A Rambo sequel starring Sylvester Stallone is succeeding on streaming during the wait for season 3 of his Paramount+ crime drama Tulsa King, which is still in early development. Stallone is a three-time Oscar nominee who is best known for action movies and dramas, especially those that kickstarted franchises including the Rocky movies, in which he plays underdog boxer Rocky Balboa, and the Expendables franchise, in which he has co-written three installments, directed one, and starred in all four as mercenary Barney Ross.
One of the most prominent Sylvester Stallone movie franchises is Rambo, which has provided the star with one of his longest-running signature roles. The series kicked off in 1982 with the movie First Blood, which introduced his character John Rambo, a battle-hardened Vietnam veteran. The movie was a smash hit, grossing $125.2 million against its $15 million budget and spawning four sequels featuring increasingly high-octane adventures. The franchise also provided the inspiration for the 2007 indie comedy Son of Rambow, which follows British schoolchildren attempting to create their own Rambo movie.
Rambo: Last Blood Has Found New Life On Streaming
The Action Movie Is Charting On Netflix
Rambo: Last Blood is now finding streaming success more than half a decade after its 2019 release. The movie, which is the most recent installment, follows the character’s peaceful life in Arizona being shattered when his surrogate granddaughter is kidnapped by a cartel, leading him to embark on a bloody revenge mission. The movie came under fire for its deployment of negative Mexican stereotypes, which is one reason it earned a dismal 26% Rotten Tomatoes score. However, it was also criticized for other reasons, as showcased in Sandy Schaefer’s Rambo: Last Blood review for ScreenRant. Read an excerpt below:
Characters like Gabrielle and Maria only really exist as an excuse to justify John going off to slay a whole lot of people once again. Rambo: Last Blood does take some time early on to try and develop Gabrielle and John’s relationship, but their bonding scenes are hampered by wooden dialogue and Monreal and Stallone’s lack of chemistry. The film doesn’t offer much in the way of resolution to John’s arc from the previous Rambo movies either; by the end, it’s not clear what he gained from his journey during Last Blood that he didn’t get from 2008’s Rambo. With no real substance to sink his teeth into as an actor, Stallone’s performance suffers for it, as do those from his castmates.
In spite of its critical reception, after joining the streaming platform on February 10 alongside 2008’s Rambo, Rambo: Last Blood is charting on the daily Top 10 chart of the most-watched movies on Netflix in the United States. At the time of writing, the 2019 sequel is ranked No. 10, finding a place on the chart alongside Netflix originals such as La Dolce Villa (No. 3) and Honeymoon Crasher (No. 8) as well as the box office hits Minions (No. 9) and Sing (No. 6).
What This Means For Rambo: Last Blood
Audiences Have Responded Better To The Movie
This streaming success of Rambo: Last Blood is consistent with the audience response that the Sylvester Stallone action movie has enjoyed. In spite of earning a splat from critics, its Rotten Tomatoes audience score is 81%, and its success at its new streaming home would seem to indicate that general audiences’ interest in the project has not dulled in the intervening years since its theatrical release. However, this renewed interest likely won’t beget a sequel, as it earned just $91.5 million in theaters, when its budget likely would have necessitated a gross of $160 million in order to break even.
Source: Netflix
Rambo: Last Blood
3/10
- Release Date
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September 19, 2019
- Runtime
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89 minutes
- Director
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Adrian Grünberg
- Writers
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Matthew Cirulnick
- Producers
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Ariel Vromen, Lonnie Ramati, Liu Rong, Jiewen Tan, Zhang Qun, Allen Dam, Jeff Gum, Yariv Lerner, Jonathan Yunger, Jeffrey Greenstein, Robert Van Norden, Elijah Long, Avi Lerner, Damaine Radcliff, Victor Hadida, Steven Paul, Samuel Hadida, Matthew O’Toole, Les Weldon, Lati Grobman, Kevin King Templeton, Christa Campbell, Boaz Davidson