4K Review: “The Rambo Collection” is a must for collectors and fans Fans of the character and the franchise will not be disappointed in the quality of this set

Since its debut nearly four decades ago, the Rambo series starring Sylvester Stallone has become one of the most iconic action movie franchises of all time. An ex-Green Beret haunted by memories of his time in Vietnam and the people he lost there, Rambo the former soldier started out battling small-town prejudices, then came into his own as an indomitable fighting machine, first freeing POWs while on a PR stunt mission, then rescuing his commanding officer from the Soviets, and rescuing missionaries in held captive Myanmar. In his final mission, Rambo’s vengeance is unleashed after an old friend’s granddaughter is kidnapped in Mexico.

FIRST BLOOD, RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II and RAMBO III are presented in 2160p UHD with Dolby Vision HDR, Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and PCM Theatrical Stereo, while RAMBO and RAMBO: LAST BLOOD only have Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos. Including the original theatrical Dolby 5.1 tracks was to be expected in a release as extensive as this one, but also including the enhanced PCM audio tracks from the laserdisc releases was a surprise. I truly wish I had a sophisticated enough sound system to play with the different tracks to see if I could hear any differences.

The Atmos tracks are listed as being new and exclusive to this release for the first three movies, and for the extended cut of RAMBO: LAST BLOOD. The theatrical cuts and the extended cuts for both RAMBO and RAMBO: LAST BLOOD are also included in this collection.

The special features listed are included in both this 4K collection (as a separate 4K disc) and the digital release, and are broken down by movie, and by features exclusive to this collection, and they are plentiful:

FIRST BLOOD (1982)
An American Hero’s Journey
A Long Road: 40 Years of First Blood
The Hunter and The Hunted: Scoring First Blood
First Blood: A Look Back
Drawing First Blood: 20 Years Later
Rambo Takes the 80s Part 1
Alternate Ending
Outtake
Saigon Bar (Deleted Scene)
The Real Nam (The True Vietnam)
Forging Heroes (America’s Green Berets)
How To Become Rambo Part 1
Sly vs Rambo Interview with Sylvester Stallone
Trailers
Deleted and Extended Scenes

RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II (1985)
We Get to Win This Time: The Rambo Phenomenon
Guts and Gloty
Rambo Takes the 80s Part 2
How to Become Rambo Part 2
Preparing for Action
Creating the Reality of War
Action in the Jungle
EPK Featurette – Stallone (Personality Profile)
Behind the Scenes / Behind the Camera
Sean Baker: Fulfilling a Dream
The Last American P.O.W.
Interview with Sylvester Stallone
Interview with Richard Crenna
Trailers
TV Spots

RAMBO III (1988)
Rambo Takes the 80s Part 3
Rambo III: Full Circle
Afghanistan: Land in Crisis
Suiting Up: Rambo’s Survival Hardware
Rambo-nomics
Selling A Hero
How to Become Rambo Part 3
Trautman & Rambo
Scope
Behind the Scenes Making Of
8 Deleted Scenes
TV Spots
Trailers

RAMBO (2008)
Production Diary: To Hell and Back Documentary
It’s A Long Road: The Resurrection of An Icon
A Score to Settle: The Music of Rambo
The Art of War: Part 1: Editing
The Art of War: Part 2: Sound
The Weaponry of Rambo
A Hero’s Welcome: Release and Reaction
Legacy of Despair: The Real Struggle in Burma
Deleted Scenes
Trailers
One Set with Stallone

RAMBO: LAST BLOOD (2019)
Drawing Last Blood: Multi Part Production Diary Documentary
Rambo’s Greatest Hits
Vengeance
Trailers
TV & Digital Spots

COLLECTION EXCLUSIVES:
Reflections on First Blood with Ted Kotcheff (2026)
Storyboarding First Blood (William Stout interview) (2026)
The Art of Rambo: Drew Struzan & Renato Casaro (2026)
Rambo Auction (behind the items in the 2015 auction from Stallone’s personal collection)
Poster Gallery

As a fan of the earlier films in this franchise, I was amused to see that the featurette listing the different weapons in Rambo’s toolkit were highlighted (“Suiting Up: Rambo’s Survival Hardware”, 2002), but a little disappointed that they never did a separate featurette on the different Bowie knives used in each of the first 3 films. Surely someone had that idea back then.

I know that First Blood: Part II caused a spike in sales of that model knife amongst those included to collect and use knives, and given the later popularity of History Channel’s Forged in Fire show, including the fact that knife was the featured blade on an episode, maybe someone someday will still make a mini documentary on those knives.

I also appreciate the attention given to the signature compound bow used, and the various helicopters used in the first three films.

The number of special features included in this set are a dream and a delight for a movie fan like myself. That they went to the lengths to include the legacy special features from older releases is admirable, and while those features were nor enhanced or restored, it lends an aura of nostalgia to the original theatrical and DVD releases of the first 2 films (maybe the first 3).

The collection exclusive features “Storyboarding First Blood” and “The Art of Rambo” are exquisite, especially they way they honored the work of Drew Struzan, and what he added to the art of movie posters. I almost wish they’d included a way for people to download high resolution versions of all the movie posters as another bonus.

One thing I did not know before diving into reviewing this set was that there had been an animated TV series, Rambo: The Force of Freedom, which ran in syndication for one season, airing 65 25-minute episodes from September 1986 to December 1986. It appears that the entire series was released on DVD in 2005, in 6 sets. And apparently is available on Prime Video now.

I’m going to go out on a fairly sturdy limb that this might have been produced to compete with the G.I. Joe animated series, simply based on the fact that a line of Rambo toys featuring the team members from the animated series is out there, and still sought after by toy collectors.

This collection is a labor of love, bringing together all of the films and what seems to be a complete collection of both legacy and new bonus features. This team paid reverent and loving attention to the popularity of the Rambo character and how he evolved over the decades.

I also hope that people, over years past and to come, will take a moment to read the novel First Blood by David Morrell. And while you’re reading Morrell, check out The Brotherhood of the Rose, an espionage thriller that was made into an NBC 2-night miniseries, and never seen again. Shame, I’d waited over 30 years for Universal to put that one on DVD, but that hasn’t happened yet.

5 Stars, I just hope to someday have a sound system to take full advantage of the newer Dolby Atmos sound design enhancements on the films.

Amazon (affiliate link) The Rambo Collection 4K
Studio: Lionsgate Pictures Entertainment

Lionsgate provided this copy of The Rambo Collection for review.