Review of Rambo: First Blood

Introduction

I can`t believe this movie is twenty years old. I was nine when it first appeared in cinemas and remember the hype and playground banter. There were some kids even at this tender age who had managed to sneak in the fire escape at the local flea-pit to catch a glimpse of Stallone as the one man army, John J. Rambo.

It wasn`t until a few years later that I managed to view it on our very first VHS top loader. This was a genre making movie, the kind that spark numerous imitations, some inferior some superior. This was the Die Hard or the Lethal Weapon of its time which even managed to contained some highly camouflaged questions about war and the effect of war on its participants. Stallone plays the part with passion. It doesn`t really test his narrative prowess and has only a few key speech moments and one somewhat subtitle needing rant towards its end. But for most it`s his physical presence and pure muscle power that had most of us flocking to the theatres from the late seventies to the mid nineties.

Stallone`s appeal has wavered recently. Movies such as Daylight, Driven and an ill advised Rocky rejuvenation knocked him from the very high pedestal he once sat. But it`s only when we look back to these past Stallone gems that we can appreciate his rise and now understand he has always been destined for a huge fall.

This is the second time we`ve had a region 2 edition of Rambo on DVD. This edition is part of a three disc box set that contains the Rambo Trilogy, I`m not totally sure if these disc are available separately. Being part of a box set I was hoping for some great extras on this, the original of the Rambo movies...so how does it fair?

Video

The 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is very respectable. There is only a small amount of grain evident, which is quite surprising for a film of its age. The colours are vivid and bold even in some of the more darker forest scenes where the greenery looks lush and the fabulous scenery is shown off in all its glory. The contrast levels are well above average with some solid shadows and some great depth enhancing whites. Check out the scene where Rambo is trapped in the old mine with his home made fire torch. The detail levels in this scene are the best I`ve seen on such an old transfer. It would also be good to point out that this is the first time this movie has been transferred at its original theatrical release ratio. Many of the video versions and even Laserdisc pressings were either Pan & Scan 4:3 or stretched and cropped.

Audio

The biggest disappointment on this release is the lack of a Dolby Digital 5.1 remixed track. The DD 2.0 surround option is adequate but fails to have the presence of a 5.1 or DTS mix. There is a distinct lack of good solid bass and the front soundstage is a bit too centre speaker heavy. This leads to a sharp and shrill presentation that can start to become hard on the ears after the first hour. The surrounds are used to good effect but also lack the punch on the many explosive scenes. I must add one thing regarding Metrodome / Studio Canal DVD transfers in general. These DVDs usually contain a Studio Canal and Metrodome animated logo which comes complete with a fantastic loud and superbly split 5.1 audio track. But as soon as you play the main feature the sound seems muted. I had to really crank-up the volume well past my normal listening level to get good easy to hear dialogue. This maybe why the track is too harsh but it does seem to be a problem on a few of their transfers. Cliffhanger`s full 5.1 audio is another damp squib that springs to mind.

Features

Extras are on the thin side, with just two trailers.

Conclusion

This is a great movie with a lot of well know political history behind it. It`s sequel, also reviewed by me on this site continued with the controversy where this left off. The quality of video presentation is staggering considering the age, plus the added bonus of a true aspect ratio version is exquisite.

This DVD is let down by a sound mix that is dull at normal volume and will lead to a severe case of tinitus if you don`t adjust the treble on your system.

We also have a complete lack of any behind the scenes footage or interviews. Give us a good retrospective with interviews from the cast and crew...give us some hidden features...or a script to read on screen...give us my favorite, a commentary with Stallone, with subtitles of course!