The creator of Rambo has said the new film in the franchise left him “embarrassed” to have his name associated with it.
Rambo: Last Blood – the fifth film in the long-running series – was released on Friday to overwhelmingly negative reviews, and author David Morrell is leading the charge against the sequel.
“I agree with these Rambo: Last Blood reviews,” he wrote on Twitter. “The film is a mess. [I’m] embarrassed to have my name associated with it.”
He later told Newsweek that he “felt degraded and dehumanised” after seeing the film, which sees Sylvester Stallone reprise his role as the troubled Vietnam War veteran.
“Instead of being soulful, this new movie lacks one,” he said. ”I felt I was less a human being for having seen it, and today that’s an unfortunate message.”
The character made his debut in Morrell’s novel First Blood, which was adapted for the screen in 1982. Morrell previously criticised the franchise for making the character more unrecognisable with each new film.
“Rambo could be called John Smith, and the film wouldn’t change,” Morrell stated. “[Last Blood] assumes the audience is familiar with Rambo’s background, whereas anyone under 40 will wonder what on Earth is going on with those tunnels.”
Rambo: Last Blood is in cinemas now.
