Rambo - A Warrior's Journey by Last Survivor

[Muffy]

After only watching the first two episodes its quite clear that Last Survivor has nailed what hes set out to acheive with this episodic Rambo series. Recommend watching with contrast & brightness bumped up a tad to give it that 80's TV vibe, Leaves you wanting more.
Will post a proper review once I've seem them all. :hippie:

 

[LastSurvivor]

After only watching the first two episodes its quite clear that Last Survivor has nailed what hes set out to acheive with this episodic Rambo series. Recommend watching with contrast & brightness bumped up a tad to give it that 80's TV vibe, Leaves you wanting more.
Will post a proper review once I've seem them all. :hippie:

Nice one Muffy. Glad you're enjoying thus far, look forward to reading your review

 

[LastSurvivor]

"Forever Bionic" !?!!!

I love the LS Network!!! eace:

If only, eh Bob? Glad you're having fun with the best TV station on earth

 

[LastSurvivor]

TMBTM, thank you so much for your detailed review. So glad you had fun with the edit. Incidently, I did find Rambo II the biggest challenge of all 4 movies, so the fact you didn't enjoy quite so much as the others does not surprise me.

 

[bionicbob]

This was pure action adventure bliss for me!

LS has pulled off a remarkable feat in creative editing and storytelling, recrafting the original four Rambo features into an eight part 80's style television series!

The absolutely wonderful LS Network music/graphics/intros immediately set the tone for the viewer, I was immediately transported back in time to the Movie of Week specials of the late 1970s and early 80s. Brilliant work! I so want to subscribe to the LS Network!

As a fellow editor who has attempted to create some tv style edits too, I fully appreciate the complexity and time consuming work that went into the opening and closing credits. The end credits in particular are amazing and feel completely authentic. And I totally smiled like a 10 year old kid at the retro-Knight Rider style commercial breaks. Very cool LS!

As to the edits themselves, all work very well, though some play stronger than others. Surprisingly, Rambo 3, which I always viewed as the weakest entry in the franchise, seemed to play the strongest as a TV episode. Maybe simply because it is so over the top in 80s style action, it fit the concept the best. Though my favorite edit has to be episodes one and two, just because I LOVED the seamless inclusion of the Chuck Norris material. The edits of Rambo 2 and 4 are completely solid and held my bride and I completely engaged and entertained.

Of course watching a Last Survivor fan edit is just half the fun; listening to his commentaries are real hidden gems -- filled with interesting insights and facts, they are often better than many "professional" studio commentaries. So make sure you take the time to check them out too!



This is a ratings blockbuster! True Must See TV!

Congrats LS on another fantastic fun fan edit!

 

[Muffy]

Glad to see others enjoying LS's TV edits as much as I am, aiming to watch Rambo 3's episodes tonight opcorn:

 

[LastSurvivor]

Hey Bob,

Glad you had fun with the LS Network and the biggest TV series of the last 30 years

As a fellow editor who has attempted to create some tv style edits too, I fully appreciate the complexity and time consuming work that went into the opening and closing credits. The end credits in particular are amazing and feel completely authentic. And I totally smiled like a 10 year old kid at the retro-Knight Rider style commercial breaks. Very cool LS!

A long time was spent on the opening and closing credits I can tell you, so it's comforting to hear they had the desired effect. Also, the reworking of Goldsmith's music to create a theme tune involved various bits of cutting music from different parts, including a 3 second segment from the final track from the Rambo III soundtrack. Well done on spotting the deliberate homage to Knight Rider in relation to the advert breaks

Surprisingly, Rambo 3, which I always viewed as the weakest entry in the franchise, seemed to play the strongest as a TV episode. Maybe simply because it is so over the top in 80s style action, it fit the concept the best.

You're not the only person to say Rambo 3 turns out to be the best as a TV episode. TMBTM also touched upon it in his review. I think it's because out of all the films, Rambo 3 is the one which could most definitely do with a fanedit!

Anyways, glad you and Mrs Bionic enjoyed the show

Glad to see others enjoying LS's TV edits as much as I am, aiming to watch Rambo 3's episodes tonight opcorn:

Hope you and the popcorn enjoyed Rambo 3 as well. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts when you've finished the whole edit

 

[Adabisi]

Review posted @ ifdb:

I loved this edit so much that after I finished watching all 5+ hours of it, I went back and listened to another 5+ hours of Last Survivor talking about it. Simply put, this is one of the most professional, original and downright fun fanedits ever created. Everything from the title cards to the audio commentary has been carefully crafted by a true master. Highly recommend.

