@@LordPankaiWalker I, too, prefer this cut. It provides so much more depth to Apollo and his relationship with Rocky. The funeral scene, in particular, is so much better in this cut compared to the original cut.
@@milesjergens9088 thats exactly how I felt when i watched it on theater, also Rocky seems more calmly debastated and his speech at the end is better also, its better in a lot of ways but i agree with you the funeral scene is way way better
I was one of the Soviet Boxing Fans. This fight scene was filmed in Vancouver in 1985, so it was set on December 25 1984. There was a real threat of a nuclear warb between the US and The Soviet Union at this time. Anyways, this sequence took a week to film. There were thousands of us in the Agrodome. The vast majority of us weren't paid. An arrangement was made with the union to donate our wages to charities in Vancouver. We were fed Churches Chicken for lunch and all the Pepsi we could drink. One day we had Ice Cream! The speech at the end was improvised by Sly, and those were real tears we were shedding.
that sounds like alot of fun. did the filming staff instruct you people when to cheer or when to boo? specially considering the soviet fans were supposed to boo Rocky until the 12th round. And how was the fight choreography during filming? Like did it get boring when they had to retake shots over and over of Rocky getting hit? or did the fight scene filming went fast paced at some point (Sly mentioned he filmed a round where it was real, because he got inspired by Hagler-Hearns, and thats how he got punched in the chest that sent him to the hospital)
1985 deep into the Reagan Administration and the USSR as an imminent threat. As a kid in 5th grade, global thermonuclear war was a real possibility to my reality. Reagan saw a made for television film that is still the highest watched movie in television history called The Day After, and apparently, it scared the shit out of him. Completely changed his idea because previously thought there was a winnable scenario in an all-out nuclear war. For a boxing novice, you perfectly deduced what the gel is for. To help the punches slide off the face. Great reaction.
Reagan never wanted nuclear war. The idea that Reagan wanted any war with USSR is Leftist propagandist BS. Fear of the Soviets wanting nuclear was always foremost in his and everyone's mind. The Day After scenario was unrealistic, but the basic idea that resonated was that " Nuclear War sucks." That was the message of the movie, and no one disagreed with it then or now.
@@adamcollazo8228 None of those made the top 10. Top Gun was the runner up, as I recall. It’s a funny vid with a lot of actual thought put into it. Definitely worth watching if you have an hour to kill.
Cold war tensions were high back then. The Soviet Union banned the theatrical version of Rocky 4. *BEHIND THE SCENES FYI:* Sylvester Stallone insisted on going 3 rounds of real boxing to get some good movie footage. Dolph Lundgren was concerned and tried to talk Stallone out of it. Stallone wouldn't budge so they boxed 3 rounds for real. Sylvester Stallone is a brave man. Dolph Lundgren is a powerful man. After the 3 rounds, Stallone knew he had been seriously hurt. He went to the hospital that night. The doctors asked if Stallone was in a vehicle accident with a truck. They said they had only seen this sort of injury from a truck accident. Lundgren had smashed Stallone's ribs so hard into his chest it bruised Stallone's heart. Stallone had to spend 13 days in the hospital. The movie studio insurance felt the doctors were correct and Stallone was trying to cover up a truck accident on set. They refused to pay the hospital bills. They also took Stallone to court to sue for the alleged truck accident cover up. Stallone brought the 3 round footage to court as his defense. The insurance lost, the cover up claim was dropped, and the hospital bills were paid.
It's one of the most powerful movie moments of all time. I wouldn't have it any other way. It makes the movie better, and definitely makes the Creed movies better.
@@jkhoover having apollo mad at him like donny was in creed 2 only to show up in russia in a wheel chair to support rocky with adrian would have been powerful too. Some one on youtube made an animation of it
@@AJCANADAPICTURES But that's Adrian's story. It would be redundant for Apollo to be there too, and there's very little reason for Rocky to fight if Apollo lived. I stand by my first comment.
@@AJCANADAPICTURESBut then a big part of Donny’s story is that he actually met his father, I don’t think the films would have had the same impact if he was still alive as cool as that would have been And at the same time Apollos death shows the cruel reality of how dangerous this sport can be
This was a very different vibe than the theatrical. I suppose both have their place. That scene where Rocky is on the mountaintop and screams DRAGO! I always thought was so badass and gives me chills.
I love that we get more context to some of the scenes and makes it a bit more in line with the other films Don’t get me wrong I still love the theatrical version, it’s one of the best 80’s movies but I do appreciate that Stallone made this version different and had it line up more tone wise with the rest of the franchise
I also loved Carl Weathers in Action Jackson, the '90s TV series Street Justice, Happy Gilmore, and Star Wars: The Mandalorian🤗 He will be deeply missed😔
Dolph is actually a real life killin machine, hes trained in martial arts his whole life, the story about his house being broken into is the perfect example of who he is. he also has a PHD in rocket science kinda stuff, chemical engineering I think. Guys a legend.
@@ZeroDividedByZero Absolutely. I've met a few and it's always the case. Robert Englund is an absolute sweetheart of a man. A friend of mine has written two books about actors who usually play action and horror villains, and he's not met a bad one yet. And he's met loads. The only couple of people he's mentioned who aren't nice are usually heroes. I've met one particular hero who I won't name, and he wasn't nice at all. Other heroes, such as Sigourney Weaver, Hugh Jackman or George Takei...wonderful people.
I was joint venture fishing In the North Pacific, with the Russian and Polish fleets, when this movie came out. We caught the fish and delivered it to the Russian and communist Polish motherships. Hundreds of TONs per day. American waters, so they could not catch them, themselves. We traded cartons of cigarettes, blue jeans, and gallons of ice-cream for loaves of fresh baked dark bread, wolf fur hats. (I still have a down parka, the hood lined with a wolverine fur pelt.) I loved those guys in 1984 to 1987. They would invite us over for very supervised visits. By 1985 it truly felt like the Cold War was ending, at least to me. I love your reactions, great outros, stay to the end everyone, or you are missing out!
14:38 Adrian saying "You can't win!!" always puts a lump in my throat. Adrian has always been the centre of Rocky's heart and if SHE doesn't believe in Rocky, then he's already lost the fight.
tbf it also pained Adrian to say that but she thinks its what he needed to hear. i think if Adrian didnt follow in russia, Rocky wouldve lost. Rocky needed 2 training montages to beat Drago.
Nice choice on the director's cut. I never saw this one, and I felt it really accentuated Rocky's friendship with Apollo, which was a bit glossed over in the theatrical cut. The funeral scene had me in tears. Really, really enjoyed. I've seen this movie several-dozen times, but never this version. Thanks for doing this one!
Getting a boxer "in the clinch" = A defense strategy. A boxer in trouble will simply grab the opponent around the arms, thereby preventing more punches. The referee will then break up the clinch by separating the two boxers.
"You can't fight without a training montage." Words to live by. I wish Carl Weathers had left more serious work behind, as about all I can recall from him is Predator, Action Jackson, and a few episodes of a show called Fortune Dane. Incidentally, I love the Survivor song "With a Burning Heart" that plays as Rocky comes off the plane -- its lyrics set up the feeling of the time: "Two worlds collide, rival nations/ It's a primitive clash venting years of frustrations" -- but they left out another great Survivor song, "A Man Against the World." It's worth looking up someday.
His role as "himself" on Arrested Development was AMAZING! He showed in that and Happy Gilmore that he had range in comedy. Didn't get enough of him for sure. Oh yeah and he was in The Mandalorian!
He did a great job with the original cuz it while it’s not my fave, it’s a really good 80’s movie but I love that this version is more in line with the other films tone wise and adds alot more context to scenes that I didn’t even think about but now it’s here I really like it Especially seeing his interaction with Adrian before he leaves, everything overall just adds so much more emotion and depth
In my opinion this is an amazing movie but there’s something about the original that just makes it more tense even that last speech Rocky gave in the original hit harder :)
The Director's Cut really feels like a completely different film. There is so much more serious and on the nose dialogue. I guess that's the point. Thanks for reacting to it, bc I would have never known about it otherwise. I miss the montages and the robot tho. Lol
@@JonathanDeckerGood to know that cuz the montages are so iconic the film wouldn’t be the same at all if they had just been cut out and they’re so important to the movie
All these years i had no idea there was a directors cut. That was quite different. Had to keep rewinding to switch between watching the new stuff and seeing your reaction to it. Thank you
I'm pretty sure this was a project that Stallone took on during covidd lockdowns. I watched a behind the scenes YT video of Stallone editing together a new directors cut version of the movie. I think he wanted to completely remove the robot and make the tone more serious. So, as far as I know, the directors cut is very new.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming stood in for Russia. That's where they actually were during the whole training montage and mountain climbing scene. Back then the Soviet Union would not allow any American movies to be made in their country, especially a movie like Rocky IV with its themes. However, just a few years later in 1987 the cold war was already beginning to thaw. Stallone's cinematic rival, Arnold Schwarzenegger was actually allowed to come and film part of a movie in the USSR. The entire first act of the movie Red Heat takes place in actual Russia. It was a really big deal at the time they let an American film crew come film there.
