I just want to take a moment to state I first blogged about this film waaaay back in 2014 and a few times since then – but finally the waiting was over and I dragged Heretic Deb along to the cinema with me to see Rambo: Last Blood.

So this ‘review’ will naturally take a bit of a different turn to the generally negative offerings already out there and it’s certainly not an unbiased offering – it’s no secret that I am a big Rambo fangirl and of course I am going to adore anything involved with him that is thrown my way.

I’d not done much reading around the movie before it was released and went into the cinema with absolutely no expectations for the film to be any good. I was therefore pleasantly surprised! The movie had a decent, worthwhile plot that took pretty much no brain power to comprehend (Sometimes, that’s exactly what is needed) had a couple of unexpected turns and ended with a bloodbath; isn’t this what we require from a Rambo film?

I enjoyed the film a great deal for what it was. I giggled like a school girl during the violence; which is what first attracted my attention with Rambo and it was actually rather nice to see him living a ‘normal’ life at the beginning of the film. It was just nice to see Rambo getting the peace that he deserved. Of course, it all goes wrong, but that’s the entire plot-hook and expected.

So. I loved it. A lot.

There are a lot more people out there that didn’t. Bashing it for ‘Toxic Masculinity’ and ‘Racism’ These two elements are pretty much buzzwords in todays society. Men can’t hold open doors for ladies anymore without it being called ‘Toxic Masculinity’ and honestly, if you’re one of the people concerned about such things in movies then just don’t bother with this sort of movie. Go back to your blanket fort and come out again when you’ve grown up enough to realize that the world doesn’t owe you shit, just cause you’re alive! As for the racism; sure you could take it that way, but you’d be sympathizing with the real dregs of society. Some seriously bad people doing fucking awful things, people that deserve every ounce of whats coming for them. I’ll leave that there. People will believe what they want – I didn’t get those particular negative take-homes from this movie.

However, there were a few. This film has come out 12 years after it’s predecessor, Rambo. I am well versed in the Rambo movies, I am heavily invested in them. Not everyone who goes to see the film will be; a little back story on Rambo would have been good just to help bridge the gaps for those who know next-to-nothing about him. The film makes the assumption you know who John Rambo is, how he can do what he does so easily. New comers to the franchise see Rambo as some old geezer living on a farm with his family all nicey-nice until a can of whoopass happens and woah, that old dudes a badass! It would have helps to just have a few flashback sequences or something to help Rambo: Last Blood tie in with the previous four movies.

But you know, even with all that nonsense, because really they aren’t gripes from me, they’re issues that other people might take away from the movie.

My absolute biggest issue with the film was that Rambo didn’t wear his iconic bandanna. Not once. That made me very, very sad.