Test audiences are not all bad.
If it weren't for them, we would have never had this ending.
shareIf it weren’t for test audiences then in Rambo 2 after Co died, Rambo would have looked to the sky and shouted “nooooooooooooo”
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I SO wanted to shoot down that sentiment about test audiences; creative works, like movies, are supposed to be based on some director's or writer's VISION. Vision is always correct - if it's based on something else, it can be erroneous and bad, though.
This means it shouldn't matter what any audiences think of things, and it's just systematic manipulation and optimization to CATER something to as large audience as possible to cheat by using test audiences, I am strictly against this manipulative and sneaky practice that worships stupid people and wants to optimize things to rake in money instaed of optimizing the movie to server the best possible story in the best possible way exactly as the vision dictates.
However, damn.. Rambo really would've been comedic doing that.
Why does ANYONE ever put a screamed 'NO!' into a movie, especially that comedic Darth Vader-style, I can NEVER understand. How bad a writer do you have to be? This proves that Lucas' writing skills reside somewhere between 'absolute beginner' and 'a clueless toddler'.
My point is, directors and such should be WISE ENOUGH to not do that kind of idiotic stuff in the first place.
So it wasn't really the test audience that saved Rambo from doing that ridiculous thing; it's more that some idiot PUT THAT IDIOTIC THING in in the first place! You shouldn't NEED test audiences to tell you no character should EVER scream "NO!"
God damn stupid idiots being saved by a bunch of other stupid idiots, and we call this a good system?