Why is everyone bashing Rocky IV? I LOVED that one... maybe cause it's the first one I saw and I saw the Cold War US/USSR tension storyline to be very interesting. The villain was awesome (even Clubber Lang couldn't kill another man in a boxing match) and the training montages got you SUPER pumped up.
He did say the line. "No I don't hate Balboa. But I pity the fool." And IV should NOT be beating the original in the poll. Go back and watch the first one, people.
I actually just re-watched the entire series with my wife (who had never seen any of them) after going to see Rocky Balboa in the theater. For me, it's very close between Rocky I and III as to which one is better. The original was a very compelling story, but the third one was a lot of fun. Rocky II was a good sequel, and it probably ranks a little higher than Rocky Balboa in my opinion. But man, Rocky IV is TERRIBLE. I kind of felt embarrassed watching it with my wife. I kept having to justify the whole movie to her, saying things like "Well you just don't remember what it was like in the 80's", etc. (she's 5 years younger than me) Seriously, it felt like watching a cartoon with a bad plot for 12 year olds. I probably won't even bother to watch Rocky V again. I knew that sucked when I was 14.
maybe it's because we're not a bunch of pinko commies? i can't believe all the IV bashing i'm seeing, as it is the best of the bunch for entertainment purposes. 39 people (and counting) have clearly picked the wrong answer. even bill simmons, who loves rocky, picked IV. after going through the plot, he sums up the essence of Rocky IV perfectly: "What a ludicrous, awful movie. I loved it."
I can't believe IV turned out as good as it did, considering they used none of the original music. It's amazing what music can do for a movie. Been watching II a lot lately and it's really good. I used to only watch I, III, and IV.
