Rocky stares down absurdity

Rating: 6/10 (15 September 2015)

I'm nowhere near a Rocky aficionado (I still haven't seen the first three movies), so I don't really have a yard stick to compare "Rocky IV". Still, it's not rocket science, and the opening is enough to catch all the laymen up. But there's one thing that doesn't jibe: how in hell is Rocky going to survive (let alone best) a man that can punch with inhuman strength? No amount of American know-how montages will excuse this.
And as for the montages (there are what, 4 in this movie?), it really does feel like you're watching a music video after awhile. The key to this movie is its value as an '80s tchotchke. The idea of Rocky going to Russia, beating the monster and signaling the end of the Cold War is beyond silly. It's asinine. But the movie's entertaining enough to (mostly) carry through that. The soundtrack's pretty good, too (I've got a couple songs on my gym list). The movie's an artifact from a time when MTV ruled our culture, and Stallone clearly wanted in on it.
Not a great movie, but it's surprisingly seductive in its watchability. This thing comes on TV, and you find yourself hanging with it.
6/10