First it was just called Rambo 4. But like any movie in this biz, that was just a working title. Then we were treated with the classy full name title of John Rambo. I liked that a lot for a few reasons.
But then they decided it wasn’t a good idea. So now we are stuck with Rambo to Hell and Back. I Watch Stuff reports
The producers of John Rambo are desperately trying to cling to the moderate success of full-name-titled Rocky Balboa?That’s exactly what Lionsgate worried, so they’ve changed the name of the fourth Rambo film to the darker, seemingly-in-need-of-a-colon, Rambo to Hell and Back. I know they want me to think this is a really hardcore film, or at least that parts of Asia are equivalent to Hell, but all it does is remind me of a glaring inadequacy with his latest one-man war.
I really liked the class and value that Rocky Balboa had as a movie title. Forget the traditional tagging on of a number that has become the routine gag of spoof films. Making this movie Rocky Balboa, MADE you think it was a different movie. So was I surprised to see that Stallone was putting out another Rambo movie too? No. And he is calling it John Rambo? Cool.
Oops. I guess they didn’t think it was such a good idea. Rocky Balboa was far more story driven than its previous installments and I thought it was a fantastic film. A valued effort to continue the franchise (even though I hope this is it) and then because no one asked for it Stallone announces Rambo is on the comeback trail too.
The only reason I even bothered to care about another Rambo movie was because of how he handled Rocky.
The name said to me “This is something different. This is a story with the whole man, not just a part of him. Its not a boxing movie, its a movie about a boxer.” That spoke volumes to me.
So that Lionsgate is changing the name of Rambo 4 to this silly Rambo to Hell and Back makes me think that its NOT going to be different, and its not going to be a story about a man. The trailer even seems to imply that the story will be about John being ripped from his peaceful retirement into a war. Granted the trailer showed more war than the peaceful retirement.
Its just going to be blowin’ shit up.
Personally that is the impression I got from the “need” for a name change. They don’t want you to think that this movie will be different from other Rambo movies.
At least they imply he will be coming back from Hell before the movie is over.
**UPDATE** Nope, they changed their minds again. Back to John Rambo.