42:30 In Rocky IV, "just another bum from the neighborhood" single-handedly takes down the Soviet Union and ends the Cold War. (Even Rambo couldn't do that!)
It was incredibly sad news to learn of the passing of Carl Weathers that day. Such an amazing actor. For my tribute to him I decided to watch Rocky III just because of that closing scene of Apollo and Rocky in the ring and that still image that transitioned and was immortalised as the painting.
You are right. The Rocky franchise began as a character study. It slowly turned into a cartoon. I think Stallone was really thinking about worldwide grosses and simplified things way down. The director’s cut is a slight corrective, but the original played much like a music video. I really like Rocky IV, but I often wonder how many people say it is their favorite. I think you will (speaking as if this hasn’t already happened) find more heart returning to the series starting with Rocky Balboa and into Creed.
Carl Weather's played 2 years in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders and 3 years in the CFL with the BC Lions,nice touch with him with the football,also you have a bunch of cut scenes I have never seen in a reaction or on tv
But Paulie's robot!!!w --- But seriously: i liked this film (that is, the original cut) more as a younger person ... and i still really like some aspects. But i can look at this now and realize that Rocky IV is more a piece of (very jingoistic) American propaganda than a necessary progression for Rocky himself ... which is not a good thing. --- My feeling: 1) Paulie's robot is the best. 2) Stallone directed this. Which means the original cut IS the director's cut!! It's not like anyone was standing in his way in '85 or saying "you can't do what you want to do". This "director's cut" being reacted to in Bunny-chan's video is just a significantly altered cut made by the same director who made the first cut, albeit 35 years later ... and its primary characteristic is that he removed a ton of the original film. It's hard to not dislike that. i don't think a director - any director - should get to significantly change a film, in a completely different time and culture with 35 years of hindsight (!!!), and then dismiss the original. The original cut was a product of its time; that robot was pure 80s, and is charming for that reason. [Apparently Stallone's primary reason for scrapping it was that he didn't want to pay royalties to the robot's creator and voice ... which is a pretty crappy, non-artistic reason for removing a charming bit of levity.] He also removed a significant amount of footage and focus from Drago's wife (Brigitte Nielsen), precisely because she's now Stallone's ex-wife. Their marriage was brief and ended bitterly ... i get why he doesn't feel warm about her now, but come on. That's a really petty reason to half-remove her Russian character from the film, 35 years later. --- And it changes the story! The fact that Drago basically never spoke in the original film until meeting Apollo in the ring, and always had others speaking for him, added a scary and compelling inhuman quality to him. Seeing him speak quite a bit now in this one from the start ... eehhh. Revisionism is a sketchy thing when it comes to art. --- In any case, it doesn't matter. "III" is probably my fave of the series, with a really relatable message about believing in yourself, and brotherhood. II is super-relatable too; Rocky is the every-man and underdog. VI (Balboa) is also pretty good. But i don't really like fighting ... peace and love is the way. Not everything needs to be deep; Rocky wanted to avenge Apollo. OK. But the underlying political message in IV of "rah rah Reagan's America" and "boo evil USSR" is over the top, simplistic and somewhat sinister. It sours an otherwise moving David vs Goliath story. Just my opinion ... i'm Japanese so maybe i'm not a good judge of boxing ww
When this movie was released, the Soviet Union existed yet, in the final years of the "Cold War", between USA and them. And the tensions in these final years were so hard.
Nowhere near as bad as the tensions are now, with the U.S. courting a third world war since 2014 at least, when the Obama administration used neo-Nazis and Georgian snipers to overthrow Ukraine's democratically-elected government.
Bunny, remember in Rocky III Rocky fought the big wrestler for charity? That was an exhibition match. It's not supposed to be a serious match. No one is fighting for title belt championship. -OG
Apollo's and Rocky's first fight was supposed to be an exhibition too. Apollo was wearing his patriotic get-up in the first Rocky fight and against Drago. He did not take them seriously both times - but his opponents did.
Stallone said that in hindsight he wouldnt have had Apollo die, that it would have been more interesting to keep him alive, but have him wheelchair bound. That way Apollo would be deprived of his physical nature and have to grow and change intellectually and spiritually. And of course he would have still been around for those CREED movies. As it stands he thinks killing him was something of a waste, and I can't help but agree.
As a kid growing up in the 70's and 80's, the threat of the Soviet Union, nuclear war or Communism taking over the world was a real fear felt by many Americans. This film came out in the backdrop of that era.
I went and seen Rocky III back in 1982 with my uncle then I seen Rocky IV in 1985 November I was 10 then Rocky V in 1990 I was 16 then Rocky Balboa 2006 I was 32 I grew up watching these films they are the best Stallone is a great actor director and writer ❤
29:47 _"He's cut! He's cut!_ The Russian's cut!" As with Apollo, the tide turned when he started making history. With Apollo, Rocky became the first contender to successfully knock Apollo to the mat, the first since he became World Champion to last more than three _rounds_ with him, and the first one he actually beat by _vote_ instead of _TKO._ With Drago, he had begun making history by becoming the first contender (one infers) to actually make him _bleed._
At the time, Russia (USSR) and the US were opposed, in a nuclear stand-off. All political. Prior, the USSR was seen as a farm laboring country and the US was technologically advanced. This movie flipped the image, shows wholesome farm methods versus the ability to selectively train a single muscle. Plus, Rocky's high altitude training changed his red blood cell count to allow for more oxygen-carrying ability. As usual, I so appreciate your emotionality.
I love the Rocky series. When I found out they were filming in Wyoming, where I lived at the time, I tried to be an extra but they didn’t need many people for those scenes. Wyoming was the backdrop for Russia in this movie.
I'm 49 and remember watching R4 in theaters at age 10 and trust me it was crazy, people were yelling , crying , cheering , it was truly like a real event.
Now that you've seen James Brown's Living in America you owe it to yourself to see Weird Al's parody version Living With A Hernia. It's brilliant musically and as a visual parody.
I loved this movie for how Rocky and Apollo became such close friends, showcasing that Apollo never hated Rocky, he was first just doing his job, then later was driven by his pride to prove he was still worthy to champ. I still feel the barely audible line where Apollo hands Rocky the belt himself, and says "Good luck" is the best definition of Apollo. It was about business, professional pride, not hate. And the big fight turns when the 3rd round ends - Drago is used to Olympic boxing, which only goes three rounds and he did not train ir pace for a vhf long fight - hinted at in the training montage when Drago quits on the treadmill while Rocky keeps going up the mountain. The statements in each each corner are telling. Duke is yellin "You see? He's not a machine, he's a man!" While Drago us aying "He's not human. He's like a piece of iron."
I think the theatrical cut should have gone first to get a better appreciation for this cut. Some things are done better in the theatrical, some better here, so the best version would be some combination of the two. But I'm happy either way and am now hitting play. 🐰 I wish my brother could have lived to see this version. Rocky 4 was his favorite and would have eaten it up. I never knew how good an impression of Drago's manager he did until out cousin's wedding reception where he was doing his monologues and then random conversations with perfect Russian tones and inflections. Everyone was rolling.
I saw this movie in the movie theater with my dad, and 2 younger brothers' when it 1st came out. The theater was packed with people. It's our favorite Rocky movie.
After "Rocky 2" (1979) - young Stallone wore a full beard and mustache in "Nighthawks" (1981) - THEE MOST UNDERRATED COP MOVIE OF ALL TIME!! New York Cop Deke DaSilva (Stallone) fights international terrorism in America 20 years before 9-11-2001! Please react to it!
There was always something very genuine about Carl Weathers. No matter what he said to Rocky as Apollo Creed, I always felt Weathers was a good guy beneath the acting.
As a GenX kid, the cold war was part of our lives in the 80s. Reagan vs. Gorbachev on the news. Around this time, many movies with a cold war theme were released: "War Games" (1983), "The Right Stuff" (1983), "Red Dawn" (1984), "Gotcha" (1985), "Spies Like Us" (1985), "Rocky IV" (1985), "Top Gun" (1986), Clint Eastwood's "Heartbreak Ridge" (1986), "The Manhattan Project" (1986), The James Bond movie "The Living Daylights" (1987), "Rambo III" (1988), "Little Nikita" (1988), "The Hunt for Red October" (1990), "Crimson Tide" (1995) though set during the cold war. Then, you have real life events like the Olympic Games where we watched and kept medal counts between us and the USSR. "The Miracle" (2004) is a movie based off of Olympic hockey in 1980. Us pre-teen to early teenage boys were always fighting and beating the commies while playing, whether it was beating them at the basketball hoop with last-second shots, winning make believe races on our bikes, or battling G.I. Joe figurines. Go Joe! Different times for sure.
Another good Eastwood Cold War flick was "Firefox (1982)". Very dramatic about what everyday Russians endured. On that count a really good spy romance was "The Russia House (1990)" with Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer. Really good depiction of both sides.
