Rocky IV

Cast and Crew Members

Cast

Sylvester Stallone

Dolph Lundgren

Carl Weathers

Talia Shire

Burt Young

Brigitte Nielsen

Tony Burton

Michael Pataki

Stu Nahan

R.J. Adams

Crew Members

Sylvester Stallone Director

Audience Reviews

Read authentic reviews from real viewers about this movie.

• The Movie Mob

  Rating: 7/10

  "**The greatest Rocky movie? I think it could be.** It's hard to pick a favorite Rocky movie, but Rocky IV definitely makes its case for first place. The epic showdown with Ivan Drago drips with emotion, heart, and motivation in ways the other movies can't match. Add the restless conflict between USA and Russia at the time, and it just doesn't get better. Getting the final fight perfect was so crucial that Sylvester Stallone recommended actually boxing and ended up in the hospital after getting knocked out by Dolph Lundgren. Ivan Drago is, without a doubt, the franchise's best villain. The development of Rocky and Apollo's relationship in Rocky IV is a beautiful credit to excellent writing and four movies worth of growth. The added Christmas spirit gives the film more character. If you had to watch only one Rocky, I would say pick this one, but it's only as great as it is because it stands on the shoulders of the movies that came before."

• The Movie Mob

  Rating: 7/10

  "**The greatest Rocky movie? I think it could be.** It's hard to pick a favorite Rocky movie, but Rocky IV definitely makes its case for first place. The epic showdown with Ivan Drago drips with emotion, heart, and motivation in ways the other movies can't match. Add the restless conflict between USA and Russia at the time, and it just doesn't get better. Getting the final fight perfect was so crucial that Sylvester Stallone recommended actually boxing and ended up in the hospital after getting knocked out by Dolph Lundgren. Ivan Drago is, without a doubt, the franchise's best villain. The development of Rocky and Apollo's relationship in Rocky IV is a beautiful credit to excellent writing and four movies worth of growth. The added Christmas spirit gives the film more character. If you had to watch only one Rocky, I would say pick this one, but it's only as great as it is because it stands on the shoulders of the movies that came before."

• Nathan

  Rating: 6/10

  "Unfortunately, Rocky IV is the first film in the series that has disappointed me. This film had major tonal conflicts. For starters, the film is trying to have a very tragic story that motivates Rocky with the death of Apollo Creed, but at the same time has goofy scenes of a robot housewife. I did not like the ungroundedness that began to take shape here. This film also drew the least amount of emotion from me. I felt that Apollo Creed’s character regressed in this film, with him underestimating Ivan Drago the same way he underestimated Rocky in the original film. He no longer had the humble wisdom that he portrayed in Rocky III and was all about the spectacle and show. Additionally, I thought this opponent was the weakest of the series. This is probably due to the main connection between the two boxers being the death of Apollo, and that aspect fell flat for me. The final fight was the least exciting of the series, mainly due to the lack of buildup. The acting is pretty similar to the third film, with Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, and Carl Weathers all doing an excellent job. But the same complaint I had in Rocky III remains in this film, with the main antagonist being extremely corny and poorly acted. The silent, stoic figure of Drago was intimidating but lacked any emotional connection that the previous antagonists had. I would like to note that this film had a little too much 80s music for my liking. I really enjoyed the track "Eye of the Tiger," like in the third film, but I felt that there were not enough of the classic Rocky themes that really boosted the training segments. Overall, I still enjoyed this film, even with all of its flaws. Score: 57% | Verdict: Decent"

• Nathan

  Rating: 6/10

  "Unfortunately, Rocky IV is the first film in the series that has disappointed me. This film had major tonal conflicts. For starters, the film is trying to have a very tragic story that motivates Rocky with the death of Apollo Creed, but at the same time has goofy scenes of a robot housewife. I did not like the ungroundedness that began to take shape here. This film also drew the least amount of emotion from me. I felt that Apollo Creed’s character regressed in this film, with him underestimating Ivan Drago the same way he underestimated Rocky in the original film. He no longer had the humble wisdom that he portrayed in Rocky III and was all about the spectacle and show. Additionally, I thought this opponent was the weakest of the series. This is probably due to the main connection between the two boxers being the death of Apollo, and that aspect fell flat for me. The final fight was the least exciting of the series, mainly due to the lack of buildup. The acting is pretty similar to the third film, with Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, and Carl Weathers all doing an excellent job. But the same complaint I had in Rocky III remains in this film, with the main antagonist being extremely corny and poorly acted. The silent, stoic figure of Drago was intimidating but lacked any emotional connection that the previous antagonists had. I would like to note that this film had a little too much 80s music for my liking. I really enjoyed the track "Eye of the Tiger," like in the third film, but I felt that there were not enough of the classic Rocky themes that really boosted the training segments. Overall, I still enjoyed this film, even with all of its flaws. Score: 57% | Verdict: Decent"

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