While Quentin Tarantino’s Star Trek and Rambo are both exciting ideas, his take on First Blood would be more welcome to his signature style.
A Rambo reboot would be a better idea for Quentin Tarantino‘s final movie than his Star Trek movie. Quentin Tarantino has been active as a director for more than 30 years, but despite his streak of award-winning movies, he has chosen to retire with a tenth and final film. The narrative possibilities for this movie are endless, ranging from an entirely original story to a sequel like Kill Bill: Volume 3 or an original take on an established IP like Star Trek or Rambo.
Tarantino’s Star Trek and Rambo are rife with potential for critical and box office success, not to mention the possibly successful revival of two popular franchises. In 2019, Rambo: Last Blood concluded the Rambo franchise with a farewell to Sylvester Stallone’s character, an iconic figure of a long-gone era. On the other hand, J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek trilogy ended with 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, which repeatedly failed to get a sequel off the ground, despite many efforts. One of those efforts was Tarantino’s Star Trek, which has been shelved in favor of a sequel helmed by WandaVision director Matt Shakman. While disappointing for Tarantino fans, his Star Trek movie would have never been as exciting as his version of Rambo.
The canceled pitch for Tarantino’s Star Trek was centered around the premise of the Star Trek: The Original Series season 2 episode “A Piece of the Action,” which sees Kirk, Spock, and McCoy travel to a planet that has based its lifestyle on Earth’s 1920s gangster culture. Clearly, this story could play toward Tarantino’s strengths and trademark style, with plenty of potential for over-the-top dialog and visually striking action. However, such a story could be too gritty for a Star Trek movie and too sci-fi for a Tarantino film. Instead, Tarantino’s style could put a new spin on Rambo without the risk of making it unrecognizable.
Rambo matches Quentin Tarantino’s directorial vision not only in visual style but also in narrative themes. John Rambo is a Vietnam veteran that returns to a society that no longer upholds the values he does — a conflict Tarantino already explored with Once Upon A Time In Hollywood‘s Rick Dalton. Tarantino’s take on First Blood could be a brand-new exploration of war and violence, as well as their effects on the people of previous generations. This is something Tarantino has already touched upon in movies like Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, and The Hateful Eight. To top it off, the 1970s are an era that Tarantino is more than familiar with as a self-proclaimed fan of the 1970s’ New Hollywood movement. That is not to say Tarantino’s idea for Star Trek is any less exciting. While a “Pulp Fiction in space” could be an enjoyable movie, it could struggle to go beyond sheer spectacle.
Quentin Tarantino’s final movie is not limited to either Star Trek or Rambo. If he decides to revitalize a franchise as a final creative exercise, Rambo could be the best option, as it allows him to put his own signature on David Morrell’s original novel. A multilayered Rambo that honors the original story and Tarantino’s directorial style would be worthy of being called Quentin Tarantino‘s final movie.
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