Rocky IV

Rocky IV (1985)

  • 44% of critics liked it
    (34 reviews)

  • 79% of users liked it
    (327,180 ratings)

The third sequel to Sylvester Stallone's boxing blockbuster combines the ringside sports melodrama of the previous installments with the Cold War patriotism of the star/director's other motion picture series of the 1980s, the Rambo saga. Stallone is back as Rocky Balboa, the heavyweight… More

PG,
Directed By
Genres
Drama
In Theaters
Nov 27, 1985 Wide
On DVD
Aug 25, 1998
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Critic Reviews

  • Variety Staff, Variety

    Sylvester Stallone is really sloughing it off shamelessly in Rocky IV, but it's still impossible not to root for old Rocky Balboa to get up off the canvas and whup that bully one more time.

  • Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

    The crazed flag-waving would be a lot easier to take if it weren't so clearly a commercial calculation meant to salvage what is otherwise a crass, careless, shamelessly padded film.

  • Geoff Andrew, Time Out

    Film reduced to the barest of three acts.

  • Janet Maslin, New York Times

    Even the hint of political power that Rocky garners by the end of this latest battle is made to seem like more of the same empty glory.

  • Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

    Even Sylvester Stallone seems to be getting tired of the series; as the writer and director, as well as the star, he puts himself through the same old paces.

Read all 21 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • John M


    Rocky way to much

  • Eugene B


    Rocky IV, no doubt, has its motivational and somewhat inspirational moments during its climatic scenes, but it is knocked down by its inconsistent direction and cheesy cliched montages. This fourth installment does induce some patriotism (Cold War era) but doesn't fully satisfy… More

  • Jeff "


    Rocky IV is a decent little entry, but is nothing anything good or great. By this time in the series, you can see that the screenwriters were struggling in trying to deliver something good on-screen, and though it's not a bad film, Rocky IV could have been much better too. I felt… More

  • Lucas M


    The worse of Rocky. Stallone transform the lovable character that like of everybody, in a propaganda character to the U.S. goverment. Rotten.

  • Directors C


    A more or less better installment than the previous one plus a great soundtrack. Besides the first and second Rocky films this one is proparbly the most passionate.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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