@@johnbuchanon7717 I was just about to post a response about "Firefox (1982)" I read the book after watching the movie because I thought the movie and the plane was badass. But to the OP, yes these were definitely the movies that shaped and defined the '80s as well as my generation (GenX/Xennial). I remember the tension at the time, the constant threat of mutual nuclear annihilation. Everything the two above me stated was true. I was 12 when the Soviet Union fell, 10 when the Berlin wall fell in '89. What a time to live through.
For a more comedic take on the pressures of the Cold War era I recommend the movie Spies Like Us, featuring Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd. I really think you'd enjoy it! 😄
I'm glad you watched this version. As much as I love the theatrical cut, I honestly think the director's cut is a better movie. It's tone is more consistent with the previous movies a little more. Certain scenes hit a little harder. Like the funeral scene. Stallone's performances was so much better in this version.
Wow, you're very insightful. Sly would agree with everything you said in your review of the movie. In fact, he's even working on an edit of this movie that is more aligned with how he now thinks it should have been. He regrets killing off Apollo....you can see it when he talks about it as to how much he regrets that. Great reaction. I enjoy your perspective on the movies as well as your emotional reactions to the movies you watch that match up with my own emotions. So much fun to watch. Great job!
I love seeing people react to this new cut because it's so different from the cut I saw in theaters in 1985 - thumbs up! This cut is more similar in tone to the rest of the series. The original cut is very much a product of the 80's and milks the geopolitical tension of the Cold War. I mean, practically a third of the original running time is montage/music video AND there is also a gratuitous robot. Just weird, but we enjoyed it at the time.
I LOVE THAT ROCKY NOY ONLY CHOSE THE HARSHER TRAINING CONDITIONS, BUT WHILE HES OUT RUNNING ROCKY IS HELPING LOCAL FOLKSM WHICH IS WHY IT WAS EASY FOR THEM TO CHEER FOR HIM.
it was a period where US-USSR tensions were strong. That's why you see that part where there is NO approval for this match between Rocky and Drago from the American side. There was no presence of the United States (and many other nations) at the 1980 Moscow Olympics following the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.
Never forget that the U.S. deliberately lured the USSR into Afghanistan with the See-Eye-Ay arming and funding the Mujaheddin as they committed acts of terrorism, including burning co-ed schools and government offices, and throwing acid in the faces of female students (Hekmatyar was notorious for that practice, and no Mujaheddin zealot received more money from the U.S. at that time). Carter's NSA said we needed to give the Soviets "their Vietnam," and that's how the Talibs came to power in the first place.
To add to this, in the 1984 summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the Soviet Union boycotted in retaliation for the US boycotting of their 1980 summer games. So by 1985, every athletic competition between these two countries was seen as political. 1985 was the beginning of a thaw in relations, with the selection of Gorbachev as general secretary who they sort of try to depict in the movie without actually depicting him.
Der buh der buh der. This is the kind of establishment-pleasing comment YT lets stand. Say something relevant about the period and see what happens to your comment. I guess the CIA never did anything in Afghanistan. That's the AI/YT-algorithm version of "history." As long as we never say anything meaningful or illuminating, we're allowed "free speech."
A couple of thoughts to offer about sports in the USSR and Russian Federation. Essentially if you show any aptitude in sports as a child you would/will essentially be "gently encouraged" to basically turn your kid over to the state for training. From the age of 10 or younger they would begin living at full time sports training facilities. They didn't have professional sports there so you would be placed in government jobs and compete in intra-government leagues when you were not taking part in international competition. The most common jobs were military, police, and other adjacent professions. They would regulate what you ate, when you slept, and how you trained. That included prodigious amounts of PEDs, and still does by all accounts. Russia has taken great stock in international sports competition as a means of displaying their status on the world stage the last 100+ years.
@@visaman Well the uniforms can be deceiving their are multiple paramilitary organizations in the USSR, and Russian Federation, that wear that kind of uniform. Like MVD, KGB, and similar sections of the police state that also had athletes within their leagues that would compete externally and internally. Their was competition politically for nabbing the best athletes for these groups.
@ididthisonpulpous6526 ok thank you. I was thinking back to the Canada vs. USSR Hockey Summit in the 70s. My dad told me their hockey players were in the Army.
@@visaman Most of them were to be fair, but I had read something about several Olympic wrestlers from USSR were in the "state police" which would have to be something like the KGB...
This is the first time I've ever seen the director's cut version. There are quite a few differences I noticed. I really enjoyed watching! Thank you for the upload.
This entire movie was *meant* to be political. If you think tensions between the U.S. and Russia are bad now, it's nothing compared to the Cold War. You said you don't believe in booing someone unless they're a really bad guy, but back then, the U.S.S.R. was the ultimate "bad guy". Stallone couldn't have made this movie *without* making it political. It would have been like making the Star Wars movies without the Empire.
By the way, Drago yelling at the government officials the way he did? You do **not** get away with that in Russia; not then, not now. There were consequences for him, and we see what they are in "Creed II". Can't wait for you to get to it.
Beat Apollo line: "You put that heavy bag w/ eyeballs in the ring w/ me and you're gonna see the meaning of pain!" Carl Weathers was also in Happy Gilmore (RIP Carl, you were a legend) def check that out. Hilarious movie 😆
Carl Weathers work on The Mandalorian was a great resurgence in his career and he (eventually) brought a special sparkle to that series. After all this sadness, it would be nice for you to see.
So glad you did the Director's Cut! This version just hits all of the emotional beats so much harder than the theatrical version. The original edit suffered from all of the weird excesses of the '80s. You might still want to watch it sometime just to see the differences.
Just a word of advice. Don't think too hard about the timeline. Good example is between 4 and 5, Robert (Rocky Jr.) ages as if 5 years have passed, which they did IRL, but the movie plays it like Rocky is just coming home from the end of this movie. Breaks the brain a little bit.
How long has carpet floor been popular in the US? Why is it still popular? Pros: Warm - Cons: Dropping food, very hard to clean depending on food. Spill your drink, also hard to clean depening on drink. Just wear slippers, then you have carpet on your feet all the time (and your floor is easier to clean.) Sorry for off topic, I love your videos.
There were 2 that I saved, 1 was funny and the other was done seriously ala 30 for 30 or HBO 24/7. 1 of them is gone though last I looked in my favorites.
Yes, this was the Cold War. The Soviet leader with the receding hairline is meant to evoke Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Premier who pushed for "glasnost" snd "perestroika". Usually translatedcas openness and honesty. The Soviets had been the allies we needed, but did not like to need, in WW2. Afterward they became the new enemy just about overnight. I was square in the target market for this movie, late teens. Grew up having not just fire drill and tornado drills, but nuclear bomb drills. I was a generation past one thst saw families digging up their bsckyards to install fallout shelters, but all public buildings would have a fallout shelter built in. By my era, it was not "when the Russkies attack", but "if an accident happens". The idea of Mutual Assured Destruction, a more appropriate acronym never was invented, meant both superpowers had too much to lose to ever launch intentionally. The Russian Czars subsidized the vodka industry to keep it very cheap in-country, keeping the bulk of the populace partly drunk and completely docile, and making it cheaper to buy the product than buy the stuff needed to make moonshine. After the Russin Revolution, the Soviets initially ended this expecting "The Workers Paradise" would keep the people happy. They reinstated the subsidies after only a few years, because conditions were so bad. You did exceptionally well in school, or your father had a good career and was a loyal Parth man, you got the higher education and opportunities. If you only dud well in school and lacked a family name, you were at best a low level clerk for life, figuring out much to exaggerate production in your reports to satisfy the Party without doing so mych of it they actually check. If your father messed up in any way, you became they who tested bulletproof body armor - by wearing it and getting shot at. You whippersnappers in the younger set grew up without the Bid Red Menace. On the other hand, you also missed out on The Big Red Machine, Secretariat, the greatest racehorse in thoroughbred history.
I couldn't decide whether or not I liked this version over the original release, because the original has scenes that aren't in this one, and this one has some scenes that aren't in the original...plus the occasional alternate take...SOOOOO...me, being a fan editor made a hybrid version. I used the original as a base because I was more familiar with it, then the scenes that are in this and not the other...I just put them in as "deleted scenes", and when it came to the alternate takes, I just chose the one I liked better.
Currently have both versions on my computer to do that exact thing. LOL. I also prefer the elevator explosion in space over the call back from the original film. Plus I think the scene with Lois jumping out the window is kinda lame...as is the work print of Lois and Clark in the hotel room with the gun.@@richwagener
@@ChrisReise Yeah, plus the duplicate resolution of turning back the world? My project is going to be to edit the first episode of Superman with George Reeves (Superman on Earth) into the beginning of Superman and the Mole Men to make it a special edition that includes the origin. PS. Not much of an edit, but something I've wanted to do for years.
Just to let everyone know, one of the reasons Rocky was so successful (aside from it being a movie, obviously) is the fact that he was a body boxer. Body shots do more damage.
You are already more kick ass and AWESOME for doing this movie (Directors Cut). It cut all the dumb stuff out and made it so much better with added scenes.