Audio/Video Quality: With the amount of cropping, colour correction and panning and scanning done to the original picture, I'm surprised this looks as good as it does. Well done.

Visual Editing: As above, Last Survivor has done a ton of work to make this look and feel like a TV series. It works incredibly well and the editor's hand is invisible. The only thing that jumped out at me was the aspect ratio of the Payback commercial seemed to be off.

Audio Editing: Listening to the commentary track, I was shocked by how much actual editing was done to create each episode. It's professional and seamless.

Narrative: Incredible. The story hooks you right in and doesn't let go. It's one of those "Oh, I'll just watch one more episode then I really should be off to bed" scenarios where before you know it, it's the middle of the night and you've just finished episode 8 and you're disappointed that there's no episode 9 to watch.

Enjoyment: It's effing awesome.

 

[LastSurvivor]

Thanks firstly to WyndorfDave for his very generous scorings and comments on Rambo:Warrior's Journey - glad you enjoyed it!

Review posted @ ifdb:

I loved this edit so much that after I finished watching all 5+ hours of it, I went back and listened to another 5+ hours of Last Survivor talking about it. Simply put, this is one of the most professional, original and downright fun fanedits ever created. Everything from the title cards to the audio commentary has been carefully crafted by a true master. Highly recommend.

:smokin: wow, what can I say Adabisi. Very kind words indeed, and the fact that you listened to all the commentaries thereafter as well... you poor man. Seriously though, really pleased you enjoyed it. Talking about the commentaries, it's the first time I've used my new super duper condensor mic to record my commentaries and they should sound a lot better in quality than my previous ones which were just recorded on a camcorder mic.

Thanks too for your excellent fanedit TV spots.. particularly loved the Under Construction one

Cheers
LS

 

[Muffy]

Sorry I was a little late on your review LS, only just been able to complete watching your last few episodes last night and did'nt want to review till I'd watched all:


I'd just like to say from the start that although I bought the Rambo boxset sometime ago I've yet to watch them and my memory of the Rambo movies is sketchy at best.

What Lone Survivor has achieved with this episodic series of Rambo is nothing short of genious. Condensing these films to bite size all out 80s action tv episodes seems the best way to rewatch these orginal classics. I watched these with a few friends some of which have been spoilt with modern CG action films and loose interest too quickly when watching original classics like Rambo that started it all but everyone found these very watchable with the right amount of action and cheesy one liners.

The editing is seemless and the attention to detail for each scene used to drive the plot forward seemed floid without leaving you thinking theres been any cuts and the LS Network intro and TV spots really gave it that "recorded on VHS" nostagic goodnes.
The only small thing that was noticed is the heavy use of the flashbacks in the early episodes with Chuck Noris. I think these might of benefited with a little bit more of a hazy blur style dream like filter to those scenes but still done the job well making you believe Noris was Rambos war buddy.

I cant rate each episode individually as each ones as good as the last but if I had to choose the high points for me was the Rambo 2 episodes. The stereo sound in every one is great although I could'nt help but listen in Pro Logic II mode which had really good back speaker action. I'd recommend watching these with contrast and brightness bumped up a bit to give it that washed out 80's TV vibe. Also well worth a listen to is the commentary tracks from Lone Survivor explaining what went into editing each one. He has also made two video diaries which is commented on in the commentary tracks but were not added to the discs extras also I think the episodes were titled which would of made a nice touch in the menu instead of episode 1, episode 2 ect.

Heres the links for Lone Survivors Rambo Video Diaries:

Video Diary #1:

Video Diary #2:

Complete nostalgic 80s cheesy joy from start to finish that leaves you wanting more, Great job Lone Survivour, Looking forward to seeing what other films you can Rad up 80's style and add to the LS Network.

 

[TMBTM]

Lone Survivor is a old friend of The Man With No Name.

 

[LastSurvivor]

Sorry I was a little late on your review LS, only just been able to complete watching your last few episodes last night and did'nt want to review till I'd watched all:

No problems Muffy. Just appreciate you and everyone taking the time to check what is basically a 4 disc edit.

What Lone Survivor has achieved with this episodic series of Rambo is nothing short of genious. Condensing these films to bite size all out 80s action tv episodes seems the best way to rewatch these orginal classics. I watched these with a few friends some of which have been spoilt with modern CG action films and loose interest too quickly when watching original classics like Rambo that started it all but everyone found these very watchable with the right amount of action and cheesy one liners.

Yeah, it's a shame in many ways that some modern day audiences who are used to CGI mayhem, won't give old-school action the time of day. To me there's no comparison. I'd much rather see a real stunt which hasn't been enhanced in ridiculous fashion by CGI. However, if cutting down the movies to this TV style kept your friends interested, then that's all cool

Complete nostalgic 80s cheesy joy from start to finish that leaves you wanting more, Great job Lone Survivour, Looking forward to seeing what other films you can Rad up 80's style and add to the LS Network.

