jared-25331

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) is the sequel to First Blood (1982) and it follows Rambo being released from prison in a deal with the United States government to document the possible existence of missing POWs in Vietnam, but is given strict orders not to rescue any and when he defies his orders, he is abandoned and forced once again to rely on his own brutal combat skills to save the POWs. This movie takes the deeply personal drama from the original and makes it into an over the top 1980s action movie and I love it for that.

Positives for Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985): For me, it was a smart decision to not do another action drama movie with the character of John Rambo and instead go full blown 80s action movie cheese. The story is simple and it wastes no time with getting to the action. I still enjoy Sylvester Stallone as John J. Rambo and Richard Crenna as Colonel Samuel R. Trautman, who are great allies for one another. I also love the additions of Charles Napier as Major Marshall Roger T. Murdock, Steven Berkoff as Lieutenant Colonel Sergei T. Podovsky, Julia Nickson as Agent Co Phuong Bao and Martin Kove as Michael Reed Ericson. The movie moves at a good pace with enough story for the audience to invest while also providing you with the action. And finally, the action sequences are over the top and glorious with all the gunfire and explosions you're watching and I loved every minute of it.

Overall, Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) is not as good as First Blood (1982) and I am perfectly okay with that because I love the over the top action spectacle that would continue for the rest of this franchise and I am so ready for the sequels.

The Terminator (1984) is a science fiction horror movie written and directed by James Cameron that marked the beginning of the Terminator franchise and it follows a cyborg assassin from the future attempting to find and kill a young woman who is destined to give birth to a warrior that will lead a resistance to save humankind from extinction. This is a project that was shockingly born from a fever dream James Cameron had during the release of Piranha II: The Spawning (1982) which is insane to say since James Cameron disowns that movie, but he shouldn't because it helped launch both his and Arnold's careers to legendary status and it created one of the most celebrated media franchises ever.

Positives for The Terminator (1984): The opening setsthe movie's tone perfectly while also having this independent movie atmosphere that can be felt throughout the entire runtime. The other thing that makes this first stand out is the iconic score that feels very cinematic for a movie that was made with a budget of $6.4 million. The story is phenomenal with how simple it is on paper, while being brilliantly executed through the writing and directing from James Cameron. Then, you get to the iconic cast of this movie particularly Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator, Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese and Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, who are perfectly casted in their roles and helped launched their careers. First off, you have Arnold Schwarzenegger as the slasher villain and while I do love Arnold, it wouldn't be crazy to see that he isn't the best actor in the world as he can be woody and robotic (pun intended), but that's what makes him the perfect choice to play the T-800 since he has the right mannerisms to pull the role off easily and he went from being an Austrian bodybuilder to one of the most beloved actors in all of Hollywood. You also have Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese, who is such an interesting and complex character despite not being given a lot of character depth, but you get enough to be invested in his mission to save Sarah Connor. Then, you have Linda Hamilton as the final girl of this movie, who starts off as the defenseless target of the T-800 and slowly starts to change into a bit of a badass by the end, while also forming an amazing romance with Kyle Reese. You also have Paul Winfield as Ed Traxler and Lance Henriksen as Hal Vukovich, who are great in their roles and make the most of the screentime they have. The movie is able to balance the action and horror aspects with the science fiction perfectly that never feels off at any point of the movie. You get some great action sequences with the gunfire, while also being fearful for the two leads and anyone around them. Then, you have the legendary practical effects created by Stan Winston that haven't aged that well in certain scenes, but they go perfectly with the movie's indie atmosphere. The climax of this movie is perfect as you get to a point where you feel like the characters have defeated the Terminator and can go on with their lives until the thing comes back in its robotic form for one last scare to finish our heroes before it gets terminated. And finally, the ending is perfect as it closes the story out of this movie while also leaving off on a note that would eventually lead into the sequel and the rest of this insane franchise.

Overall, The Terminator (1984) is a masterclass of science fiction horror filmmaking that launched the careers of its cast and crew into full blown stardom and began a media franchise that would become insane with every entry for years to come.

First Blood (1982) is a war action movie based on David Morrell's 1972 novel of the same name that marked the beginning of the Rambo franchise and it follows John Rambo who, after entering a small town and clashing with the police, attempts to survive a manhunt using his expertise in survival and combat skills. Rambo is a movie franchise that everyone knows for the insane over the top action sequences and Sylvester Stallone being this insane action movie icon, but that wasn't the case with the first movie as it is a very different story from the rest of the franchise and I have to say that this is one of the best action movies of all time.

Positives for First Blood (1982): This movie goes above and beyond from just being your typical action movie from the 80s simply for the story alone. It is a phenomenal exploration of what life was like for Vietnam War veterans when they got home and how they were being treated by people, who have no idea what they experienced there, but I guess people from that time didn't give a damn if they were being jackasses. This movie is also a perfect example of the phrase "Don't poke the bear!" because that is exactly what happens to the police when they enforce John Rambo and he makes them pay for their ignorance. It helps that you have phenomenal performances from the cast particularly Sylvester Stallone as John J. Rambo, Richard Crenna as Colonel Samuel R. Trautman and Brian Dennehy as Sheriff William Teasle. I love the interactions that we get with Trautman and Teasle as they argue about who knows how to deal with John Rambo including that scene where Trautman says, "I'm not here to protect Rambo from you. I'm here to protect you from him." The movie does an excellent job at showing you that John Rambo is not a man you want to be enemies with and that he is very dangerous while also being intelligent with his strategies to take out the police. The action is very effective at adding tension to the story which is something that you don't see in a lot of modern action movies. The movie is paced very slowly with its storytelling and building up tension to the finale which isn't some big action extravaganza, it's just Rambo and Trautman talking. And finally, this finale has the best acting from Sylvester Stallone that rivals his performance in Rocky (1976) where he is talking about one of his fellow war friends and how he just wants to go home which is honestly more powerful for a finale to the story of this movie.

Overall, First Blood (1982) is a movie that manages to maintain its legendary status as one of the best action movies ever made which it deserves and it marked the beginning of one of the greatest action movie franchises in the history of cinema.