First Blood 4K Ultra HD SteelBook

In "Rambo: First Blood," John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is a Vietnam War veteran seeking solace in the tranquil mountains of the Pacific Northwest. After he becomes the target of a cruel small-town sheriff and his deputies, Rambo must harness his combat skills to survive. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Sylvester Stallone, commentary with Author David Morrell, the featurettes "Rambo Takes The 80s, Part 1", "Making Of First Blood", "Alternative Ending", "Restoration", "The Real Nam", "Forging Heroes" and "How To Become Rambo, Part 1" (HD ), and a digital copy.

The 2.35:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 4K Ultra HD HDR10 picture, reviewed on a VIZIO Quantum X P85QX-JI UHD/HDR display, was photograph on Eastman 35mm film stock in anamorphic Panavision® using the Panavision Panaflex and Panavision Panaflex-X camera systems and sourced from a 4K Digital Intermediate scanned from the original camera negative. Film grain is fine for a cinematic appearance. The color palette exhibits wonderful hue and nuanced depth to hue shadings such as in the greens of the forest leaves and other earthy tones, Rambo’s jacket, the blues of the skies and emergency lights and the reds of blood. Flesh tones appear generally natural natural. HDR contrast delivers solid and deep black levels with generally revealing shadow delineation. White levels appear natural. Resolution exhibits nice detail in skin texture and facial features. Clothing weaves are nicely resolved. Object texture such as in rock fascias, forest leaves, bark and debris exhibit revealing detail. Forest and cliff landscapes are sharp and clear. This is a terrific restoration and represent the new reference for this classic. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1--channel soundtrack is the same as that which adorned previous releases. The sonics deliver a wide dynamic range with nuanced surround envelopment, though the gun battles feature a more aggressive surround presence. Atmospherics sound realistic. Sound effects, such as the vehicle chase, forest scene, tunnel escape and gun shots are bold sounding. Jerry Goldsmith's score occupies a wide and deep soundstage that envelopes the surrounds. Deep .1 LFE bass enhances the sound effects, especially explosions and thunder. Dialogue sounds generally natural though at times sounds a bit berried in the action. This is a solid holosonic® soundtrack with some nicely effective surround activity. (Gary Reber)