Don't hold your breath Muffy... not sure LS Network will be making a reappearance in the near future, but hey glad you had a great time. But just who is this "Lone Survivor"? :-D

Glad you had fun with it all.

 

[LastSurvivor]

Lone Survivor is a old friend of The Man With No Name.

He's also an evil twin of mine who attempts to destroy every fanedit Last Survivor has ever made.

 

[Muffy]

Lol my bad know you more as LS then Last Survivor , Last of The Lone Survivors ;-)

Checked out your last Vid Diary so your going with 70's disaster movies for your next project, should prove interesting.

 

[Neglify]

I watched Episodes 1 & 2 tonight and I decided to write a review now instead of waiting.


I really love the overall concept, turning 4 movies into a mini TV show. I would have liked to have seen it taken a bit further. Vintage commercials or Stallone movie spots would have been wonderful but I know you weren’t too keen on that. What you did do was awesome. The LS Network bumper, the opening and closing credits, the whole atmosphere was excellent. Chuck Norris was great. Loved the fanedit teasers (except mine, I should have faded that audio out better, gdi).

The length and timing of the episodes felt odd. I think it could have been better spread across three 22 minute episodes (that’s US standard, I don’t know about the UK so I could be being totally arrogant here bout this). That way each “season” has a beginning, middle and end. (We’ll see how this plays out as I continue to watch.) Also, and this is definitely a personal opinion, the TV vibe kind of went out the window with all the F-bombs. I know it would have been really tricky to cut some of those and I guess I’m fine with the idea that the LS Network allows multiple F words, but you know, we gotta think about the children.

Editing was solid. A lot of great attention to detail, really slick overall. Couple nitpicks though. Maybe it’s because I know your tricks but some of the audio replacement was more noticeable than previous edits. I really only noticed it a couple times and I’m sure there are instances I missed because they were so seamless. The picture-in-picture effects before a “commercial break” felt out of place, they were too slick and digital. And at one point in Episode 1 there was a distracting flash frame or some sort of jump cut transition, it was like a frame was missing right before the cut. Like I said, I’m nitpicking.

Narrative structure was interesting. It felt like we were thrown into the middle of a story (which we were) but I liked how that set things up. I sure hope the Chuck Norris subplot pays off. But by the end of Ep 2 I wanted to know more about John Rambo, so you have me hooked.

All in all this was really fun. I definitely look forward to watching the rest. Hopefully tomorrow night will be Episodes 3 & 4. And I will watch all these episodes again with commentary... sometime in the future. I think I’ll do an LS commentary marathon one of these days.


Reviews scores (just for these 2 episodes)

A/V quality – 10
Editing – 8 visual, 9 audio
Narrative – 8
Enjoyment – 9

 

[Neglify]

Watched Episodes 3 & 4, here's my mini-review.


Since I haven’t seen Rambo II this was all new to me. The editing was solid and I enjoyed the story. Although the TV format starts to fall apart a bit here. “Episode 3” is five years later and using the LS Network bumper to set that up felt a little sloppy. I’m sure you compromised here due to lack of footage but I’m just saying.

I didn’t have any issues with the editing, except for the freeze-frame-picture-in-picture-zoom effects at the breaks.

I didn’t miss Chuck Norris did I?

Reviews scores (just for these 2 episodes)

A/V quality – 10
Editing – 9 visual, 10 audio
Narrative – 8
Enjoyment – 8

 

[LastSurvivor]

Lol my bad know you more as LS then Last Survivor , Last of The Lone Survivors ;-)

Checked out your last Vid Diary so your going with 70's disaster movies for your next project, should prove interesting.

That's all cool Muffy... certainly made me laugh anyways. I might start a line of "nasty" fanedits from Lone Survivor

I hope the 70's disaster theme will prove popular - we'll see... long way to go yet.

The length and timing of the episodes felt odd. I think it could have been better spread across three 22 minute episodes (that’s US standard, I don’t know about the UK so I could be being totally arrogant here bout this). That way each “season” has a beginning, middle and end. (We’ll see how this plays out as I continue to watch.) Also, and this is definitely a personal opinion, the TV vibe kind of went out the window with all the F-bombs. I know it would have been really tricky to cut some of those and I guess I’m fine with the idea that the LS Network allows multiple F words, but you know, we gotta think about the children.