12:26 What I remember the most from the theatrical trailer for the original version of Rocky IV was this scene where Rocky consults with the boxing commission; with the line: “He’s had one professional fight, and one man is dead.” I always wondered why that scene was cut. I’m glad it was restored in this version.
I agree such a key scene but also there are other scenes that should have been kept in. The speech by duke & the full speech by rocky. I just don't get it myself
This was a *Cold War Movie* this was a little diplomacy people behind the Iron curtain get their hand on American Music & Media The loss of *Creed* was sudden that's how most death in life happens *#RIP** Carl Weathers*
Just My Opinion: Rocky was an excellent film with a great story. Rocky II was a good closing chapter to Rocky Balboa's story. The following sequels were weak and redundant. Rocky had no more reasons to super-motivate himself to defeat a superior opponent, so the script writers resorted to drastic measures. They killed off his loved ones. It was one personal tragedy after another. Of course, the boxing sequences were just as unrealistic as ever, but they still made audiences cheer!
Rocky was an excellent film. It's all downhill from there, IMO, but Rocky IV is where the series became not just brainless but maudlin and bathetic. At least Rocky III, equally brainless, was fun.
@@jamesodonnell3636 ... I've always seen Rocky II as an extended epilogue to Rocky. Mr. T was really good as the "bad guy". The man had charisma back in the day. I saw the first four films then quit after that. The boxing scenes were so over the top and fake that I couldn't take it anymore. The dialogue and acting got worse in every film.
@@Stogie2112 -- Like you, I was done with the series after Rocky IV. Rocky II was the last film in the series to take itself seriously, but I always felt it suffered from the predictable ending and didn't approach the heights reached by its predecessor. I also agree that Mr. T was a great cartoon villain for Rocky in the third installment, which may have been dumb, but at least it was fun! And yes, the boxing scenes grew more ludicrous with each film.
Bunny, I'm so happy you made it to part 4. It's a kind of "guilty pleasure" for fans of the series. It's very similar to Bloodsport. It's low quality but somehow incredibly watchable. EDIT: I know a lot people would disagree with me (I think even Stallone would) but I like the original cut of the movie better.
WOW! I've heard abt this Rocky 4 cut, but haven't seen it. Even w/your required edits, I was paying very close attn. I went to see Rocky 3 & 4 in theater w/my brother when released. As an 80s (Cold War) kid, tensions w/USSR were hi. We were concerned abt Nuke war, but believed very strongly in the USA. Maybe that makes Gen X & Z different, IDK. Either way, I've seen Rocky movies as many times as Star Wars & Star Trek movies. Seeing this cut was like my 1st time seeing Rocky 4!!! It was definitely different in certain places. I'm glad u picked this version. Another sports movie that'll highlight US/USSR tensions is "The Miracle." Abt 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team taking on vaunted Soviets. I suggest 2004 Kurt Russell version. That (real) hockey game was HUGE. The country needed a win back then, something to feel good & proud of (as it does now). As to your post-movie commentary, I get it. No opinion or interpretation is necessarily wrong. We all look at & take things differently. Rocky 4 went in a different direction.
I remember seeing this in the theater when apollo gets hit the last time its like the whole theater gasped we all knew it was a lethal punch it was a real shock we didn’t think it could happen. So like you we were really stunned but in Rocky 3 he didn’t take the training seriously despite Mickey’s warnings that Clubber was a killer. This time after being taught by Apollo he knew how to prepare. 1985 was during the Reagan/Gorbachev years so its was a very intense time for US/Russian relations
In an exhibition, you spar, you don't try to kill each other. The film was released in 1985. It's interesting how they worked the whole Rocky speech into the film showing a coming together of the people as the same thing was happening in the real world. The senior Russian at the fight with the port wine stain on his head was supposed to be the Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev. Perestroika lasted from 1985-1991 because of Gorbachev and his glastnost agenda. So, in effect, they made it look like Rocky sparked this transparency movement in Russia.
Growing up in the 70s/80s, the Cold War conversations were common around my dinner table and all over the news... IMHO this is one of the best movie representations of the Cold War I've even seen! Great reaction!! Keep 'em coming!
Great reaction at least you’re trying to understand the past she better than most people today. Yes I know it’s hard to believe but back then Movies meant something Movie had no real news so when they saw the TV shows coming through secretly that we’re on TV that then night writer, Airwolf, but super technological planes and helicopters. They believe we had the stuff it scared them, and when Rocky came out with the heart of the Cold War, Mrs were pointed at each other with the two great superpowers of the world and destroy each other but he decided to use his platform to try to help the world and he did he also know the character called Rambo, which was a cult Fire ultimate warrior, the American people between Rocky and Rambo people saw that, and they thought that were all sold for like in America. Shortly after this, Russia had a new leader he was a man of peace. He wanted to do the change for his country. They were starving. They had no money no food he thought he can make it the world better place and Reagan and Coach got together, and they made a new world together. They made real peace, in our time Christmas day is always an important day historically in World War I there was a great battle of war were dying by the millions and then on Christmas Day it was a truce for some reason they dropped the weapons they help each other out. They gave each other food play games shared letters with the families for that day one day of peace Christmas truce so important I’m going to bed Rocky had to do with the end of the Cold War 25th. I’m not positive but I bet it is Very popular on both sides of the world even then sometimes they saw the first time Russian people see American American TV they saw with their missing and they wanted it and they got it and now Putin is in charge. He’s gonna take them back to the old days that’s what we’re going backwards, there are two more Rocky films in the franchise 5 6 is called Rocky Balboa now four is the best but five is good too. They’re all good I like five because it has his real sun playing son in the movie after the Rocky movies Creed movies about Apollo Creed lost son and Rocky train him to the next champion, thanks for the fun until next time
Not sure if someone mentioned this already but you might want to check out the Theatrical Version of this film as well, just to say that you've seen both. This version certainly "hits" differently. I'm enjoying your reactions as always. Good job Bunny!
Boxing exhibition matches are just supposed to be for fun and not serious at all because no title belt is on the line. I grew up watching all of the Rocky movies!!
Dolph Lungren that played Drago is a martial artist in real life and competed he is also in the Expendable movies and Creed 2 with Sly.Dolph has one beautiful daughter and Sly has three.
December 25 while we celebrate Christmas that day, the Russians don't. They actually celebrated Christmas on January 7th. I'm happy you watched the Directors cut there was actually a scene in the original when they screwed up, when Drago and Apollo were in the ring, Apollo didn't have his gloves on when he was calling Drago out. I was shocked that the scene where Rocky is on the mountain, it was actually in Wyoming not in Russia. Fun Fact: the lady who played Ivan Drago's wife got together with Stallone when Rocky 4 was being filmed. According to IMDb Carl Weathers almost quit his role because him and Dolph didn't get along and almost got into a fight while during their boxing scene that they had to stop filming. Also Arnold helped Dolph get into shape for Rocky 4.
lol. "There was no training montage. You can't win without a training montage." I love it.
Team America taught us all. 😝
Hell, Rocky needed THREE montages just to beat Drago. Apollo never stood a chance.
@@tehdesp A montage of montages. 😝 😝
how very true in this case
Creed's death hits different now. I met him at a Star Wars convention last year, and he was super nice. 🥰
Carl Weathers really loved being part of the Star Wars universe.
Thanks for sharing that. I wish I could have had the opportunity to of met him. How was his handshake?
I have been waiting for someone to do this as ROCKY'S fan number one of rocky i see all reactions and no one watches the directors cut!! Thanks!!
@@LordPankaiWalker I, too, prefer this cut. It provides so much more depth to Apollo and his relationship with Rocky. The funeral scene, in particular, is so much better in this cut compared to the original cut.
@@milesjergens9088 thats exactly how I felt when i watched it on theater, also Rocky seems more calmly debastated and his speech at the end is better also, its better in a lot of ways but i agree with you the funeral scene is way way better
I was one of the Soviet Boxing Fans. This fight scene was filmed in Vancouver in 1985, so it was set on December 25 1984.
There was a real threat of a nuclear warb between the US and The Soviet Union at this time.
Anyways, this sequence took a week to film. There were thousands of us in the Agrodome. The vast majority of us weren't paid. An arrangement was made with the union to donate our wages to charities in Vancouver.
We were fed Churches Chicken for lunch and all the Pepsi we could drink. One day we had Ice Cream!
The speech at the end was improvised by Sly, and those were real tears we were shedding.
that sounds like alot of fun. did the filming staff instruct you people when to cheer or when to boo? specially considering the soviet fans were supposed to boo Rocky until the 12th round. And how was the fight choreography during filming? Like did it get boring when they had to retake shots over and over of Rocky getting hit? or did the fight scene filming went fast paced at some point (Sly mentioned he filmed a round where it was real, because he got inspired by Hagler-Hearns, and thats how he got punched in the chest that sent him to the hospital)
That is SO COOL!
