Rocky IV (1985) Revisited – Action Movie Review

1985 was arguably the biggest year of Sylvester Stallone’s career. At the year-end box office, he had the 2nd and 3rd highest-grossing movies of the year. Rambo: First Blood Part II was in the second position, but right behind it was Rocky IV, which, for over twenty years, remained the highest-grossing sports movie of all time. In the years since its release, fans have been divided over it. Many fans absolutely love it, but others think it was too silly and comic-book-like compared to the grit of the original film.

Stallone himself recut Rocky IV recently to bring it back down to earth (Rocky Vs Drago). Still, with its MTV aesthetic, the original film retains a significant cult following among Sly’s fans. And of course, the Rocky IV training montage (set to John Cafferty’s “Hearts on Fire”) remains the greatest ever. The movie also introduced the world to Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago, who would be revisited in Creed II years later. Notably, it also paved the way for the entire Creed franchise when Carl Weathers’ iconic Apollo Creed met his end in the ring. Here at Sylvester Stallone Revisited, we absolutely love Rocky IV, so check out this episode of Sylvester Stallone Revisited and see what our thoughts are all these years later.

Sylvester Stallone Revisited is written by John Fallon, narrated by Chris Bumbray and edited by Bill Mazzola. Check out some other episodes below!