Here’s my review of the new Rambo flick… Rambo.

It’s hard to explain why I was so disappointed in this movie–it’s got all the requisite Stallone brooding and unnecessary explosions (both good things, as far as I’m concerned), but it just felt so totally joyless to me. Don’t get me wrong, Rambo III is awful in a lot of ways, but it’s so totally immersed in its own over-the-top ridiculousness that it’s actually fun. Whereas Rambo is the opposite of fun–it’s violent and it’s gory, but it’s pointless.

But I was thinking while watching it that it’d be an interesting experience watching Rambo and the Funny Games remake back-to-back. Both are grueling and violent, but one rewards the audience’s sadism, while the other chastises us for it. Not that I necessarily believe either extreme… just sayin’.