Stallone told Lundgren to make it real, Stallone spent 4 days in the hospital with a burst pericardium 😊
13 days
😱
"i woke up in a hospital bed surrounded by 4 nuns and I thought oh here I go!" -Sylvester Stallone
It isn't true, he was in Hospital yes, but it was because his Heart was having issues from his Steroid use.
@@65cj55You're sure?
1985 deep into the Reagan Administration and the USSR as an imminent threat. As a kid in 5th grade, global thermonuclear war was a real possibility to my reality. Reagan saw a made for television film that is still the highest watched movie in television history called The Day After, and apparently, it scared the shit out of him. Completely changed his idea because previously thought there was a winnable scenario in an all-out nuclear war.
For a boxing novice, you perfectly deduced what the gel is for. To help the punches slide off the face.
Great reaction.
The Day After still holds up to this day. Brutal.
Reagan never wanted nuclear war. The idea that Reagan wanted any war with USSR is Leftist propagandist BS. Fear of the Soviets wanting nuclear was always foremost in his and everyone's mind. The Day After scenario was unrealistic, but the basic idea that resonated was that " Nuclear War sucks." That was the message of the movie, and no one disagreed with it then or now.
In hindsight, no.. None of these things were on the table
I love how Reagan loved this movie lmao "well i like it, he beat the russian."
There’s a movie analysis channel on UA-cam (Patrick Willems) that “scientifically” determined this is the most 80s film ever made. 😄
😝
Accurate! LOL. I'd throw in Commando, Porky's, Revenge of the Nerds, and many of the 80's slasher films (Friday the 13th, Halloween, etc).
@@adamcollazo8228 None of those made the top 10. Top Gun was the runner up, as I recall. It’s a funny vid with a lot of actual thought put into it. Definitely worth watching if you have an hour to kill.
@@maxducoudray Really?! I'll check out the video.
@@maxducoudray IDK, I'd vote for "Raiders", "Back to the Future" and "Ghostbusters" as quintessential 80's films.
Cold war tensions were high back then. The Soviet Union banned the theatrical version of Rocky 4.
*BEHIND THE SCENES FYI:*
Sylvester Stallone insisted on going 3 rounds of real boxing to get some good movie footage. Dolph Lundgren was concerned and tried to talk Stallone out of it. Stallone wouldn't budge so they boxed 3 rounds for real.
Sylvester Stallone is a brave man. Dolph Lundgren is a powerful man. After the 3 rounds, Stallone knew he had been seriously hurt. He went to the hospital that night. The doctors asked if Stallone was in a vehicle accident with a truck. They said they had only seen this sort of injury from a truck accident.
Lundgren had smashed Stallone's ribs so hard into his chest it bruised Stallone's heart. Stallone had to spend 13 days in the hospital.
The movie studio insurance felt the doctors were correct and Stallone was trying to cover up a truck accident on set. They refused to pay the hospital bills. They also took Stallone to court to sue for the alleged truck accident cover up. Stallone brought the 3 round footage to court as his defense. The insurance lost, the cover up claim was dropped, and the hospital bills were paid.
Wow, thanks for sharing those details!
Dolph Lundgren is also a member of MENSA or was anyway. Brains and Brawn.
Sylvester Stallone once said in an interview that he regrets killing off Apollo. I agree.
It's one of the most powerful movie moments of all time. I wouldn't have it any other way. It makes the movie better, and definitely makes the Creed movies better.
@@jkhoover having apollo mad at him like donny was in creed 2 only to show up in russia in a wheel chair to support rocky with adrian would have been powerful too. Some one on youtube made an animation of it
@@AJCANADAPICTURES But that's Adrian's story. It would be redundant for Apollo to be there too, and there's very little reason for Rocky to fight if Apollo lived. I stand by my first comment.
@@AJCANADAPICTURESBut then a big part of Donny’s story is that he actually met his father, I don’t think the films would have had the same impact if he was still alive as cool as that would have been
And at the same time Apollos death shows the cruel reality of how dangerous this sport can be
This was a very different vibe than the theatrical. I suppose both have their place. That scene where Rocky is on the mountaintop and screams DRAGO! I always thought was so badass and gives me chills.
I love that we get more context to some of the scenes and makes it a bit more in line with the other films
Don’t get me wrong I still love the theatrical version, it’s one of the best 80’s movies but I do appreciate that Stallone made this version different and had it line up more tone wise with the rest of the franchise
I also loved Carl Weathers in Action Jackson, the '90s TV series Street Justice, Happy Gilmore, and Star Wars: The Mandalorian🤗
He will be deeply missed😔
he also taught a really good acting class down at the local Burger King
Dolph is actually a real life killin machine, hes trained in martial arts his whole life, the story about his house being broken into is the perfect example of who he is. he also has a PHD in rocket science kinda stuff, chemical engineering I think. Guys a legend.
i interviewed him a few years ago. He's also really humble, funny, self-deprecating, totally down-to-earth and a true gent.
The story about his house being broken into has been wildly exagerated.
@@ToniMcGinty It's almost always the people playing the scary/intimidating characters that are the nicest.
@@ZeroDividedByZero Absolutely. I've met a few and it's always the case. Robert Englund is an absolute sweetheart of a man. A friend of mine has written two books about actors who usually play action and horror villains, and he's not met a bad one yet. And he's met loads. The only couple of people he's mentioned who aren't nice are usually heroes. I've met one particular hero who I won't name, and he wasn't nice at all. Other heroes, such as Sigourney Weaver, Hugh Jackman or George Takei...wonderful people.
To keep it real, there is absolutely no way that Rocky would have beaten Drago in real life. But it does make for a helluva movie 😄
I was joint venture fishing In the North Pacific, with the Russian and Polish fleets, when this movie came out. We caught the fish and delivered it to the Russian and communist Polish motherships. Hundreds of TONs per day. American waters, so they could not catch them, themselves. We traded cartons of cigarettes, blue jeans, and gallons of ice-cream for loaves of fresh baked dark bread, wolf fur hats. (I still have a down parka, the hood lined with a wolverine fur pelt.) I loved those guys in 1984 to 1987. They would invite us over for very supervised visits. By 1985 it truly felt like the Cold War was ending, at least to me.
I love your reactions, great outros, stay to the end everyone, or you are missing out!
14:38 Adrian saying "You can't win!!" always puts a lump in my throat. Adrian has always been the centre of Rocky's heart and if SHE doesn't believe in Rocky, then he's already lost the fight.
Yeah, that one stings a lot! As long as Adrian believed in Rocky, he believed in himself.
If he dies, he dies.
tbf it also pained Adrian to say that but she thinks its what he needed to hear.
i think if Adrian didnt follow in russia, Rocky wouldve lost. Rocky needed 2 training montages to beat Drago.
Nice choice on the director's cut. I never saw this one, and I felt it really accentuated Rocky's friendship with Apollo, which was a bit glossed over in the theatrical cut. The funeral scene had me in tears. Really, really enjoyed. I've seen this movie several-dozen times, but never this version. Thanks for doing this one!
The funeral scene gets me every time in this one.
Getting a boxer "in the clinch" = A defense strategy.
A boxer in trouble will simply grab the opponent around the arms, thereby preventing more punches. The referee will then break up the clinch by separating the two boxers.
"You can't fight without a training montage." Words to live by. I wish Carl Weathers had left more serious work behind, as about all I can recall from him is Predator, Action Jackson, and a few episodes of a show called Fortune Dane. Incidentally, I love the Survivor song "With a Burning Heart" that plays as Rocky comes off the plane -- its lyrics set up the feeling of the time: "Two worlds collide, rival nations/ It's a primitive clash venting years of frustrations" -- but they left out another great Survivor song, "A Man Against the World." It's worth looking up someday.
His role as "himself" on Arrested Development was AMAZING! He showed in that and Happy Gilmore that he had range in comedy. Didn't get enough of him for sure. Oh yeah and he was in The Mandalorian!
I'm more impressed with Stallone's improved overall writing, including for Talia. Carl's great job portraying a fighter seeking a return to glory.
He did a great job with the original cuz it while it’s not my fave, it’s a really good 80’s movie but I love that this version is more in line with the other films tone wise and adds alot more context to scenes that I didn’t even think about but now it’s here I really like it
Especially seeing his interaction with Adrian before he leaves, everything overall just adds so much more emotion and depth
Relations between the USA and Russia were kind of ROCKY in the 80's 🙂
What as opposed to today where everything is rosey
👍😂
Good one. Lol.
@@MikeBarratt-lk3gt 😂😂😂😂😂
In my opinion this is an amazing movie but there’s something about the original that just makes it more tense even that last speech Rocky gave in the original hit harder :)
The Director's Cut really feels like a completely different film. There is so much more serious and on the nose dialogue. I guess that's the point. Thanks for reacting to it, bc I would have never known about it otherwise. I miss the montages and the robot tho. Lol
Rocky gets to properly grieve Apollo in this version.
Spot on. Thank you...
The robot is gone but the montages are still there.
