Hollow, But Still Fun

Rating: 6/10 (5 April 2007)

Can you blame Sylvestor Stallone? The unpretentious Rocky Balboa turned him from a nobody into a superstar in 1976, and in the ensuing years made he (and his studio) filthy rich with one blockbuster sequel after another. And while ROCKY IV was another box office knockout, it is a completely artificial film lacking so many of the qualities that made The Italian Stallion an icon.
In a desperate bid to give Rocky motivation for another round, we are introduced to the heartless, 'roid-shooting Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren, as you know). Drago was more or less a good idea, as he is an unknown factor, completely unlike any force Rocky has encountered before. But the character at times comes off as laughable. After pummeling the soon-to-expire Apollo Creed, Drago states simply, "If he dies, he dies." Evil... pure evil! He's more of a cardboard villain than an opposing athlete.
ROCKY IV also awkwardly tries to tap into the tensions of the Cold War. The silly intro sequence even shows two boxing gloves, one American and the other Russian, smashing together and exploding(!). Then there's Rocky's somewhat lame post-bout speech about how we can all come together and live in happiness... after just pounding the opposing country's most esteemed athlete. It seems painfully clear that Stallone was running short on ideas for the series, and perhaps should have waited another year or two so he could flesh out a better script.
For all the things ROCKY IV isn't, it's certainly concise. With a running time of 90 minutes, the film is fun, but ultimately unsatisfying, particularly when we know from other entries how endearing the ROCKY saga should be.