While die-hard fans may eagerly anticipate the new film featuring Sylvester Stallone’s involvement, it ultimately falls short of exploring the full potential of the franchise. This prequel seems to offer more of the same, missing an opportunity to delve into a richer narrative. A fresh take on the “Rambo” series could be far more compelling if the filmmakers heeded the advice of Quentin Tarantino.

Years ago, Tarantino envisioned a different path for the franchise, proposing a faithful remake of “First Blood” that adhered closely to David Morrell’s original novel. Although his idea never materialized, it serves as a reminder of the challenges the upcoming “John Rambo” prequel might face. The Stallone-backed origin story set in Vietnam, directed by Jalmari Helander, may struggle to resonate, despite Helander’s reputation for crafting intense, action-packed films.

In a 2021 appearance on the Big Picture podcast, Tarantino shared his vision for a new adaptation of Morrell’s “First Blood.” He even suggested casting Adam Driver as Rambo and Kurt Russell as the determined police chief, Wilfred Teasle. Tarantino believed that a movie true to Morrell’s novel would be a surefire success, diverging from the approach taken by the original film.

Tarantino’s interest in a straightforward adaptation highlights the intriguing aspects of Rambo as a character. “First Blood” stands out as a classic because it focuses on the psychological scars of war rather than glorifying its protagonist’s prowess. The violence depicted is a tragic element, not something to be celebrated.

While there have been numerous Vietnam War films, few recent ones have emerged. This subgenre arose from a period when American politics were deeply entangled in military conflict, a debacle broadcast to the nation through modern media. Whether viewed as a grave error or a misfortune, the cultural impact of the war took decades to process.

In the interview, it’s clear that this is more of a basic project in Tarantino’s mind — the kind of project that would be relatively simple for a skilled filmmaker to pull off and satisfy audiences. But it also speaks to what’s actually interesting about Rambo as a character. “First Blood” remains the only truly great “Rambo” film because it is far more interested in the damage of war than it is in its own protagonist’s skill or severity. Violence is a curse in both the first film and the novel, not something you cheer for.

There are good Vietnam War movies, and there are bad Vietnam War movies, but there are very few new Vietnam war movies. It’s a specific subgenre born out of the moment when the entirety of American politics was caught up in a moment of military invasion, which, unlike previous examples, turned into a huge disaster shown to every American citizen through the modern mass media ecosystem. Whether you viewed the war as a great American sin, or merely as a tragedy, the culture took decades unpacking it.

But the thing about Rambo is that he’s an action hero now, and he has been for most of his 44-year cinematic history. The nuance and messiness that made “First Blood” so successful — and which, in the right modern director’s hands, could make another adaptation successful again — is much harder to attach to a story set within the actual Vietnam War. The mass devastation wrought by a prolonged American military occupation is well documented at this point, and even in a sympathetic view of the soldiers who fought that war, there is very little territory left to chart — especially from a lead protagonist who’s better known these days for big muscles than he is for PTSD.

In an age when the Department of Defense has been renamed the Department of War, and when the American Military is once again being leveraged for vague reasons against other states, the premise of a “Rambo” prequel movie is a dicey one. Quentin Tarantino’s vision of a “First Blood” remake that focuses more on the lingering harm of war, rather than the war itself, just would make more sense and be far more relevant to the contemporary landscape.

Despite a questionable production angle and the effects of one franchise being stretched too thin, there is still hope for “John Rambo.” Noah Centineo is a capable young actor, and more importantly, director Jalmari Helander has cut his teeth on some of the most celebrated “one man army” films of the modern era in “Sisu” and “Sisu: Road to Revenge.”

The difference, of course, is that those are movies about killing German Nazis in and around World War II. It’s the kind of war story with a clear villain and a clear hero, even though the violence may still be extreme on both sides. No matter your politics, Vietnam is not World War II. There is no room for a stand-up-and-clap action moment for Rambo when he’s in that particular conflict.

Fighting hateful police officers in an America that left him destitute? That’s an easier pill to swallow in 2026. The story of veterans being sent off to war for reasons they don’t even fully understand, then returning home and being utterly abandoned by the government that scarred them, is sadly no less relevant now than it was in 1972, when “First Blood” was published, or in 1982, when the movie came out. In a year when healthcare subsidies and Veterans Affairs staffing have both been slashed, all while more American missiles are being pumped into a foreign country, there’s plenty to be said about our own domestic relationship with violence, but far less to be said about a killing machine in Vietnam. There’s arguably still a place for a new “Rambo” movie in the 2020s, but it’s Quentin Tarantino’s more contemplative vision that would work — not an action-focused prequel to a series that’s drifted quite far from its original intentions.