@@JonathanDeckerGood to know that cuz the montages are so iconic the film wouldn’t be the same at all if they had just been cut out and they’re so important to the movie
I'm sure someone's mentioned it before, but Burt Young, the actor who played Paulie, just passed in October.
I didn't know!😢
All these years i had no idea there was a directors cut. That was quite different. Had to keep rewinding to switch between watching the new stuff and seeing your reaction to it. Thank you
I know right. This is the first time iv seen the unedited version of this and iv watched this movie so many times. Crazy
I'm pretty sure this was a project that Stallone took on during covidd lockdowns. I watched a behind the scenes YT video of Stallone editing together a new directors cut version of the movie. I think he wanted to completely remove the robot and make the tone more serious. So, as far as I know, the directors cut is very new.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming stood in for Russia. That's where they actually were during the whole training montage and mountain climbing scene.
Back then the Soviet Union would not allow any American movies to be made in their country, especially a movie like Rocky IV with its themes.
However, just a few years later in 1987 the cold war was already beginning to thaw. Stallone's cinematic rival, Arnold Schwarzenegger was actually allowed to come and film part of a movie in the USSR. The entire first act of the movie Red Heat takes place in actual Russia. It was a really big deal at the time they let an American film crew come film there.
42:30 In Rocky IV, "just another bum from the neighborhood" single-handedly takes down the Soviet Union and ends the Cold War. (Even Rambo couldn't do that!)
It was incredibly sad news to learn of the passing of Carl Weathers that day. Such an amazing actor. For my tribute to him I decided to watch Rocky III just because of that closing scene of Apollo and Rocky in the ring and that still image that transitioned and was immortalised as the painting.
Now you must watch the version with paulie's robot it's the law for rocky 4 fans 😜😎😂
I'm from CA too. The mountains and snow are not too far away in much of the state. The high deserts get snow also.
You are right. The Rocky franchise began as a character study. It slowly turned into a cartoon. I think Stallone was really thinking about worldwide grosses and simplified things way down. The director’s cut is a slight corrective, but the original played much like a music video. I really like Rocky IV, but I often wonder how many people say it is their favorite. I think you will (speaking as if this hasn’t already happened) find more heart returning to the series starting with Rocky Balboa and into Creed.
Carl Weather's played 2 years in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders and 3 years in the CFL with the BC Lions,nice touch with him with the football,also you have a bunch of cut scenes I have never seen in a reaction or on tv
This is the director's cut. It came out in 2021.
You are the first reactor I’ve seen react to this cut of Rocky 4, having seen both versions I personally like this version better.
But Paulie's robot!!!w --- But seriously: i liked this film (that is, the original cut) more as a younger person ... and i still really like some aspects. But i can look at this now and realize that Rocky IV is more a piece of (very jingoistic) American propaganda than a necessary progression for Rocky himself ... which is not a good thing. ---
My feeling:
1) Paulie's robot is the best.
2) Stallone directed this. Which means the original cut IS the director's cut!!
It's not like anyone was standing in his way in '85 or saying "you can't do what you want to do". This "director's cut" being reacted to in Bunny-chan's video is just a significantly altered cut made by the same director who made the first cut, albeit 35 years later ... and its primary characteristic is that he removed a ton of the original film. It's hard to not dislike that. i don't think a director - any director - should get to significantly change a film, in a completely different time and culture with 35 years of hindsight (!!!), and then dismiss the original.
The original cut was a product of its time; that robot was pure 80s, and is charming for that reason. [Apparently Stallone's primary reason for scrapping it was that he didn't want to pay royalties to the robot's creator and voice ... which is a pretty crappy, non-artistic reason for removing a charming bit of levity.]
He also removed a significant amount of footage and focus from Drago's wife (Brigitte Nielsen), precisely because she's now Stallone's ex-wife. Their marriage was brief and ended bitterly ... i get why he doesn't feel warm about her now, but come on. That's a really petty reason to half-remove her Russian character from the film, 35 years later. ---
And it changes the story! The fact that Drago basically never spoke in the original film until meeting Apollo in the ring, and always had others speaking for him, added a scary and compelling inhuman quality to him. Seeing him speak quite a bit now in this one from the start ... eehhh. Revisionism is a sketchy thing when it comes to art. ---
In any case, it doesn't matter. "III" is probably my fave of the series, with a really relatable message about believing in yourself, and brotherhood. II is super-relatable too; Rocky is the every-man and underdog. VI (Balboa) is also pretty good. But i don't really like fighting ... peace and love is the way. Not everything needs to be deep; Rocky wanted to avenge Apollo. OK. But the underlying political message in IV of "rah rah Reagan's America" and "boo evil USSR" is over the top, simplistic and somewhat sinister. It sours an otherwise moving David vs Goliath story. Just my opinion ... i'm Japanese so maybe i'm not a good judge of boxing ww
When this movie was released, the Soviet Union existed yet, in the final years of the "Cold War", between USA and them. And the tensions in these final years were so hard.
Nowhere near as bad as the tensions are now, with the U.S. courting a third world war since 2014 at least, when the Obama administration used neo-Nazis and Georgian snipers to overthrow Ukraine's democratically-elected government.
Bunny, remember in Rocky III Rocky fought the big wrestler for charity? That was an exhibition match. It's not supposed to be a serious match. No one is fighting for title belt championship. -OG
Apollo's and Rocky's first fight was supposed to be an exhibition too. Apollo was wearing his patriotic get-up in the first Rocky fight and against Drago. He did not take them seriously both times - but his opponents did.
@hippusmaximus9319 Yeah, that's right! Almost forgot about that. -OG
Stallone said that in hindsight he wouldnt have had Apollo die, that it would have been more interesting to keep him alive, but have him wheelchair bound. That way Apollo would be deprived of his physical nature and have to grow and change intellectually and spiritually. And of course he would have still been around for those CREED movies. As it stands he thinks killing him was something of a waste, and I can't help but agree.
Drago is taking steroids. Illegal to use competing in any sport. -OG
nope lol;)
15:44 You could watch The Mandalorian. Carl Weathers is in that show.
It’s nice to see a reaction to the directors cut.
Rocky just had to lose another friend in this 4th movie. As if losing Mickey wasn't bad enough😒
As a kid growing up in the 70's and 80's, the threat of the Soviet Union, nuclear war or Communism taking over the world was a real fear felt by many Americans. This film came out in the backdrop of that era.
I went and seen Rocky III back in 1982 with my uncle then I seen Rocky IV in 1985 November I was 10 then Rocky V in 1990 I was 16 then Rocky Balboa 2006 I was 32 I grew up watching these films they are the best Stallone is a great actor director and writer ❤
29:47 _"He's cut! He's cut!_ The Russian's cut!"
As with Apollo, the tide turned when he started making history. With Apollo, Rocky became the first contender to successfully knock Apollo to the mat, the first since he became World Champion to last more than three _rounds_ with him, and the first one he actually beat by _vote_ instead of _TKO._
With Drago, he had begun making history by becoming the first contender (one infers) to actually make him _bleed._
At the time, Russia (USSR) and the US were opposed, in a nuclear stand-off. All political. Prior, the USSR was seen as a farm laboring country and the US was technologically advanced. This movie flipped the image, shows wholesome farm methods versus the ability to selectively train a single muscle. Plus, Rocky's high altitude training changed his red blood cell count to allow for more oxygen-carrying ability.
As usual, I so appreciate your emotionality.
I love the Rocky series. When I found out they were filming in Wyoming, where I lived at the time, I tried to be an extra but they didn’t need many people for those scenes. Wyoming was the backdrop for Russia in this movie.
I'm 49 and remember watching R4 in theaters at age 10 and trust me it was crazy, people were yelling , crying , cheering , it was truly like a real event.
Now that you've seen James Brown's Living in America you owe it to yourself to see Weird Al's parody version Living With A Hernia.
It's brilliant musically and as a visual parody.
Haha I’ve not heard of that one
I loved this movie for how Rocky and Apollo became such close friends, showcasing that Apollo never hated Rocky, he was first just doing his job, then later was driven by his pride to prove he was still worthy to champ. I still feel the barely audible line where Apollo hands Rocky the belt himself, and says "Good luck" is the best definition of Apollo. It was about business, professional pride, not hate.
And the big fight turns when the 3rd round ends - Drago is used to Olympic boxing, which only goes three rounds and he did not train ir pace for a vhf long fight - hinted at in the training montage when Drago quits on the treadmill while Rocky keeps going up the mountain. The statements in each each corner are telling. Duke is yellin "You see? He's not a machine, he's a man!" While Drago us aying "He's not human. He's like a piece of iron."
I think the theatrical cut should have gone first to get a better appreciation for this cut. Some things are done better in the theatrical, some better here, so the best version would be some combination of the two. But I'm happy either way and am now hitting play. 🐰
I wish my brother could have lived to see this version. Rocky 4 was his favorite and would have eaten it up. I never knew how good an impression of Drago's manager he did until out cousin's wedding reception where he was doing his monologues and then random conversations with perfect Russian tones and inflections. Everyone was rolling.
