Stallone's Rambo Prequel Idea Is Better Than Making Rambo 6

Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo prequel idea expands on the best part of John Rambo’s First Blood story arc while still allowing Rambo. Last Blood will truly become Last Blood. The Rambo franchise got off to a good start in 1982 with First Blood, the only Rambo film to receive a Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes rating. For better or worse, subsequent sequels have prioritized graphics and fast-paced action, 2019’s Rambo notwithstanding. Last Blood made at least some effort to integrate meaningful character development. The character development seen in Rambo: Last Blood also had some major implications for the titular Vietnam War veteran, but there are other reasons why Sylvester Stallone’s prequel idea would have been much better than making Rambo 6.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor said:

“I wanted to make [the Rambo prequel] like a Ken Burns documentary about Vietnam, where you throw young Rambo in there and he’s a gregarious guy, a football captain, and then you understand why he becomes Rambo.”

Stallone has the right idea: a prequel exploring John Rambo’s tragic backstory will return the character to his roots and build on the legacy of the venerable first film.

How A Rambo Prequel Could Make The Other Rambo Movies Better

A better understanding of how John Rambo went from being a “people guy” to being a killing machine would add much-needed context and depth to all the Rambo films. However, the idea of a Sylvester Stallone prequel would benefit First Blood the most because it would finally do justice to the character who originally served as a trailblazer for screen portrayals of PTSD and war trauma. First Blood stands out from the rest of the Rambo franchise, but also stands in stark contrast to the typical eighties action films. While stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger

and Wesley Snipes gleefully made plenty of puns and bodies in the Eighties, the first Rambo film was a mystery that would have been even more distinct if the original ending of First Blood had been kept. Torturous Police The station’s monologue in the third act of First Blood was not only one of Sylvester Stallone’s best acting performances, but it brutally subverted the idea that a muscular male action hero couldn’t—or wouldn’t—care or feel anything . First Blood scrapped the idea after John Rambo’s breakdown, and Sylvester Stallone’s idea for a prequel would further explore how and why Rambo got to this point.

Rambo 6 Would Risk Killing What Makes The Character Special

Rambo 6 Shouldn’t Happen – Last Blood Made It Clear That Story Is Done

This is also true Rambo. Last Blood made it very clear that John Rambo’s story was over. Not only did the film’s final scene heavily imply that Rambo might bleed to death in his rocking chair, but the end credits featured a poignant montage of all the previous Rambo films. Even if Rambo killed all these people and survived, his story has nowhere else to go but to the past. Sylvester Stallone mentioned in his interview that there could also be a “contemporary story in which I pass the torch” in the works. It’s too early to give a final verdict on this idea, but Rambo. “Last Blood” was a fitting finale for a long-running franchise. The best idea is a Rambo prequel.