Rocky 4 (1985)

Welcome to Rocky 4: Montages. I would say a good third of this movie is montages and musical numbers. They made the premise a bit more straightforward this time around. Rather than a bunch of character moments like the first two movies, this one focuses on taking down Soviet Russia…I mean Ivan Drago. The soundtrack is impeccable 80s rock. Showing Rocky and Ivan’s equivalent workouts side by side to show science vs nature was pretty rad. There are also a lot of moments that just felt straight 80s which makes sense because this came out in the heart of the decade. It’s a classic Rocky movie but the story and characters are a bit stripped down for this one. The movie is only 90 minutes, so it never hurts to put on when you are bored. It’s a solid movie, just lacks anything past the revenge elements.

Story - 15%

Characters - 15%

Pacing - 17%

Spectacle - 20%

Entertainment - 17%

Total score: 84%

Grade scale:

90%-100% = must watch

80%-89% = solid, but could be better

70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you

60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons

0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here