I saw this movie in the movie theater with my dad, and 2 younger brothers' when it 1st came out. The theater was packed with people. It's our favorite Rocky movie.
Love the reaction Bunny that was beautiful keep up the fantastic work ❤
Thank you!
Apollo dies and Drago lives on in gaming communities. Every gamer utters the line "if he dies he dies"
"I must break you"
In gaming lobbies lol
I'm so glad you chose the director's cut! Amazing reaction!
After "Rocky 2" (1979) - young Stallone wore a full beard and mustache in "Nighthawks" (1981) - THEE MOST UNDERRATED COP MOVIE OF ALL TIME!! New York Cop Deke DaSilva (Stallone) fights international terrorism in America 20 years before 9-11-2001! Please react to it!
Thak you for exposing me to the director’s cut. I think some important thematic scenes were skipped out from the theatrical release.
There was always something very genuine about Carl Weathers. No matter what he said to Rocky as Apollo Creed, I always felt Weathers was a good guy beneath the acting.
As a GenX kid, the cold war was part of our lives in the 80s. Reagan vs. Gorbachev on the news. Around this time, many movies with a cold war theme were released: "War Games" (1983), "The Right Stuff" (1983), "Red Dawn" (1984), "Gotcha" (1985), "Spies Like Us" (1985), "Rocky IV" (1985), "Top Gun" (1986), Clint Eastwood's "Heartbreak Ridge" (1986), "The Manhattan Project" (1986), The James Bond movie "The Living Daylights" (1987), "Rambo III" (1988), "Little Nikita" (1988), "The Hunt for Red October" (1990), "Crimson Tide" (1995) though set during the cold war. Then, you have real life events like the Olympic Games where we watched and kept medal counts between us and the USSR. "The Miracle" (2004) is a movie based off of Olympic hockey in 1980. Us pre-teen to early teenage boys were always fighting and beating the commies while playing, whether it was beating them at the basketball hoop with last-second shots, winning make believe races on our bikes, or battling G.I. Joe figurines. Go Joe! Different times for sure.
Another good Eastwood Cold War flick was "Firefox (1982)". Very dramatic about what everyday Russians endured. On that count a really good spy romance was "The Russia House (1990)" with Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer. Really good depiction of both sides.
@@johnbuchanon7717 I was just about to post a response about "Firefox (1982)" I read the book after watching the movie because I thought the movie and the plane was badass. But to the OP, yes these were definitely the movies that shaped and defined the '80s as well as my generation (GenX/Xennial). I remember the tension at the time, the constant threat of mutual nuclear annihilation. Everything the two above me stated was true. I was 12 when the Soviet Union fell, 10 when the Berlin wall fell in '89. What a time to live through.
For a more comedic take on the pressures of the Cold War era I recommend the movie Spies Like Us, featuring Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd. I really think you'd enjoy it! 😄
I'm glad you watched this version. As much as I love the theatrical cut, I honestly think the director's cut is a better movie. It's tone is more consistent with the previous movies a little more. Certain scenes hit a little harder. Like the funeral scene. Stallone's performances was so much better in this version.
Yes the funeral scenes should have remained in the theatrical one .
Yes, Drago was taking juice but in real life So was Sylvester Stallone
Wow, you're very insightful. Sly would agree with everything you said in your review of the movie. In fact, he's even working on an edit of this movie that is more aligned with how he now thinks it should have been. He regrets killing off Apollo....you can see it when he talks about it as to how much he regrets that.
Great reaction. I enjoy your perspective on the movies as well as your emotional reactions to the movies you watch that match up with my own emotions. So much fun to watch. Great job!
Thank you!
Was the edits actual in this move or did she edit those herself ? It was a great job anyway
I love seeing people react to this new cut because it's so different from the cut I saw in theaters in 1985 - thumbs up! This cut is more similar in tone to the rest of the series. The original cut is very much a product of the 80's and milks the geopolitical tension of the Cold War. I mean, practically a third of the original running time is montage/music video AND there is also a gratuitous robot. Just weird, but we enjoyed it at the time.
I LOVE THAT ROCKY NOY ONLY CHOSE THE HARSHER TRAINING CONDITIONS, BUT WHILE HES OUT RUNNING ROCKY IS HELPING LOCAL FOLKSM WHICH IS WHY IT WAS EASY FOR THEM TO CHEER FOR HIM.
This is vastly superior to the theatrical release. He shot a good movie but it didn't end up on the screen. Mind boggling.
The final fight took a week to film. The Las Vegas fight was filmed after.
it was a period where US-USSR tensions were strong. That's why you see that part where there is NO approval for this match between Rocky and Drago from the American side. There was no presence of the United States (and many other nations) at the 1980 Moscow Olympics following the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.
Never forget that the U.S. deliberately lured the USSR into Afghanistan with the See-Eye-Ay arming and funding the Mujaheddin as they committed acts of terrorism, including burning co-ed schools and government offices, and throwing acid in the faces of female students (Hekmatyar was notorious for that practice, and no Mujaheddin zealot received more money from the U.S. at that time). Carter's NSA said we needed to give the Soviets "their Vietnam," and that's how the Talibs came to power in the first place.
To add to this, in the 1984 summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the Soviet Union boycotted in retaliation for the US boycotting of their 1980 summer games. So by 1985, every athletic competition between these two countries was seen as political. 1985 was the beginning of a thaw in relations, with the selection of Gorbachev as general secretary who they sort of try to depict in the movie without actually depicting him.
Der buh der buh der. This is the kind of establishment-pleasing comment YT lets stand. Say something relevant about the period and see what happens to your comment. I guess the CIA never did anything in Afghanistan. That's the AI/YT-algorithm version of "history." As long as we never say anything meaningful or illuminating, we're allowed "free speech."
A couple of thoughts to offer about sports in the USSR and Russian Federation. Essentially if you show any aptitude in sports as a child you would/will essentially be "gently encouraged" to basically turn your kid over to the state for training. From the age of 10 or younger they would begin living at full time sports training facilities. They didn't have professional sports there so you would be placed in government jobs and compete in intra-government leagues when you were not taking part in international competition. The most common jobs were military, police, and other adjacent professions. They would regulate what you ate, when you slept, and how you trained. That included prodigious amounts of PEDs, and still does by all accounts. Russia has taken great stock in international sports competition as a means of displaying their status on the world stage the last 100+ years.
Actually at this time all althetes were in the Soviet Army. That's why he wears a uniform at the press conference.
@@visaman Well the uniforms can be deceiving their are multiple paramilitary organizations in the USSR, and Russian Federation, that wear that kind of uniform. Like MVD, KGB, and similar sections of the police state that also had athletes within their leagues that would compete externally and internally. Their was competition politically for nabbing the best athletes for these groups.
@ididthisonpulpous6526 ok thank you. I was thinking back to the Canada vs. USSR Hockey Summit in the 70s. My dad told me their hockey players were in the Army.
@@visaman Most of them were to be fair, but I had read something about several Olympic wrestlers from USSR were in the "state police" which would have to be something like the KGB...
The vasoline on the face adds a barrier to delay abrassions to the thinner skin of the face from the friction of the gloves impact.
Ah intersting. This is the first time I see someone reacting to this version of Rocky 4.
This is the first time I've ever seen the director's cut version. There are quite a few differences I noticed. I really enjoyed watching! Thank you for the upload.
This entire movie was *meant* to be political. If you think tensions between the U.S. and Russia are bad now, it's nothing compared to the Cold War. You said you don't believe in booing someone unless they're a really bad guy, but back then, the U.S.S.R. was the ultimate "bad guy". Stallone couldn't have made this movie *without* making it political. It would have been like making the Star Wars movies without the Empire.
By the way, Drago yelling at the government officials the way he did? You do **not** get away with that in Russia; not then, not now. There were consequences for him, and we see what they are in "Creed II". Can't wait for you to get to it.
Beat Apollo line: "You put that heavy bag w/ eyeballs in the ring w/ me and you're gonna see the meaning of pain!"
Carl Weathers was also in Happy Gilmore (RIP Carl, you were a legend) def check that out. Hilarious movie 😆
Carl Weathers work on The Mandalorian was a great resurgence in his career and he (eventually) brought a special sparkle to that series. After all this sadness, it would be nice for you to see.
I watched it when it first came out with my hubby.
@@bunnytailsREACTS I guess you didn't make the connection when you were making this video. He had aged like 40 years :) Come to think of it, so had I.
So glad you did the Director's Cut! This version just hits all of the emotional beats so much harder than the theatrical version. The original edit suffered from all of the weird excesses of the '80s. You might still want to watch it sometime just to see the differences.
Apollo is living it well. Able to swim in his pool, play with his dogs and watch TV all at once.
Just a word of advice. Don't think too hard about the timeline. Good example is between 4 and 5, Robert (Rocky Jr.) ages as if 5 years have passed, which they did IRL, but the movie plays it like Rocky is just coming home from the end of this movie. Breaks the brain a little bit.
Context counts. Historical perspective counts. I like this movie. It was the first one of the Rocky films that I paid for it myself to see.
