Posted on: June 4, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

This is essentially the collection that anyone that considers themselves to be a fan of Rambo need. This means that “First Blood”, “Rambo First Blood Part II”, “Rambo III” and “Rambo (Special Edition)” are all present. Furthermore, individuals that want to put a copy of the newest Rambo movie on their iTunes or Zune will be able to without having to resize and otherwise modify the film. This is due the fact that one disc of this six-disc set (disc 5, in fact) is devoted purely to that copy.

Each movie here is the best version of the movie that Lionsgate could find – the first three Rambo flicks are the ultimate edition, while “Rambo” is a special edition. While this accounts for five of the six discs, the missing disc is perhaps the strongest addition to this set. This is due to the fact that disc six is the “Special Bonus Features Disc”, which means that Lionsgate has placed every featurette and bit of footage that they could dig up from the different Rambo films and have placed them here. Furthermore, there are features on the early discs as well. This means that individuals can view the original theatrical trailers for the films, see the alternate ending for First Blood, understand how bad Afghanistan was in the period that the movies took place (“Afghanistan: Land in Crisis”), and even get further insight into different branches of the United States government (“The Forging of Heroes: America’s Green Berets”).

Finally, the audio commentaries about the films are some of the most interesting that I have had the chance to hear. Some of these films are pushing twenty-five years old, and it is very important that someone that actually worked on the film is able to provide individuals with some sense of how the world was different in this earlier period. With a list price of $55 (and a number of stores, including Amazon, selling it at a fraction of that price), Rambo: The Complete Collector’s Set should be a pick up for anyone that is looking for the perfect Father’s day gift or knows someone that is into the films. Until Stallone comes into play for another Rambo sequel, this should be seen as the end all be all in terms of the Rambo mythology. Pick it up.

Rating: 8.0/10

Rambo: The Complete Collector’s Set / 2008 Lionsgate / http://www.lionsgate.com /

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