Source France (trilogy) and the United States | Publisher : Studiocanal and Lionsgate Films (John Rambo) | Release date : 14 November 2018 and 03 September 2019
Video format
2160p24 | Ratio 2.35 (trilogy) and 2.40
HDR10 | Dolby Vision (John Rambo) | BT.2020
HEVC encoding | DI 4K (trilogy) and 2K
Soundtrack
English Dolby Atmos (John Rambo)
English DTS-HD MA 5.1 (trilogy)
French DTS-HD MA 5.1 (trilogy)
Subtitles
English
French (trilogy)
Rated 3.5 out of 5
Artistic : 7 | Video : 7.5 | Audio : 8
It is brought to the attention of our dear readers that, in addition to the specified and used viewing equipment, the rendering may differ from one installation to another, whether or not it is calibrated, as well as personal preferences and expectations may influence notation. In addition, the images (extracted from a free-of-rights image bank and the site caps-a-holic) serve as an illustration and cannot be considered representative of the edition tested.
Test equipment and condition (Config. HP: 5.1.4)
Video broadcaster : Sony Bravia XR-65A95L (Professional HDR | Dolby Dark Vision)
Sources : Oppo UDP-203 Audiocom Reference | Zappiti Reference
Pregnant : Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max (Dolby Atmos | DTS Neural:X), SVS SB-4000
Contents
Rambo, welcome back home
Johnny Rambo, a former hero of Vietnam, is arrested in a small town for wandering. Maltreated, he decides to flee. Under the authority of the local sheriff, the manhunt begins, but Rambo foils the traps. Trautman, his former colonel, convinces him to surrender...
Adapted from the eponymous novel of David Morrell published in 1972, this bitter survival driven by the anger of the sacrifice of Vietnam staged the spirit of war (the taiseux John Rambo) that America prefers to forget (by bad conscience) in a subversive narrative to the haunting suspense. And while his former Green Beret, trampled on by his own (a society claiming to be « peaceful »), becomes a pariah well despite him, the escalation of violence leads to redemption. An icon (not always understood and often diverted) of the action cinema had just been born.
Coming from a 4K scan of the original 35 mm negative, this UHD HDR 10 transfer to firm compression presents unprecedented clarity, new information during dark scenes (undergrounds) and more obvious details (see forest sequences). The more nuanced colors are a less warm tantinet in the forest (the trees are less free green) and slightly less cold in the city, the brightness is quite exceptional (the glacial light of the day) with often powerful lights (explosions, flames at the end of the cannon) and the silver texture, actually present, knows how to be discreet. And if the gray scale is remarkable, I would have preferred, however, that the underlighted passages be more plunged into darkness.
Energy without being powerful and sympathetically spatialized more than truly immersive, the VO is dated even so solid. The glorious music remains no less restored (sometimes on the surrounding canals) without any distortion, the shots like some atmospheres of nature invite from time to time to the back, and the voices are rarely camouflaged during the loudest scenes. As for the VF with cavernous voices and a narrow front, it is more like a Dolby Surround rough runway.
Artistic : 8.5 | Video : 8 | Audio : 7
Rambo 2: The Mission, back to hell
Rambo was released from prison on condition that he went on a mission to Vietnam to join the American prisoners who were still kept there. Rambo finds the camp and goes beyond his mission by releasing one of his compatriots...
If he goes back to the front to heal the injury of defeat, this actuate of 80s (including punchlines) with dubious ideology (a pure product) of the Reagan years) where the former traumatized John Rambo becomes a weapon of mass destruction, is no longer there to criticize American military policy but to chain up the war scenes in a revanchard propaganda. It's a stupid, real-life dump that's been used as therapy for a whole country.
