Well, I can say that all the praise for Rambo redeeming the franchise were spot on. I went into this with low expectations thinking that everyone else was more or less hyping this up beyond what it could actually deliver. There are a handful of things that come to mind when watching this one. First and foremost, the film just looks and sounds better than any of the first 3 films combined. They finally got rid of using the same 'Stock Audio" for guns and explosions that were beyond irritating. There is a certain look and style that comes with filming in the 80's that instantly makes it outdated. The other thing is that this story line has some weight behind it and wasn't the same old "fighting evil Russian's", which too also is outdated.

The other thing that I notice about Rambo and probably the most important thing they got right was the pacing. Everything was spread out to give the fans of the franchise it's expected kills and high body count. But in between the Set Pieces, there was downtime for the characters and the viewer. We learn more about John (Sly Stallone) in this installment then we did the last two films combined. I really like the flashback sequence that ties all the films together and gives us one last look at Col. Sam Trautman (Richard Crenna). But lets not get too far ahead of ourselves, this is a Rambo film afterall and that means...bloodbath. They saved the best for last and was it ever a doozy. Take the opening of Saving Private Ryan, multiply the carnage by 1000 and you have just a taste of what goes down. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. This is definitely the most violent movie I've ever seen produced by a Hollywood Studio, which in the end really didn't faze me at all. Use to it. Call me jaded if you must.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie from start to finish and I love how they brought John full circle by returning him home at the end in an obvious nod to First Blood. I highly recommend this as a Rent. Personally I see myself Buying this to complete my DVD set. Very entertaining movie that erased most of what the last two films brought with it.