Nerds That Geek Movie Review – ‘Rambo: Last Blood’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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I think we can all agree upon the fact that, for the most part, action films tend to be fairly devoid of any deeper meaning. I mean sure, we laugh pretty hearty when the comic relief arrives, and sometimes there are characters that die on screen that we really didn’t want to see go. But outside of that, any real commentary on our world and our humanity simply doesn’t exist in this genre and it makes sense as to why. For action films are a true escape through and through, where we suspend any beliefs in reality and just munch on popcorn while the bullets fly, and the explosions wow us.
 
But once in a while, an action film does arrive on the market that leaves you thinking. Granted, it’s rare when that happens, but when it does, it truly does wow you, and one such action film that caught me off guard with its intelligence came out many moons ago when First Blood hit theaters back in 1982. Because the first entry in the John Rambo saga really forced audiences to ponder upon the experiences of war veterans and the PTSD they incur when immersed in combat. But while that was a wonderful place for this story to go, its subsequent sequels reverted to more traditional action storytelling, making Rambo’s plight and struggle a little less relevant as time goes on.
 
However, that’s not a bad thing necessarily, because sometimes straying too far off course, allows for a course correction to happen somewhere down the line, and that’s precisely why I was quite curious to see Rambo: Last Blood. Because once Sylvester Stallone announced that this would be the final film in the John Rambo saga, I couldn’t help but wonder if this grand finale would be akin to Rocky Balboa, in that it returned the franchise to its roots and it just so happens that this particular entry does just that. Because when we catch up with John in his latest adventure, he’s back where he started in a manner of speaking since he’s just trying to get by and make peace with his demons, but there’s a twist present here that adds depth to his attempts to silence the screams in his mind.

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​Because John has in essence found something to live for in this particular tale, since he’s taken over as a father figure for the granddaughter of a woman named Maria Beltran, who helps out at his father’s ranch and well, this was a lovely twist to see thrown into the mix for this character. For Gabriela’s addition to the saga gives John depth like never before and her innocence and all around good nature finally gives John a faith in mankind that he’s never had before and it’s fascinating to see him push himself harder to control his demons in order to be the hero that she clearly believes him to be. If anything, it was just refreshing to see John as a person once again, one that truly wanted to find peace and enjoy what life has to offer for a change, and it was equally as intriguing to see him find ways to deal with his PTSD and his demons since few stories deal with that period.
 
However, make no mistake about it, this is an action flick through and through and it doesn’t take long for Gabriela to get into trouble, prompting the vicious and violent parts of John to bubble to the surface and well, that’s where this film takes a turn into familiar territory and this part of the story is… impressive. Because oddly enough, the violence here feels organic and justified and my goodness does John unleash his fury like never before, as he brings harm to those who hurt his family and I suppose what makes these incredible sequences work so well on screen is the sheer fact that there is depth and meaning to John’s vendetta. For we’ve often heard parents speak of how far they would go to avenge their children if anyone hurt them and that definitely comes into play here in impressive and shocking fashion.
 
In the end however, this really is a fitting end to John Rambo’s saga, simply because the story allows for a disillusioned solider, haunted by wanton death and violence, to finally fight for something worthwhile and that’s really the happiest ending that John could ever receive since this tale does end in bleak and bloody fashion. But what I truly appreciated about this film is that it had more to offer than just mere explosions and buckets of blood. It gives us a thinking and functional hero once again and it works to please a variety of audiences in doing so. Because if you want depth, you’ll find it, and if you want someone’s head to explode in combat, well good news, you find that too. Either way, this is quite the impressive finale to a thirty-seven-year-old franchise and one worth seeing for certain.

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