Comments on Direct to Video Connoisseur: Rocky IV (1985)

Hellford667, totally agree about the movie soundtr...

2012-01-27T19:25:32.421-08:00

Hellford667, totally agree about the movie soundtracks. Back then getting on a soundtrack was a great way to showcase your work-- which it is now too I guess, but you're right, they seldom have the bands write original songs like they did then. And I agree with you too that 3 and 4 are more watchable, but 1 is still my favorite.

And thank you Lee for those links. That Apollo Creed V. Drago rematch will make a great Daily Dolph on the DTVC Tumblr! I did check out the trailer-- which really brings out the contrast in how well the film was restored for the DVD-- and I saw the thing with the governing body, which I guess was in the film to show that Stallone, because he was fighting Dolph, who had killed someone in the ring, would forfeit his belt. Considering the film was only 90 minutes long, and as you said, only 27 minutes of acting, that scene shouldn't have been cut in my opinion.

In regards to the Weathers/Lundgren altercation, c...

2012-01-27T04:32:18.183-08:00

In regards to the Weathers/Lundgren altercation, check this out;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03Lh10y3DBU

I think I've seen that 'Amerika' movie...

2012-01-27T04:20:49.762-08:00

I think I've seen that 'Amerika' movie (does it star Kris Kristofferson?)

Adding to the cold war threat, I remember 'THE DAY AFTER'....and then along came the UK's answer, called 'THREADS' (which made 'The Day After' look like 'Sesame Street') If you ever get a chance to see 'Threads' approach with caution, as it's one of the nastiest 'what if' tales of nuclear holocaust ever filmed (grim stuff)

Getting back to ROCKY IV, if you check out the trailer on your MGM disc, there's a deleted scene with Balboa and the boxing council at a meeting, and they object to sanctioning the fight, on the grounds of what Drago has done to Creed. Interesting stuff (but i guess all that plot and 'talking' got in the way of some bitchin' montages and training sequences)

BTW, don't know if you've seen this early advance trailer of ROCKY IV? It gives the Ivan Drago character a bit more depth (not to mention 'dialogue')

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0XKKbHYVfA

Great Review....3 and 4 are the ones i watched the...

2012-01-27T03:22:50.372-08:00

Great Review....3 and 4 are the ones i watched the most...1 and 2 are less flashy, but not bad, of course..but entertainment-wise, 3 and 4 must rank the highest...the soundtrack is awesome, as are a lot 80s OSTs, these days they just throw a bunch of new music on there, hyping whoever is selling best at the moment....absolutely disregarding the story of the film itself...OCER THE TOP is another one with an awesome soundtrack...TOP GUN and so much more...the 80s plain rock for so many reasons...part 5 was kinda dissapointing, but I liked how he ended it with Rocky 6.

Yeah Ty, I thought that was kind of a trip too tha...

2012-01-26T18:50:54.888-08:00

Yeah Ty, I thought that was kind of a trip too that the robot is a SAG member.

Lee, thank you for that personal story regarding this movie. Being younger than you, at about this time, I remember the Cold War as something much more sinister. I recall a TV movie over here called "Amerika" about the US being invaded by the Soviets, and I asked my mom why America was spelled with a "K", and she said "I guess that's just what the Russians changed it too after they took it over", and that scared the crap out of me. It was almost like the 80s were the last gasp of the Red Scare, fueled by Reagan amping up he rhetoric (calling the USSR the "Evil Empire" and whatnot), before the Berlin Wall came down; but inside that last bastion of Red Scare, we got some fun films, like this one and Red Dawn.

I loved that "Count of Monte Fisto" line too. No wonder Creed lost his bout, he wasted too much energy dancing with James Brown! According to imdb, Weathers and Lundgren didn't get along, and actually had altercations in the ring. How can you not like Lundgren Carl? I did notice the ref getting pushed away as he stepped in, but there was still a lot of drama surrounding Stallone throwing in the towel. If the ref couldn't stop the fight, what good would the towel do? It was just one of those cases where the boxing took a backseat to the idea of the Creed character wanting to die in the ring as a warrior; but I agree with you that touches like that add to the watchability.

That is hilarious that the Robot has a SAG card! H...

