Rambo - The Ultimate Blu-Ray Collection [Blu-ray] [1982]

Considering it's a saga that started in 1982 with the story of a Vietnam War vet caught in the wrong place at the wrong time that had by 2007 turned into a full-on action spectacular, it's fair to say that the Rambo: Ultimate Blu-ray Collection gives you plenty of bang for your buck. As one of Sylvester Stallone's career-defining roles, John Rambo has become a modern day action cinema icon. Yet it's also been the platform for some very good films.

The first, Rambo: First Blood is the best, with Rambo's fight in the mountains against corrupt police officers. Morally ambiguous yet thoughtful, it's a very strong action flick, and Richard Crenna is, as usual, worth the asking price alone.

The first of the sequels, Rambo: First Blood Part II, also keeps the momentum up. This is the one where Rambo gets sent off to rescue prisoners of war, and the body count really begins to ramp up. That said, by the time we got to Rambo III, it was all guns blazing-- by then any modicum of reality had disappeared. And the recent fourth outing, Rambo, very much maintains that spirit, with the bullets and bodies mounting up in double time.

Beautifully presented in high definition, what the Rambo: Blu-ray Ultimate Collection offers is a defining collection of action cinema, and a bringing together of a franchise of films that, despite their flaws, certainly know how to entertain you. The fact that they've never looked better just sweetens the deal. --Jon Foster