What started out as a joke, has turned into a disaster

Rating: 5/10 (27 December 2016)

East challenges West. Drago(Lundgren, imposing as ever) must fight Rocky(Sly, charming yet no longer an underdog, and he's now impossible to relate to. The first is the only up to this entry where, if he wins, his victory doesn't feel like wish fulfillment. And this one goes extreme in that regard). They again don't know what to do with Adrian(Shire, sweet and supportive). Paulie(Young, bad tempered) is a caricature of what he used to be. Creed(Weathers, vocal) couldn't be more show-boaty than he is here, and it gets embarrassing to watch. He literally performs a whole dance number, moments before getting into the ring. While I get building him up, isn't this what you use lookalikes for? Does *anybody* in the universe these create know what "exhibition" means? And who will die from their connection to the sport? It won't be literal, public murder by knock-out, will it? After all, that would be absolutely ridiculous.
Just how shark-jumping and painfully 80's is this? A human-sized super-smart robot which there is no actual doubt Paulie is regularly sexing up which you're expected to just accept as presented. A boxing match, plus a simplistic speech after it, end the Cold War? Why wouldn't it? And as fitting as the Commie one is – tall, silent, strong, statuesque, with clear indications of "unnatural" improvements made – the US champ really doesn't represent the country well. Sure, the determination fits, meanwhile, well, shock and awe, the best education and training, where are those? And he doesn't use proxies...no perpetual war oh wait that came later...well, they do have the "going in unprepared against an enemy they obviously don't understand", so there's that. Lang also isn't in this. Then again, he seems to exist only in III, never before or since. This is 84 and a half minutes without credits, 88 with, but would be shorter, maybe an hour long total, if you removed the recap, music videos and montages.
There is some bloody violence and mild language in this. I recommend this to those who love the decade more than anyone should. Of course, watching it *is* better than relying on cultural osmosis to appreciate the 30 For 30 parody on it. That thing is freaking hilarious. 5/10