Rocky IV (1985) Movie Review
Synopsis:
Soviet boxer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) kills the former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in the ring. His friend and former rival, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), trains to avenge his death.
Review:
For context, Rocky IV marks the third Rocky film directed by Sylvester Stallone.
Rocky IV is also the weakest of his films, with a less engaging script and story. Its pacing is also affected by the lack of forward momentum.
This is down to many factors. Some of these include the overuse of montages and the setup for its main villain.
As a result, this leaves little time to focus on developing its main characters.
Aside from a few scenes, Rocky IV devotes its time to endless montages.
Whilst these are entertaining due to the licensed 1980s music, they depend too much on the past.
Instead of progressing the plot, there is one that acts as a recap of events from previous films. For fans who have already watched those, it may come across as pointless.
One montage that entertains is when Rocky trains to fight Ivan Drago.
As with the previous training scenes, they are full of energy and character. It also serves to highlight how different Rocky and Drago are as competitors.
Take their training methods as examples. Rocky trains in the snowy, bright mountains of Siberia.
Drago trains in unwelcoming indoor environments, almost as a test subject.
This training montage also has motivational music in the form of John Cafferty’s “Heart’s on Fire.” To many viewers, this may be the most entertaining training scene in the entire series.
As expected, they are familiar in style when compared to the previous three Rocky films.
It is also welcome to see Rocky training in the snowy environment of a different country for a change.
These visuals are also present during Rocky and Drago’s final fight.
In his entrance, Rocky remains subdued. Drago enters the ring accompanied by the Soviet National Anthem. Speaking of Drago, Dolph portrays him with an ice-cold demeanor.
This makes his imposing height and physique even more intimidating. Furthermore, his punches hit with almost superhuman impact.
This makes his fight with Rocky, despite the lack of emotional connection between them, entertaining. Despite his imposing physique, Dolph’s Drago lacks much else.
After killing Apollo Creed, Rocky and Drago’s fight is made official in an instant.
A lack of setup between the two beforehand may have been because of the film’s short 1-hour 30-minute runtime.
Where Rocky IV can find strength is with Stallone’s Rocky and Talia Shire’s Adrian.
As expected, their scenes together are endearing and well-acted. Though these scenes are brief, fans will appreciate the scenes that are there.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Rocky IV is a film that gets stuck in the past. As opposed to moving the story forward, its montages prevent that from happening.
While some fans may find them entertaining, others may find them frustrating.
Another one of Rocky IV’s weaknesses is the lack of an emotional connection between Rocky and Drago.
Though Drago is Rocky’s most imposing opponent yet, he is also his most dull.
If the film’s runtime focused more on building his character, their fight would have been more impactful.
Despite their lack of emotional connection or setup, their training montage is entertaining. John Cafferty’s “Heart’s on Fire” also contributes to the entertainment.
Without a doubt, it is the film’s most watchable scene, backed by good visuals.
This film also has the same genuine moments between Rocky and Adrian. This is despite them being briefer this time around.
As a whole, Rocky IV stumbles in taking meaningful steps forward.
It makes this clear through its lack of setup for certain characters and endless montages.
For fans who can look past this and embrace the charm of the 1980s, Rocky IV is worth a watch.
Sam’s Action Reaction score:
Characters - 6.5/10
Story - 6/10
Pacing - 6/10
Visuals - 7/10
Soundtrack - 7.5/10
Overall score: 6.6 out of 10
