Although Rambo and Rocky both contributed to Sylvester Stallone’s massive Hollywood success, one franchise has proved harder to revive than the other.
Though Sylvester Stallone’s most well-known characters are utterly iconic, the actor/writer/director has struggled to revive Rambo in the same way that he was able to revive the Rocky franchise. Sylvester Stallone first found career success with 1976’s Rocky, a boxing drama about the titular underdog that went on to spawn a franchise that currently spans eight films (with a ninth on the way). After the success of Rocky and Rocky II, Stallone branched out by appearing in the 1982 action thriller First Blood, in which he played John Rambo, a former soldier with PTSD who has difficulting readjusting to civilian life.
The similarities between Stallone’s two career-making franchises rest solely with his ability to bring depth to the characters.
Rocky’s focus on the life and boxing career of Rocky Balboa makes for powerful and emotional dramatic stories, which is a far cry from the action-driven narratives of the Rambo franchise. However, simply by merit of sharing a star, the two franchises have faced constant comparisons.
Though both franchises have proved incredibly successful for Stallone, Rocky stands out as a clear favorite due to the franchise’s impressive longevity. Where Stallone has managed to bring the Rocky franchise back by telling new and relevant stories, Rambo has proved harder for him to revive. This is partly due to the difference in genres, as action movies have changed significantly since the 1980s, but also to do with the finer details of the two respective franchises.
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Stallone Has Successfully Revived The Rocky Franchise Twice
Recently, Stallone labeled Rocky Balboa a career highlight, as he fought for years to get the film made, and against all odds, it became one of the most popular films in the franchise. Not only was this incredibly fitting for an entry into Hollywood’s most well-known underdog story franchise, but the 2006 film revived the character of Rocky Balboa for what seemed to be one final fight. Rocky Balboa brought the story of its titular character and his boxing career to a fitting end, mirroring the ending of Rocky and seeing the character prove himself one final time. However, 2015 saw Stallone revive the franchise a second time with the spinoff Creed, which has since spawned a franchise of its own.
Both Rocky Balboa and Creed were successful in almost every way. Popular with audiences and critics alike, both revivals managed to score at the box office and prove critically and commercially successful. Though each brought the character of Rocky back in different ways and for different reasons, they proved to hit the mark as revivals of the franchise, paying homage to older movies while bringing the story forward in a satisfying and meaningful way. The success of both Rocky Balboa and Creed as franchise revivals evidences Stallone’s ability to adapt his iconic characters for modern times while still keeping the heart of the original films very much intact.
Stallone Has Struggled To Revive Rambo
Although Stallone’s attempts to revive the Rambo franchise mirror the Rocky movies, they have been met with far less success. John Rambo may be one of the most iconic action heroes of the 1980s, but Stallone’s revivals proved somewhat unsuccessful, particularly with critics. Much like with the Rocky movies, Stallone made two separate attempts to revive the Rambo franchise, although they were unable to duplicate the success he found with Rocky Balboa and Creed. 2008’s Rambo, the fourth film in the franchise, came a full two decades after the previous installment, Rambo III. Partly due to the financial disappointment of Rambo III, Rambo took a long time to make.
After Stallone rejected bad Rambo 4 ideas, his vision was eventually made, although it received mixed reviews, and this put the franchise back into stasis until 2019’s Rambo: Last Blood. The fifth film in the franchise received negative reviews, citing its xenophobic attitude toward Mexico and its graphic violence as particular issues. Stallone’s failure to revive the Rambo franchise in the same way he did with Rocky is all too obvious, particularly when considered against the similar time frames in each respective revival and the franchise’s incredibly different receptions among modern critics and audiences.
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Why Reviving Rambo Is Harder Than Bringing Back Rocky
The specific reasons why Rambo is harder to bring back than Rocky are complicated, but it seemingly comes down to their respective stories. With the Rocky franchise, Stallone carved out a very specific niche from the off, establishing the titular boxing as the ultimate movie underdog. Rocky’s boxing story was dramatic but ultimately relatable to practically every person in the audience. Rambo, on the other hand, makes use of a very different type of drama: First Blood’s story was a far more human affair, but subsequent entries into the franchise began to focus more on John Rambo’s status as a larger-than-life action hero, making the franchise’s overall narrative far less believable (and therefore less relatable).
This, in turn, hurt Rambo’s longevity, particularly in relation to the Rocky movies. One other reason that continuing Rambo has proved more difficult than keeping the Rocky franchise alive is Stallone himself. As Stallone wrote the Rocky movies from the very beginning, there was a certain narrative and thematic consistency that persisted even as the films began to change and evolve with the wider narrative. However, the Rambo movies shifted from an adaptation of David Morell’s novel First Blood, with Stallone penning later entries into the franchise. This means that Rambo’s narrative throughline has been far less consistent than Rocky (and Creed)’s, which also likely contributed to its less successful revivals.
Will Stallone Bring Back Either Rocky Or Rambo Again?
The Rocky franchise has now shifted focus to follow Adonis Creed, and there are indications, if not outright confirmation, that Rocky will not return. Stallone has declined to appear in Creed 3, but though it appears that the movies will continue without Balboa, the actor is reportedly working on a Rocky prequel series that will explore the fighter’s younger years. This means that the Rocky franchise is alive and well on multiple fronts, with Stallone’s intentions to both allow the Creed movies to continue Rocky’s legacy while simultaneously focusing on the character’s past with his own projects.
Similarly, Stallone has voiced his wish to make a Rambo prequel, although this seems far less likely. In fact, Stallone said that he would only continue to portray Rambo if the fifth film succeeded, which it did not. This indicates that Stallone is in fact aware that the Rambo franchise’s revivals are far less successful than Rocky’s, and although both franchises may continue, the latter is far more likely than the former.