When John Rambo exploded onto cinema screens back in 1982, he defined the action genre and helped Sylvester Stallone become a legendary action star. The Rambo film saga has slowly expanded over the decades, culminating in the recently released Rambo: Last Blood, the concluding chapter of John Rambo's story. Unfortunately, that final chapter seems to prove that the charm of the gritty film series has worn off.
For an inkling of how poorly Rambo: Last Blood is being received, the film holds a critic score of just 34% on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. The film has been lambasted for its poor writing, gratuitous violence and antiquated sensibilities, with critics such as CBR's own Brandon Zachary calling it a "dour, repetitive, xenophobic and borderline unwatchable bloodbath."
Conversely, regular viewers seem to have enjoyed its first outing, as its audience score currently stands at 82%. Many seem to have enjoyed it purely for the intensity of its many action sequences, which mirrors the points of praise that audiences had for previous films in the 40-year-old franchise.
For comparison, 1982's Rambo: First Blood -- which loosely adapted the characters and events of the First Blood novel -- currently holds a critic score of 86% and an audience score of 85%, with many praising the film for being an intelligent character study, rather than a simple action film.