Sylvester Stallone's farewell to John Rambo in Rambo: Last Blood could have bookended the franchise by mirroring First Blood's themes, but instead doubled down on the franchise's characterization mistakes. Stallone's Rambo is now known for being an ultra-violent, vengeful one-man army who slices through terrorists and criminals effortlessly. However, that wasn't the original goal for the character, who only became increasingly brutal as the Rambo movies gained traction as an action movie franchise.
Like his book counterpart, Sylvester Stallone's Rambo didn't set out to kill anybody after the war. It was only until he was denied a peaceful life that he resorted to violence, and even then, Rambo only killed one person in First Blood. His impressive efficiency at improvised warfare made him the ideal candidate to rescue POWs in Vietnam, save Colonel Trautman in Afghanistan, fight deadly mercenaries in Burma, and then kill criminals at the Mexico border, but Rambo's original quest for survival was gone as soon as First Blood ended.
Rambo: Last Blood Should Have Been A Survival Movie
Every Rambo sequel after First Blood helped establish John Rambo as a popular action movie protagonist, but they all abandoned what made the first movie an effective drama, as John Rambo was no longer a victim that took justice into his own hands. In First Blood, Rambo is prey as much as he's predator, and he struggles to survive in the forest while hunting down his pursuers like a wild animal. This conflict is lost in the sequels, with Rambo having already mastered every weapon and environment to kill his enemies in increasingly creative ways, particularly in Rambo: Last Blood.
In order to stand out from previous sequels, Rambo: Last Blood could have featured a more restrained Rambo trying to help others survive like he did in The First Blood. Using stealth and camouflage, Rambo could have gone back to his origins, back when violence was his last resort due to his painful memories of Vietnam. This way, deaths in Rambo: Last Blood would have had more emotional weight, and Rambo would have actually seemed ready to move on for good as he rides into the sunset.
Last Blood Cemented Rambo As A Bloodthirsty Killer
Rambo: Last Blood not only proved that Rambo's penchant for violence and revenge stayed the same throughout the years but also featured even more graphic deaths such Victor's decapitation and Hugo's heart being ripped out of his chest. In his final film, Sylvester Stallone's Rambo is past the point of redemption, and he seems to enjoy what he does more than ever before. Long gone is the young man using his stealth and survival skills to reach a peaceful life — a fate not less tragic than Rambo's early death in the original First Blood.