Firstly, Neg thanks for going above and beyond the call of duty in reviewing each 2 episodes, you crazy dude Interesting point about the timing, as I purposely chose each episode to be about 40 minutes in length, as to me that's kind of the average length of a US show (or 50 minutes in the old days) minus the adverts. As for the F-words, I never for one minute entertained taking the edit as far down the TV series track as to censor it. For me, LS Network broke new ground and gave us hardcore shows. Just wait 'till you the see the uncut episodes of Knight Rider my friend

The picture-in-picture effects before a “commercial break” felt out of place, they were too slick and digital. And at one point in Episode 1 there was a distracting flash frame or some sort of jump cut transition, it was like a frame was missing right before the cut. Like I said, I’m nitpicking.

The picture-in-picture effect is a direct homage to Knight Rider, as they had the same style of effect when they went to advert break. They are a bit hokey I agree, but I never thought of them as too slick. he he. As for the flash frame, you're absolutely right. Gatos rightly pointed this out in his review, and it was a single frame which unfortuately had missed my "reframing" efforts, so the picture suddenly moves. My bad, but neither I, nor Sophie or my friend noticed it when we watched it... doh!

And I will watch all these episodes again with commentary... sometime in the future. I think I’ll do an LS commentary marathon one of these days.

You're a brave man Neg. Hopefully you'll enjoy these ones. They're definitely the best sounding commentaries as I had use of a very nice condensor mic this time around

I didn’t miss Chuck Norris did I?

nope, you didn't. He's only prominently featured in Eps 1 and 2 I'm afraid.

Editing was solid. A lot of great attention to detail, really slick overall. Couple nitpicks though. Maybe it’s because I know your tricks but some of the audio replacement was more noticeable than previous edits. I really only noticed it a couple times and I’m sure there are instances I missed because they were so seamless.

Now this is interesting, in that you picked up the audio replacement in episodes 1 and 2. There isn't a great deal of it if truth be told, apart from the lengthy flashback at the beginning of Episode 2 (including the ADR work by Sophie). In fact, I thought Eps 3 and 4 were the most troublesome episodes in terms of audio editing. Was very tough, and I'm not 100% happy with it (particularly with a few music transitions), but it was as good as I could get it.

Anyways Neg, thanks so much for taking the time to write episode specific reviews. As always, your thoughts are always honest, constructive and entertaining

Look forward to your thoughts on the next 4 episodes.

 

[Neglify]

Interesting point about the timing, as I purposely chose each episode to be about 40 minutes in length, as to me that's kind of the average length of a US show (or 50 minutes in the old days) minus the adverts. As for the F-words, I never for one minute entertained taking the edit as far down the TV series track as to censor it. For me, LS Network broke new ground and gave us hardcore shows. Just wait 'till you the see the uncut episodes of Knight Rider my friend

That's a good point about the length. And I'm happy to accept that LSN accepts R-rated language.

The picture-in-picture effect is a direct homage to Knight Rider, as they had the same style of effect when they went to advert break. They are a bit hokey I agree, but I never thought of them as too slick. he he. As for the flash frame, you're absolutely right. Gatos rightly pointed this out in his review, and it was a single frame which unfortuately had missed my "reframing" efforts, so the picture suddenly moves. My bad, but neither I, nor Sophie or my friend noticed it when we watched it... doh!

Ah ok, I never watched Knight Rider. I understood why you did it, there was just something about it that felt weird to me. But whatever, I'm a weird guy.

nope, you didn't. He's only prominently featured in Eps 1 and 2 I'm afraid.

Bummer. Kinda feels like that plot got left in the air, unless I missed something. He's talking about going to visit an old friend then he's gone. Did I zone out at the end of Episode 2?

Now this is interesting, in that you picked up the audio replacement in episodes 1 and 2. There isn't a great deal of it if truth be told, apart from the lengthy flashback at the beginning of Episode 2 (including the ADR work by Sophie). In fact, I thought Eps 3 and 4 were the most troublesome episodes in terms of audio editing. Was very tough, and I'm not 100% happy with it (particularly with a few music transitions), but it was as good as I could get it.

I'm going to chalk it up to 2 things. Firstly I never saw Rambo II so everything was new to me and didn't notice any editing. And the most obvious sound replacement was the first scene of Episode 1 when he's walking down the road. So it was like right off the bat my ears perked up. Whatever though, it's so minor really.

Anyways Neg, thanks so much for taking the time to write episode specific reviews. As always, your thoughts are always honest, constructive and entertaining

Look forward to your thoughts on the next 4 episodes.

You're welcome. Thank you for making sweet fanedits.

 

[TV's Frink]

I never watched Knight Rider.

 

[ThrowgnCpr]

he didn't miss much...