Maybe you're just after some escapism, and if an Army action hero aiming wildly and wearing nothing close to an approved uniform manages to knock off a few dozen insurgents without reloading, well, so much the better.
Here's a small sample of the on-screen soldier offerings you can expect in 2015 and beyond:
1. Rambo's last ride? Filming for "Rambo: Last Blood," the fifth installment of the Sylvester Stallone shoot-'em-up series that began in 1982, will begin filming in Louisiana this year, The Shreveport Times reported in August, with a rumored release date of late 2015.
Stallone's battle-worn Green Beret will battle Mexican drug cartels in this version, according to reports on multiple media-news sites. As for how things might end, Stallone told MTV in 2012 that he wanted to see Rambo "go out in a blaze of glory in a heroic fashion."
The character died at the conclusion of "First Blood" in an early edit, but test audience didn't like the depressing ending and an alternate version allowed for multiple sequels.
2. Drago vs. Nazis. Prefer your action heroes with a classic feel? "War Pigs" will recount the fictional skull-cracking escapades of a unit sent "behind enemy lines to exterminate Nazis by any means necessary," according to a description posted on the film's Facebook page.
It may sound like a re-hash of "Inglourious Basterds," but Brad Pitt's Nazi-hunters probably wouldn't want to run into the War Pigs outside a bar: The upcoming film's cast includes Dolph Lundgren ("Rocky IV," "The Expendables"), former UFC champion Chuck Liddell and Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler," "Sin City" and a recent boxing exhibition in Moscow against a reportedly homeless opponent who took a dive).
A spring release is rumored, though no official date has been set.
3. Get real. "None More American" will feature profiles of 12 former Army football players, many of which saw action in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Subjects include Alejandro Villanueva, the Ranger who made three combat tours in Afghanistan before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad; Mike Viti, a former Army team captain who led a rifle platoon in Afghanistan and recently wrapped up a 7,100-kilometer hike honoring fallen service members; and Stephen Chase Prasnicki, a former Black Knights quarterback who died in 2012 less than a day after arriving at his base in Afghanistan's Wardak province.
Interview subjects include Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen – West Point superintendent and former Army football player – as well as retired Brig. Gen. Pete Dawkins, who won the 1958 Heisman Trophy as a Black Knight. Filmmaker Rob O'Sullivan said principal photography will wrap in January, and the film will be ready for distribution, including special theater screenings in the hometowns of the profiled players, this summer.
4. Get reality. When her tattoos made news during the Miss America pageant in 2013, Sgt. Theresa Vail wanted to use the attention to spread a simple message, especially to young women: "Don't be afraid to step outside your comfort zone."
Read Vail's April Q-and-A with Army Times
RELATED: Read Vail's April Q-and-A with Army Times
That's why she was quick to sign on for "Limitless with Theresa Vail," a half-hour TV show that will debut in July on Outdoor Channel. Still in the Kansas Army National Guard, Vail will mix her love of hunting with a variety of adventures, including skydiving with soldiers at West Point and climbing Wyoming's Devils Tower. The show's time slot hasn't been announced.
Sgt. Theresa Vail, a member of the Kansas Army National Guard, will combine hunting and other outdoor adventures in her reality TV show slated to air this summer.
Photo Credit: Michael Pearce
Theresa Vail will trade in pageant-wear for camo for her new Outdoor Channel series.
Photo Credit: Edward Lea/The Associated Press
5. More star power. Mel Gibson is in talks to direct "Hacksaw Ridge," the true story of Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector who earned the Medal of Honor as a medic on Okinawa in 1945, Deadline.com reported in November. That same month, the same site said Matthew McConaughey would star in "The Free State of Jones," based on the true Civil War story of Newton Knight, who deserted the Confederate army and led a pro-Union insurrection in the deep South.
Both those films likely won't hit theaters until 2016 at the earliest. Too real for your tastes? Don't worry: Variety reports that Robert De Niro will star as foul-mouthed retired Army general in a comedy tentatively titled "Dirty Grandpa," during which he'll be driven to spring break by his grandson, played by Zac Efron. Clear your 2015 holiday calendars for a likely Christmas release.
Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.
