*This* is the Best

Rating: 9/10 (17 November 2007)

And it was immediately followed by the worst. But "Rocky IV," a charming and bittersweet addition to the series, stands out among its brethren with more heart, better music, and, for the first time in the entire saga, a purpose!
What I hate about R4 is Talia Shire. She's never given a good performance. She even left things to be desired in "The Godfather," and here she speaks in a bizarre hush that sounds like she's back in the pet shop again.
Fortunately, Sly wins us over with his best turn yet as Balboa, and the very nearly mute Dolph Lundgren does more than plod through the film going through the motions-- he provides the kind of opponent that we (the people who stuck with this series even in its doldrum days) have always desperately sought.
As for the music, it's still not great, but James Brown's "Living in America" is, as is "No Easy Way Out." I'll take it any day over "Eye of the Tiger" or that nauseating "Gonna Fly Now." Shame on you, Bill Conti!
Anyway, enjoy "Rocky IV"-- it's the closest to greatness this series ever came.