The same qualities and defects as the UHD transfer Rambo for a serious upgrade to Blu-ray. The compression is solid even when the mist invites, the resolution of the 35 mm grain is superbly restored (it is never invasive) and the details are of greater clarity even if the plans intentionally disturbed remain so. The colorimetric palette that is more saturated (including blues and reds) and a less warm caulia displays a surplus of cyan (suiting well to the environments), contrasts are more harmonious with the key of dark scenes that are no longer blocked, and the light sources are presented with a chandelier never before. As with the previous part, some of the underlighted scenes would have deserved some deep blacks.
A little more attractive than that of the 1st opus, this VO where the surround channels engage more regularly (many shots) and where the LFE channel gives more of its person (explosions), diffuses well spatialized atmospheres and delivers clear dialogues. The VF, which is ever tighter at the front and suffers from cavernous voices, remains once again a disguised Dolby Surround track.
Artistic : 6 | Video : 8 | Audio : 7.5
Rambo 3, Captain America
When he learned that Colonel Trautman had fallen into the hands of the Soviets in Afghanistan, Rambo resumed his service to try to free his friend. After having priced contact with the Afghan resistance, he entered the country besieged by enemy troops...
The hour of the big war against the very bad Russians (ideological shortcuts rain like shells) rang for this episode « Bigger and welder » ultra-patriotic and deeply stupid who flirts dangerously with the luxury nanar. From the usual stuffing to the risible replicas (now cults) for the entertainment of hard to cook dedicated to Reagan puritanism.
It's like the previous two opus if it's a variable granulosity (sometimes tingling) and more aesthetic images (it's actually modern). The level of detail is very high, the depth of field makes an important leap forward in the wide planes outside, the colorimetric palette a colder hair better saturates the primary ones (reds and blues at the head), the light sources are more intensive (light of the day, explosions, helicopter projectors), and the weakly lit sequences are otherwise more legible thanks to blacks showing elements of the frame that were hidden by the darkness until today.
More immersive than her elders, this VO, which engages fully during the action scenes, lacks ambiances during the dialogues. It does not prevent the dynamics from agitating as needed, that spatialization is convincing, that the rear scene regularly activates (C'est la guerre mon Colonel !), that the heroic score of Jerry Goldsmith is well enveloping and the LFE channel rumbles several times. And if the VF doesn't let itself count with a real 5.1 proposal, the bass are unfortunately anemic.
Artistic : 6.5 | Video : 8 | Audio : 8
John Rambo, war in the blood
John Rambo retired to northern Thailand where he leads a simple existence in the mountains. As the civil war rages not far from there, he agrees to guide a group of humanitarian volunteers to a refugee camp...
Extremely violent (the bodies are shredded, the blood flows and each new death is a graphic festival) and dotted with scenes of action from a staggering barbarism, John Rambo is the occasion for Stallone (moving and fair) to make his hero (more impressive and charismatic than ever) aware of his deep nature. With an unprecedented harp in the saga, this fourth opus can boast of being the most successful since Rambo.
Nicely organic (good grain management), with a higher contrast rate (although some blacks are still a little light) and taking advantage of a deeper colorimetric palette (night blue and fishing orange), the darker images (but still legible despite the ambient darkness of many sequences) of this UHD Dolby Vision transfer with more realistic light sources (the reflections of the sun on the water and the lighting of the camp), do not surprisingly benefit from the increased resolution of the format. On the contrary, the Blu-ray is more precise (a little artificially boosted sometimes) where the 4K Ultra HD is softer. Apart from the high luminance, the details are generally less frank here. In this area, it is a disappointment.
An upgrade Dolby Atmos titanium. A dreadful efficiency (dynamics is insane, careful spatialization and sensational bass), it constantly engages all horizontal enclosures (surrounding activity is just fantastic) without omitting to regularly use the height channels (television advertisements, rain, explosions, falling debris, water projections, jungle fauna and flora).
Artistic : 7.5 | Video : 7 | Audio : 10
« In town, you do the law. This is me. Then don't fuck with me. Don't fuck with me or I'll make you a war like you've never seen before. »
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