Steven Spielberg revealed that he wanted to be surprised by the movies he watched and shared having the same anticipation before Rambo‘s release. While Sylvester Stallone’s 1982 film, First Blood, was every bit entertaining for the Jaws director, he was also frightened about the potential message of the action film. Spielberg categorized the film as a ‘this-is-the-way-it-should-have-been’ motion picture.
Interestingly, the author of the book, David Morrell, who created the character was critical of how the character in the movies deviated from his anti-war message in the books. First Blood became so successful that it spawned another four films in the Rambo franchise.
Steven Spielberg Had A Strong Opinion About Sylvester Stallone’s First Blood
Steven Spielberg has made his share of war movies, mostly based on World War II. One thing the director always cared for in his movies was how his films got the messaging part right. He often faced criticism for how he chose to depict certain elements of war, but the director always shared that he wanted to tell the human story of any war.
When First Blood was released in 1982, Spielberg revealed that he avoided people talking about the film until he had seen it. He was excited about the film and it turned out to be a great watch. However, Spielberg also added that the film was potentially a very dangerous movie.
He shared that the film was very frightening in the sense that it tried to change history. But Spielberg was fascinated by how well-made the film was. He shared about the film (via Rolling Stone | David Breskin):
I think Rambo is great. I love Rambo. But I think it is potentially a very dangerous movie, because it’s a this-is-the-way-it-should-have-been motion picture, which is very, very frightening. It changes history in a frightening way. But it’s a helluva well-made picture.
He shared that it was so much fun to watch the film and added that even liberals couldn’t successfully hide the fact that they were entertained by the film. Spielberg shared that he was entertained and angered at the same time watching the film. He shared:
It winds you up inside, and when it lets you go, you spin around like a top, and the darn thing is just so much fun to watch. Even bleeding-heart liberals walk out, trying desperately to deny that they were entertained.
First Blood came right after Sylvester Stallone‘s fame from the Rocky movies. Stallone played a Vietnam war veteran, a Green Beret, who is forced to fight back against the system when a massive manhunt is launched against him. The film touched upon several sensitive topics related to the Vietnam War. It grossed $125.2 million at the box office (via The Numbers).
First Blood Author Felt Hollywood Changed His Character
First Blood author David Morrell couldn’t believe how his character found continued success, making it to the 2019 film The Last Blood. In an interview with Daily Express, Morrell shared that Rambo was barely recognizable from what he had created in the first place. Morrell’s original intention with the character was to wage an anti-war campaign with the character.
However, he revealed Hollywood completely changed his character and after the second and third films, Rambo had become the poster child for army recruitment. Morrell shared with Daily Express:
Rambo has taken on a life of his own. In my novel he is a really angry disaffected war veteran, waging his own anti-war campaign. He just wants to be left alone, and hates himself for being really good at killing people. Hollywood changed Rambo. He is a different character in the second and third films, becoming a poster child for military recruitment.
Morrell revealed that Stallone wanted to change things and go along the original character’s path in the fourth film. However, the studio never agreed to this and by the fifth film, the producers allegedly did not speak to him at all.