History YMMV / RamboFirstBloodPartII

** Some of it was used in ''Film/RamboIII'' and [[WesternAnimation/RamboTheForceOfFreedom the cartoon]].

* HilariousInHindsight: Co telling Rambo that he's not expendable, given the title of [[Film/TheExpendables Stallone's later action franchise]].

** Rambo shooting up Murdock's precious computers with an M60 and then firing the remaining rounds in the gun into the roof while screaming.
** Let's not forget Rambo grabbing the bastard, pinning him on his desk, and then slamming his knife right next to his head.

* MemeticMutation: The "nuclear-tipped arrows".

* SequelDisplacement: An odd example, in that while the common consensus is that ''First Blood'' is a better movie, this film's general feel seem to be what people think of when they hear the term "''Rambo'' film."

* ContestedSequel: In comparison to ''Film/FirstBlood''. Some see it as not only disservice to the original, but a mockery that took all its themes about war and [[ShellShockedVeteran traumatized veterans]] and replaced them with mindless action sequences for the sake of pandering to the masses. Others think it’s an EvenBetterSequel, not just because of the added high octane action but also because they feel that it has themes just as powerful as its predecessor while managing to be a more entertaining movie. [[TakeAThirdOption Still, there are those]] who see it like ''Film/{{Alien}}'' and ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' in that both are great movies in their own right and should be viewed on their own merits. About the only thing fans all agree on is that the soundtrack is great, and it’s leaps and bounds more engaging than [[Film/RamboIII its successor]].

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The film showcases the resurgence of militarism and anticommunism in the early Reagan years. Usefulnotes/TheVietnamWar is no longer something to be ashamed of (this was a year before Creator/OliverStone's ''Film/{{Platoon}}'') and the American soldiers are heroes and victims, not nutbags and baby killers as in TheSeventies. Rambo's rescue of the enslaved servicemen left behind - actually an UrbanLegend that the film [[TropeMaker popularized]] - serves as a proxy way for America to win the war retroactively. It's been said that ''Rambo II'' was the movie America needed to watch to finally get over Vietnam.

* CriticalResearchFailure: Along with the ''Film/MissingInAction'' series and ''Film/UncommonValor'', this is one of the main offenders when it comes to perpetuating the debunked myth about how [=MIAs=] (soldiers missing in action) were supposedly kept in captivity in Vietnam until long after the war ended. Due to poor intel on the ground, the US during the war was relying heavily on propaganda-laced and often exaggerated North Vietnamese news sources to figure out how many of its soldiers had been captured, while back home, the [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon Nixon]] administration was also exaggerating the numbers to score partisan points. Vietnam was highly cooperative with the US on the POW/MIA issue, and if there's still any doubt, a bipartisan congressional investigation in the early '90s concluded that there was "no compelling evidence that proves that any American remains alive in captivity in Southeast Asia." The remaining "[=MIAs=]" are believed to actually be [=KIAs=] whose [[NeverFoundTheBody bodies were never found]]. To this day, however, it remains an enduring conspiracy theory, to the point where a number of real-life "rescue" attempts have been launched to find the alleged missing American servicemen.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: During the epilogue, Rambo [[GroinAttack knees Ericson in the groin]] before knocking him out with his M60 [[spoiler:due to believing he left him to die.]] However, as the audience, we know Ericson's hand was forced, and the look he was giving him was one of pity, not disdain. As a result, Rambo assaulting him can come across as a KickTheDog moment due to the titular protagonist jumping to the worst possible conclusion. [[spoiler: What makes it worse, is that the actual culprit, Lifer, [[KarmaHoudini receives no comeuppance]] for his crimes.]]

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: During the epilogue, Rambo [[GroinAttack knees Ericson in the groin]] before knocking him out with his M60 [[spoiler:due to believing he left him to die.]] However, as the audience, we know Ericson's hand was forced and the look he was giving him was one of pity, not disdain. As a result, Rambo assaulting him can come across as a KickTheDog moment due to the titular protagonist jumping to the worst possible conclusion. [[spoiler: What makes it worse, is that the actual culprit, Lifer, [[KarmaHoudini receives no comeuppance]] for his crimes.]]

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: Rambo's final speech near the end of the film, where he more or less speaks directly to the audience and demand that America acknowledge and love its vets, much like they love/loved their country. Its incredibly on-the-nose and not the least bit subtle, but Rambo's unironic line delivery combined with actor Stallone's genuine conviction manage to make it work. In fact, it appears that Sly Stallone was ''aware'' that his speech might come across as hammy but decided to include it anyway. He explains it best with this excerpt taken from an interview:
-->'''Stallone''': I realize his speech at the end may have caused millions of viewers to burst veins in their eyeballs by rolling them excessively, but the sentiment stated was conveyed to me by many veterans.

** Some of it was used in ''Film/RamboIII'' and [[ WesternAnimation/RamboTheForceOfFreedom the cartoon]].

** Let’s not forget Rambo grabbing the bastard, pinning him on his desk, and then slamming his knife right next to his head.

* MoralEventHorizon: Murdock crosses it when he orders the mission aborted and convinces Erickson to threaten Colonel Trautman with a shotgun if he has him press any further with his chopper.

* SignatureScene: Rambo running into the prison camp with a heavy machine gun to rescue the [=POWs=]. It only lasts a minute or so, but is the most iconic moment for the character as a pop culture icon.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Music/JerryGoldsmith, one of the best film composers of the late 20th century, turns in an incredible score ([[MoneyDearBoy that he attributed to building his house]]). Special mention goes to [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uJdAQdlnEhk Village Attack / Helicopter Fight]]. One of the defining action tracks of the 80’s
* CriticalResearchFailure: Along with the Film/MissingInAction series, this is one of the main offenders when it comes to perpetuating the debunked myth about how mias supposedly were kept in captivity in Vietnam until long after the war ended. Vietnam was highly cooperative with the US on the MIA/POW issue and if there's still any doubt, a bipartisan congressional investigation in the early 90s concluded that there was "no compelling evidence that proves that any American remains alive in captivity in Southeast Asia."
* ContestedSequel: In comparison to ''Film/FirstBlood''. Some see it as not only disservice to the original, but a mockery that took all the serious themes about war and shellshocked veterans and replaced them with mindless action sequences for the sake of pandering to the masses. Others think it’s an EvenBetterSequel, not just because of the added high octane action, but also feel that it has themes just as powerful as it’s predecessor while managing to be a more entertaining movie. [[TakeAThirdOption Still there are those]] who see it like ''Film/{{Alien}}'' and ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' in that both are great movies in their own right and should be viewed on their own merits. About the only thing fans all agree on is that the soundtrack is great, and it’s leaps and bounds more engaging than [[Film/RamboIII it’s successor]].

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: Rambo's final speech near the end of the film, where he more or less speaks directly to the audience and demand that America acknowledge and love it's vets, much like they love/loved their country. Its incredibly on the nose and not the least bit subtle, but Rambo's unironic line delivery combined with actor Stallone's genuine conviction manage to make it work. In fact it appears that Sly Stallone was ''aware'' that his speech might come across as hammy but decided to include it anyway. He explains it best with this excerpt taken from an interview:

%%* HilariousInHindsight: This line: '''Co''': Rambo! You're not [[Film/TheExpendables expendable]].

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: It’s Music/JerryGoldsmith. It’s bound to be awesome. Special mention goes to [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uJdAQdlnEhk Village Attack / Helicopter Fight]]. One of the defining action tracks of the 80’s