First it was Rambo IV: In The Serpent’s Eye. Then it became the rather baffling Pearl Of The Cobra. But now it would seem that Sylvester Stallone – writer, director, producer, star and key grip on the fourth Rambo movie – has opted to drop the subtitles, and gone for simplicity itself.
The guys over at Moviehole are reporting that, with just days to go before filming starts, Stallone has plumped for… John Rambo.
It would seem that Sly has opted for the new title in order to make it seem like more of a companion piece to Rocky Balboa – and hey, if that movie’s uncomplicated title was successful in working up enough nostalgia in audiences to make it a sizeable hit, then so should John Rambo. And we’re glad that Sly finally saw fit to lose the sub-titles: frankly, they smacked of B-movie cheese and belonged on a Sinbad film, not a kick-ass Rambo flick (which we hope this will be).
However, just to play Devil’s advocate, whereas Rocky Balboa was focused almost entirely on the punch-drunk pugilist, John Rambo would appear to be more of an ensemble movie, as an aging Rambo teams up with a group of mercenaries to rescue missionaries in Burma. So, should the title reflect that?
Or should Stallone’s newfound brevity spill over into other franchise movies – Die Hard 4.0 has also changed its title more times than Stallone’s been to Everton matches, so should Fox simply retitle the movie John McClane? Should Indy IV simply be named Jones? Readers, it’s over to you…