Pretty Poor ... But worth a look ... really it is!

Rating: 4/10 (17 June 2005)

So this is how the Rocky story went on ... and on, and on, and seemingly on ...
Rocky's now best of chums with old enemy Apollo Creed; but wait what's that on the horizon of freedom; the grim specter of communism (boo hiss); and they have the technology; they've created some sort of killing machine in the shape of a boxer (Drago); Apollo's too cocky for his own good; he comes out to box dressed like Uncla Sam; oh look there's James Brown; Apollo's killed in the ring; Now Rocky's p**sed MONTAGE ... and we're off to Siberia!!! (Rocky's all heart you know; you can see it in the way he trains, helping out those poor Russians by pulling their ploughs; Drago by using some sorta boxing based technology, well, that's just cheating isn't it?!!?) Fight night; Rocky takes his usual pounding; but wait he's not going to give up; he's making a comeback of some kind; wow, the Russian crowd for some strange reason are backing Rocky (please explain why even when Creed was losing in the US they still backed him but here it is different); Rocky's beaten the Russian killer; Cue Rocky's victor speech ... "Can't we all get along guys? Please? Addrriiiaann." OK the storyline may not have changed much from the other Rocky's (Rocky=underdog; fights big monster; losing but comes back to win etc etc), I might not agree with the naive political outlook of the film and the film has possibly the worst montage sequence in any film I've watched (it just goes on and on), but this film really is great for sitting down to with some friends ... the cheese is present in massive amounts and although it is just that little bit cynical you just can't help but poke fun at it every 5 minutes as opposed to getting up and turn it off.
On a quizzical note I can't understand what Drago's character is supposed to be exactly. It seems like he is/should be set up as a pretty much 2d monster/ punch bag for the audience but I got a sense of vulnerability/ that he was merely being used by his trainers at the first press conference and at the very end. Trashy motivational music is amazing; in that it does its job ... its big, loud, (terrible) and makes you wanna go out and, well, kick some ass really (see Hearts On Fire, Sweetest Victory et al).
In all a weak rehash, definitely worth a look though if you have a streak of cynicism running through you (make sure whoever your watching it does too!) or maybe if you just want something 'up-lifting'.