BEFORE: I'm back from our road trip, during which I didn't watch any movies (or any TV for that matter) for 3 days (OK, 2 1/2...). Instead in between outlet stores and brewpubs, I managed to read a whole book, and start on a second one, and get two really full nights of sleep, which is an unusual occurence for me.
THE PLOT: When Apollo Creed is killed in a match against a powerful Soviet boxer, Rocky decides to challenge him himself.
AFTER: Yes, it's Memorial Day, the day where we remember our country's fallen boxing champions, or something. Actually, this was made in 1985, at the height of the Cold War, so at least I've got something of a patriotic tie-in for the day, with U.S. boxers vs. the Soviet champion.
My quibbles with the film are as follows - first, the robot that Rocky buys for Paulie. Probably the less said about that, the better, but it was part of the general ridiculousness of the whole movie.
Second, the over-excessive use of montage. The training montage late in the film is fine - there's a nice contrast between Rocky's training and Drago's - but I have to take issue with the earlier montage, when Rocky is broken up over Apollo's death, and driving around aimlessly while visions (scenes from previous "Rocky" films) fill his brain. If he's so focused on Drago, and avenging Apollo's death, why are some of the images from his first dates with Adrian, and the birth of his son as well? I guess his mind wanders, even when he's intensely concentrating on something?
Rocky gives up his title and travels to the Soviet Union to train and fight Drago - you might think that it's the American champion who's got more scientific training, but Rocky avoids training in a gym, and instead decides to run in the snow, chop wood and lift oxcarts, while the Russian fighter, who seems to have been grown in a laboratory, also trains in one. What's the message here - is Rocky's goal nobler just because he runs up a mountain instead of on a treadmill? Is it better to do menial chores than lift barbells? Is this a "Rocky" film, or a "Karate Kid" film?
Of course, what the Russians don't count on is Rocky's superhuman ability to be punched in the head. The blows that leveled Apollo don't seem to have as much of an impact on Rocky - guess there's not as much up there to damage. Even with a 3-day break between films, all this punching is wearing me down - I'm having serious doubts about the sport of boxing, and questioning whether either fighter deserves to win. They both score late hits after the bell...
Also, it would have been nice to get inside Drago's head a little - obviously he starts out as a complete Communist tool, but then they sort of imply that there's something of a change during the match, where he starts to fight for himself rather than for his country, but it's not really explained all that well. What, exactly, brings on the change, and what are its implications? I guess we'll never know.
And if Drago was such a great fighter, why not compete in the Olympics? Seems like the next logical step after being Russia's amateur champion. Why the need to come to America and challenge the heavyweight champion? Why not rack up a few gold medals first, unless you're afraid of the Olympic drug testing...
Starring the usual Rocky cast - Talia Shire, Carl Weathers + Burt Young, plus Dolph Lungren, Brigitte Nielsen, with a cameo from James Brown.
RATING: 4 out of 10 spit-buckets
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