Rocky IV

Rocky IV

Starring Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Carl Weathers, Dolph Lundgren

Directed by Sylvester Stallone

The Story:
After Rocky's (Sylvester Stallone) success in the heavyweight world, a new challenger emerges from the Cold War Soviet Union, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), a towering man who uses technology to advance his strength and who hardly speaks.  Former heavyweight champion and Rocky's friend Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) plans to fight Drago to rekindle his popularity, to Rocky's disapproval due to Apollo's lack of training.

After the fight, Rocky decides to take on Ivan himself, and heads to the USSR with his friend Paulie (Burt Young) and wife Adrian (Talia Shire) to take Ivan on in his home turf, and possibly unite the two feuding countries in the process.

The Synopsis:
The "Rocky" franchise has - to this point - been huge successes both critically and financially, and while "Rocky IV" continued the streak of making a killing at the box office, it started to show signs of wear and tear.  The "IV" after the title not only symbolizes the fourth film in the franchise, but also symbolic of an IV drip in a patient's arm - the franchise is on its last legs, and you can really tell here how burdensome and tiring it's been for those involved.

The first three films featured standout performances, solid storytelling, and especially high-octane boxing matches.  Yet as the films progress, we begin to see a dusty pattern to these films that the fourth one doesn't deviate from, and becomes lackadaisical and simplistic.  The characters are no longer loving what they're doing, and neither are the actors.

Sylvester Stallone has always been the heart and soul, but even he seems relegated to just performing once again in his typical fashion.  The first three films finds the Italian Stallion lovable and quirky, a man who balances humor and heart and matches them both equally, but here he's relegated to very few words and instead we're treated to several long montages with music instead of actual words being spoken.  Talia Shire arrives for a paycheck as Rocky's wife Adrian, whose love seems to have diminished with each passing sequel, to where now they're just a typical married couple who shows very little love for each other.

No one else really stands out here, as the film delivers the typical knockout blows and fights that are no longer as appealing or fascinating as they once were, because we all know where the story will go.  The effects and editing are completely dated and nondescript, and even changing up the challenger doesn't make things better.  Rocky's former challengers were flamboyant showoffs who did more talking than fighting, while Drago is stoic and systematic, a man who hardly speaks and showcases the power of the USSR in his overbearing physique and tremendous punches (which, according to his specialists, are four times as powerful as any other fighter, meaning he'd pretty much decapitate anyone who dares fight him), and who offers absolutely no characteristics at all - but then again, this was the mid-1980s, a time where films about robots were really taking off (there's even an odd A.I.-sentient robot in this film which makes no sense), and showcasing Drago as a humanoid robot was probably the point, but it's definitely lost its luster with time.

The Summary:
Showing signs of fighter fatigue, "Rocky IV" continues the traditional paint-by-numbers story that Sylvester Stallone likes to tell, but showcases a lot less heart and emotion than his previous outings.

The Score: C+