Sylvester Stallone returns for one last time as John Rambo (unless his new outing is a success) before he bids adieu to his action franchise. Rambo: Last Blood hits the screens this Friday (Sept 20, 2019) and we see no reason why any of his fans would leave an opportunity to catch him on the big screen. We all had some high expectations pinned on this last chapter but its international reviews are dampening our spirits already. Critics are not in favour of Stallone's new release and think it's not really a worthy sequel. Sylvester Stallone On Rambo Last Blood: 'This One Is Truly Trying to Find an End'.

While domestic reviews are yet to come out, critics in the west are busy slamming this sequel for no novelty factor. Some are really penning harsh words for this new offering and others are simply disappointed with its outcome. Guess, the ones who went in with a lot of expectations are frustrated with this narrative while others know well how to cope up with its failure. On that note, let's study what the international movie lovers have to say about Rambo: Last Blood. 

Forbes: "It’s an aggressively irrelevant and undistinguished movie from a franchise whose previous instalments have at least tried to justify themselves as events. Rambo V can’t compare either to its predecessors or the action franchises it inspired," writes Scott Mendelson.

IndieWire: "Rambo’s cartoonish action feats may have been riveting in the Reagan years, but these days, they’re just a tiresome slog. If only “Last Blood” had more to say about that beyond the jingoistic mishmash of dime-store sentimentality and half-hearted vengeance it shrugs into existence, bidding farewell to an action icon in the same grotesque terms that made him so problematic in the first place," writes Eric Kohn.

The Hollywood Reporter: "The screenplay, co-written by Stallone and Matthew Cirulnick, feels utterly tossed-off and generic, more resembling the pilot for a Rambo television series than a proper sendoff. Dirty Harry got a more dignified farewell in The Dead Pool, and that movie featured a chase involving a toy car," writes Frank Scheck.

Uproxx: "It’s so genuinely horrific I’m convinced there are real-life cartel videos celebrating the torture of rivals that are less gory. I was either howling with nervous laughter or covering my face the entire time. This movie is the product of truly deranged minds. It’s a must-see," writes Vince Mancini.

IGN: "If the idea of Rambo laying waste to several tons of human meat sounds exhilarating, know that your eventual laughter will likely be of the bitter, incredulous variety. The violence is over-the-top in a way that isn't fun. Last Blood feels like the work a disaffected adolescent pulling the wings off of flies," writes Whitney Seibold.

Rambo: Last Blood may perform well at the box office if audiences embrace it whole-heartedly. Let's hope the movie eventually turns out to be a success which would then pave way for Rambo's return. So yes, fingers crossed.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 19, 2019 11:53 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).