Blu-ray Movie Reviews

I grew up with this trilogy and looking back I am almost surprised that my parents let me watch these films at such a young age. These films cemented Stallone's status as an action icon and "Rambo" is a name everyone knows. Just in time for the release of the new (and quite entertaining) fourth installment is the original trilogy on Blu-ray. I still consider the first film to be the strongest of the series and I love the message it sends on the treatment of Vietnam Vets after their return home. It is always disturbing to see how those troops were treated. The second and third film suited the Reagan years perfectly and continued to fuel our fear of the Russians during the Cold War. I like the second film a lot more than the third, but even the weakest one is good popcorn fun.

All three films are very similar in their visual style and HD presentation. I think the average consumer would be extremely happy with these transfers. Dimensionality is excellent considering the age and the prints used have only minor issues in terms of noise and scratches. A fair amount of noise reduction has been applied though, which gives the image an overly smooth appearance at times. Some movements have a bit of a blurring effect, but it isn't too distracting. Purists will probably call foul though and I would be one to lean toward no noise reduction if at all possible. Overall though I think most will be quite happy with these presentations.

First Blood is the same as the earlier release and does not feature a lossless soundtrack (DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1). The other two films get full DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mixes. Honestly, I don't know how much the lossless encoding really added. The sound design is extremely dated and dynamics are on the limited side. There just isn’t any sense of ambiance and the mix sounds very confined to the front soundstage with very limited use of the surround soundstage. Even the front soundstage sounds confined in both presence and range. I imagine a lot of this had to do with budget, but I was hoping for a bit more in the sound department.

Extras are pretty consistent across all three films. All three feature audio commentaries and in-movie trivia tracks. The second and third films have documentaries on the themes and locations of the film including the war in Afghanistan. The first film also has some deleted scenes and a production feature.

This is perfect timing for this set. The fourth film was a great addition to this popular series and this is the perfect opportunity to see all three of the originals in the best quality they've ever been. While I still wanted more from the A/V presentation, I think most will be pleased.