interesting tidbits (such as how the effects crew take care not to injure the horses in the movie), but this one is best listened to by die-hard Rambo III fans only. Land In Crisis (480p, 29:48) is a documentary focusing on the history of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and concludes by looking at the role and significance of Rambo in that part of the world both then and now. Finally, an Out of the Blu Trivia Track runs over the feature, providing interesting nuggets of information pertaining to nearly every aspect of the film.
Rambo III is a fine way to kill off 90 or so minutes of your life. It's your typical third entry into a classic action franchise, a film that becomes repetitive, dull, and devoid of meaning, especially once the action gets going. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger had to shrug this one off and chuckle at it in Twins, the movie nothing more than a cash grab in an attempt to milk the series one last time. Almost 20 years later, the fourth film in the series, Rambo, hit theaters. I've not seen it yet, but am eagerly awaiting the arrival, viewing, and review of it on Blu-ray. My hopes and expectations are high that this once proud and iconic character can revitalize his stature with the newest entry into the Rambo series and leave fans with a greater appreciation than what they were left with after the highly mediocre Rambo III. Lionsgate has done well by this movie nevertheless, offering up a strong picture quality and a lossless sound mix that surpasses that of Rambo: First Blood Part II. The supplemental package is similar to that of the second film, and offers up a few good pieces of information but otherwise leaves a bit to be desired. Still, the movie is being released at a bargain price point, and that alone warrants a purchase for fans of the franchise or Blu-ray collectors in general. Recommended.
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