Reviews and first audience reactions have been very mixed. There is a huge divide, with very little middle ground. Stallone has brought back his iconic character for an action-packed adventured south of the US border in Mexico. Critics call it anti-immigrant Trump propaganda while some fans turn the attack back on PC social justice warriors. However, the writer who created Rambo in the first place blasts that it is nothing to do with any of this. He simply says the fim is a “dull, degrading mess.”
Author David Morrell wrote the 1972 novel First Blood, which introduced the world to the iconic action hero.
Ten years later it was turned into the blockbusting Stallone movie which spawned a franchise. Morrell has written 28 books and remains most famous for creating Rambo, but he has never been involved with any of the films in the franchise.
However, he caused a stir on social media when he publicly eviscerated the latest instalment. Like the film itself, his comments have divided opinions.
Morrell wrote: “I agree with these RAMBO: LAST BLOOD reviews. The film is a mess. Embarrassed to have my name associated with it… It’s a degrading film. It’s similar to 1976’s grindhouse exploitation film TRACKDOWN, with Robert Mitchum’s son, James. Same plot. Same poor filmmaking.”
RAMBO STAR SYLVESTER STALLONE SAYS DOLPH LUNDGREN “ALMOST KILLED ME” ON SET
His post sparked a flood of replies.
Much of the debate centres on whether the story of Rambo going to Mexico to fight drug cartels feeds into right-wing attitudes in America towards Mexican immigrants and the ongoing debate over President Trump’s plans to build a wall.
One said: “I want to see it even more! I hate this PC world we live in!”
Morrell fired back; “This isn’t PC. It’s a dull, degrading film, filled with post-it-note stereotypes.”
RAMBO LAST BLOOD STUMBLES AT US BOX OFFICE: BEATEN BY DOWNTON ABBEY
Morrell believes his beloved Rambo creation has lost all sense of his character in the new film.
He added: “The film made the character a cipher and assumed that audiences knew Rambo’s background, but anyone under 40 will wonder what’s going on. Rambo could have been called John Smith.”
Some fans, though, believe Rambo’s quest to save a young girl restores his humanity while others point out that the original book portrayed the character almost as a villain himself.
One said: “Dude in the book you literally had RAMBO indiscriminately butchering and gutting police officers and he was basically the villain, how is this any worse?”
Another added: “Last Blood is, in fact, a phenomenal film and a near-perfect conclusion of John Rambo’s character arc across films. Having finally found a connection to his lost innocence in his daughter figure, he recovered something like a real life.”
RAMBO LAST BLOOD IS OUT NOW IN UK AND US CINEMAS