2012-01-26T14:25:35.985-08:00

That is hilarious that the Robot has a SAG card! Haha!

Great movie (all of the ROCKY movies are great) bu...

2012-01-26T13:42:35.635-08:00

Great movie (all of the ROCKY movies are great) but I prefer III over IV (The rematch with Clubber Lang is a stone cold classic)
I was 13 when this movie was released, and it was a huge hit in the UK also. Me and a couple of friends went to see it after school. We loved it that much, we hid under the seats after it had finished (to hide from the cinema staff) and watched it again. And then we hid again and made it a straight treble for Balboa, that night.

The crazy thing is, at the time, the movie didn't appear to be as 'gung-ho-American-kill-a-commie' as it now seems. We'd done loads of classwork about a probable cold war happening, it was always on the news, and it felt very real. Stallone just tapped into that mindest, and used it as a plot device to wrap another Rocky film around. In hindsight (thankfuly) it now seems very dated, but at the time, it was quite possible that we might go to war with Russia.

If you notice the Drago/Creed fight, the ref DOES try to stop the fight, but is pushed away by the Russian....who'd be obviously jailed for such actions, in real life.

I'm sure I've read that the movie only consists of 27 mins of acting? (as opposed to the boxing/flashback/montage/songs, etc)

Anyhow, great review. This and number III have the most watchability. I prefer III (and love the much-maligned V) over this one, but any movie that introduces a fighter as (Quote) "The Count Of Monte Fisto" is ok in my books. If you think the MGM DVD is good, you should check out the Blu-ray (it looks very sharp for a film of this age)

BTW, Have you noticed the goof with Apollo's boxing gloves prior to his exhibition bout (it's as he's screaming "I want you...I want you!" to Drago)

Yeah Ty, this is one of those 80s flicks where the...

2012-01-26T05:20:24.518-08:00

Yeah Ty, this is one of those 80s flicks where the soundtrack is as much of a classic as the movie.

Funny thing Jack and SNS, I read on imdb that the robot has a SAG card.

Jack and Ronald, I can see where you're coming from with III and IV being more watchable than part I, which was much more of a serious drama. I love the original the best, but these ones are a lot of fun too.

You hit the nail on the head robotGEEK with the "Everyone can change" speech, because it was essentially Rocky ending the Cold War-- or at least warming it up. We had no idea that the thing would be over in five years anyway, or that the only reason it was surviving at all was because Reagan's militant stance was emboldening factions that wanted to keep the Soviet Union as it was; and on some levels, though this is no Red Dawn, Rocky IV was a part of last gasp 80s Red Scare movement. It was a different time, and it's funny to look back.

An authentic 80's classic and my favorite &quo...

2012-01-26T03:51:29.368-08:00

An authentic 80's classic and my favorite "Rocky" movie. Great review!

No pics of Paulie's robot!! For shame. Got t...

2012-01-26T02:19:46.553-08:00

No pics of Paulie's robot!! For shame.

Got to say of all the movies, Rocky 3 & 4 are the ones I rewatch the most.

Rocky 4 is almost 90% montage, seriously the script must have been like 5 pages long.

Great review, and a great film. I agree with you h...

2012-01-25T20:27:55.153-08:00

Great review, and a great film. I agree with you how above the other ones, this one felt so over the top and theatrical. Especially with that "everybody can change" speech at the end. Just plain ridiculous, but awesome. And I have to give it to Stallone for putting songs in most of his films I never woulda heard on my own, and songs that stick with me to this day. Cobra is another one with some great cheesy 80's songs. He always somehow managed to pick just the right song. I've always thought of 3 as my favorite of the series though, I guess because it had Hulk Hogan "and" the one and only Mr. T. Just too awesome.

best of the 80s montages. i still don't quite...

2012-01-25T20:23:05.234-08:00

best of the 80s montages.

i still don't quite get the robot though

Totally agree about the soundtrack. Burning Heart ...

2012-01-25T19:05:24.947-08:00

Totally agree about the soundtrack. Burning Heart and No Easy Way Out are classics!

Happy you quoted the lyrics!

"There's no short cut home!"

Also Dolph was perfect as Drago.