good fun, not very realistic

Rating: Null/10 (2 December 2002)

I originally saw this movie in the theatre when I was 12 and I thought it was the best friggin' movie ever. Now that I'm older, I see all it's flaws but I still like it. Mr T. is of course amazing as Clubber Lang "My Prediction? Pain." and is worthy adversary for Rocky. This movie is also a 90 minute endorsement for Gold's Gym, cause these guys are in the best shape of their lives, holy rippling muscles batman! In fact, Stallone is in such good shape at the beginning it's hard to believe that he's gone "soft", since he's probably 50 pounds leaner than he was in the original Rocky and is cut like a 2x4. I would have preferred a DeNiro type of transformation (a la Taxi Drive) where you actually see him become a human action figure before your eyes.
And, of course the fight scenes are rediculous and completely unrealistic (like most boxing films) but they're fun as hell to watch, the editing is superb (amazing pacing). The dialogue is tolerable without causing too much wincing and has some funny moments "Maybe I'll go join the coicus or somethin'", which is all you can hope for in this kind of movie. 3 out of 5 stars.