The sequels were just an excuse to blow shit up.

A small disagreement with SF: I have never found a movie where the book wasn’t better. I’ll check out “Remains of the day” to be sure though :-)

Every movie has a script regardless of whether it is based on a book, or not. In the majority of the cases, script writers take artistic license with the theme and characters to add something of their own, and to fit it to as broad an audience as possible. That’s how Hollywood works.

In fact, Rambo I the movie is unfaithful to the book in many crucial and meaningful ways, as explained here:

“The movie First Blood severely alters the theme of the book by making Rambo more sympathetic and demonizing the police and national guard. By never having Rambo directly kill any of the police officers and their deaths being brought about by their own maniacal desire to capture Rambo, there is a complete role reversal. This reversal propels Rambo into the seat of hero instead of that of the cold blooded killer that he was in the novel. Furthermore, in the film, Rambo surrenders to Trautman and is sent to prison for the sequel, Rambo: First Blood Part II, while in the novel, Trautman kills Rambo at the end.”

So, while taking key points from the book, it is all about the script!

That said, I have never seen a book-based movie that is better than the book itself, although in many cases the link between the two is rather loose.

all the Rambo sequels were actually written by script writers, and it shows. the book is better than the movie.