For the love of God, please skip 5 and go to the masterpiece
How long has carpet floor been popular in the US? Why is it still popular? Pros: Warm - Cons: Dropping food, very hard to clean depending on food. Spill your drink, also hard to clean depening on drink. Just wear slippers, then you have carpet on your feet all the time (and your floor is easier to clean.)
Sorry for off topic, I love your videos.
You have a very pleasant and positive way about you and I enjoy your reactions to these classics that I grew up with. Keep up the great work!
Thank you!
There's a sports mockumentary short on UA-cam about how Rocky ended the cold war.
There were 2 that I saved, 1 was funny and the other was done seriously ala 30 for 30 or HBO 24/7.
1 of them is gone though last I looked in my favorites.
Yes, this was the Cold War. The Soviet leader with the receding hairline is meant to evoke Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Premier who pushed for "glasnost" snd "perestroika". Usually translatedcas openness and honesty. The Soviets had been the allies we needed, but did not like to need, in WW2. Afterward they became the new enemy just about overnight. I was square in the target market for this movie, late teens. Grew up having not just fire drill and tornado drills, but nuclear bomb drills. I was a generation past one thst saw families digging up their bsckyards to install fallout shelters, but all public buildings would have a fallout shelter built in. By my era, it was not "when the Russkies attack", but "if an accident happens". The idea of Mutual Assured Destruction, a more appropriate acronym never was invented, meant both superpowers had too much to lose to ever launch intentionally.
The Russian Czars subsidized the vodka industry to keep it very cheap in-country, keeping the bulk of the populace partly drunk and completely docile, and making it cheaper to buy the product than buy the stuff needed to make moonshine. After the Russin Revolution, the Soviets initially ended this expecting "The Workers Paradise" would keep the people happy. They reinstated the subsidies after only a few years, because conditions were so bad. You did exceptionally well in school, or your father had a good career and was a loyal Parth man, you got the higher education and opportunities. If you only dud well in school and lacked a family name, you were at best a low level clerk for life, figuring out much to exaggerate production in your reports to satisfy the Party without doing so mych of it they actually check. If your father messed up in any way, you became they who tested bulletproof body armor - by wearing it and getting shot at.
You whippersnappers in the younger set grew up without the Bid Red Menace. On the other hand, you also missed out on The Big Red Machine, Secretariat, the greatest racehorse in thoroughbred history.
I couldn't decide whether or not I liked this version over the original release, because the original has scenes that aren't in this one, and this one has some scenes that aren't in the original...plus the occasional alternate take...SOOOOO...me, being a fan editor made a hybrid version. I used the original as a base because I was more familiar with it, then the scenes that are in this and not the other...I just put them in as "deleted scenes", and when it came to the alternate takes, I just chose the one I liked better.
Is there somewhere I can see that? I've thought about doing 1 myself in passing after finally seeing this a year or so ago.
I think a lot of people would really enjoy something like that
That’s what I’d like to do with the Donner Cut and the Theatrical Superman II. I want my “General, would you care to step outside.”!
Currently have both versions on my computer to do that exact thing. LOL. I also prefer the elevator explosion in space over the call back from the original film. Plus I think the scene with Lois jumping out the window is kinda lame...as is the work print of Lois and Clark in the hotel room with the gun.@@richwagener
@@ChrisReise Yeah, plus the duplicate resolution of turning back the world? My project is going to be to edit the first episode of Superman with George Reeves (Superman on Earth) into the beginning of Superman and the Mole Men to make it a special edition that includes the origin. PS. Not much of an edit, but something I've wanted to do for years.
Thanks for doing the director's cut. I haven't seen any other reactors do the director's cut.
You’re welcome 😁
Just to let everyone know, one of the reasons Rocky was so successful (aside from it being a movie, obviously) is the fact that he was a body boxer. Body shots do more damage.
You are already more kick ass and AWESOME for doing this movie (Directors Cut). It cut all the dumb stuff out and made it so much better with added scenes.
Whatever your reason for watching the directorship cut, you should definitely go back and watch the original theatrical cut. -OG
For sure 😁
@@bunnytailsREACTS * Director's Cut. Not directorship. Hate autocorrect. -OG
24:20 Rocky: "Maybe, if, somehow, this _boxing_ thing doesn't work out, I can give rock climbing a try."
12:26 What I remember the most from the theatrical trailer for the original version of Rocky IV was this scene where Rocky consults with the boxing commission; with the line: “He’s had one professional fight, and one man is dead.” I always wondered why that scene was cut. I’m glad it was restored in this version.
I agree such a key scene but also there are other scenes that should have been kept in. The speech by duke & the full speech by rocky. I just don't get it myself
This was a *Cold War Movie* this was a little diplomacy people behind the Iron curtain get their hand on American Music & Media
The loss of *Creed* was sudden that's how most death in life happens *#RIP** Carl Weathers*
Just My Opinion: Rocky was an excellent film with a great story. Rocky II was a good closing chapter to Rocky Balboa's story.
The following sequels were weak and redundant. Rocky had no more reasons to super-motivate himself to defeat a superior opponent, so the script writers resorted to drastic measures. They killed off his loved ones. It was one personal tragedy after another. Of course, the boxing sequences were just as unrealistic as ever, but they still made audiences cheer!
Rocky was an excellent film. It's all downhill from there, IMO, but Rocky IV is where the series became not just brainless but maudlin and bathetic. At least Rocky III, equally brainless, was fun.
@@jamesodonnell3636 ... I've always seen Rocky II as an extended epilogue to Rocky.
Mr. T was really good as the "bad guy". The man had charisma back in the day.
I saw the first four films then quit after that. The boxing scenes were so over the top and fake that I couldn't take it anymore. The dialogue and acting got worse in every film.
@@Stogie2112 -- Like you, I was done with the series after Rocky IV. Rocky II was the last film in the series to take itself seriously, but I always felt it suffered from the predictable ending and didn't approach the heights reached by its predecessor. I also agree that Mr. T was a great cartoon villain for Rocky in the third installment, which may have been dumb, but at least it was fun! And yes, the boxing scenes grew more ludicrous with each film.
@@Stogie2112 as far as sequels though, they're not all that bad, and they are memorable. I never think to watch Superman 3 and 4,
Bunny, I'm so happy you made it to part 4. It's a kind of "guilty pleasure" for fans of the series. It's very similar to Bloodsport. It's low quality but somehow incredibly watchable.
EDIT: I know a lot people would disagree with me (I think even Stallone would) but I like the original cut of the movie better.
WOW! I've heard abt this Rocky 4 cut, but haven't seen it. Even w/your required edits, I was paying very close attn. I went to see Rocky 3 & 4 in theater w/my brother when released. As an 80s (Cold War) kid, tensions w/USSR were hi. We were concerned abt Nuke war, but believed very strongly in the USA. Maybe that makes Gen X & Z different, IDK. Either way, I've seen Rocky movies as many times as Star Wars & Star Trek movies. Seeing this cut was like my 1st time seeing Rocky 4!!! It was definitely different in certain places. I'm glad u picked this version. Another sports movie that'll highlight US/USSR tensions is "The Miracle." Abt 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team taking on vaunted Soviets. I suggest 2004 Kurt Russell version. That (real) hockey game was HUGE. The country needed a win back then, something to feel good & proud of (as it does now). As to your post-movie commentary, I get it. No opinion or interpretation is necessarily wrong. We all look at & take things differently. Rocky 4 went in a different direction.
I remember seeing this in the theater when apollo gets hit the last time its like the whole theater gasped we all knew it was a lethal punch it was a real shock we didn’t think it could happen. So like you we were really stunned but in Rocky 3 he didn’t take the training seriously despite Mickey’s warnings that Clubber was a killer. This time after being taught by Apollo he knew how to prepare. 1985 was during the Reagan/Gorbachev years so its was a very intense time for US/Russian relations
In 1985 the US was topping the USSR. In 2024 Russia is levitating above the US wayyy up
In an exhibition, you spar, you don't try to kill each other. The film was released in 1985. It's interesting how they worked the whole Rocky speech into the film showing a coming together of the people as the same thing was happening in the real world. The senior Russian at the fight with the port wine stain on his head was supposed to be the Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev. Perestroika lasted from 1985-1991 because of Gorbachev and his glastnost agenda. So, in effect, they made it look like Rocky sparked this transparency movement in Russia.
Growing up in the 70s/80s, the Cold War conversations were common around my dinner table and all over the news... IMHO this is one of the best movie representations of the Cold War I've even seen! Great reaction!! Keep 'em coming!
I wish Carl Weathers had been cast in more comedies. The guy can bring it. Happy Gilmore for the win.
The Comebacks.
Also Arrested Development.
Great reaction at least you’re trying to understand the past she better than most people today. Yes I know it’s hard to believe but back then Movies meant something Movie had no real news so when they saw the TV shows coming through secretly that we’re on TV that then night writer, Airwolf, but super technological planes and helicopters. They believe we had the stuff it scared them, and when Rocky came out with the heart of the Cold War, Mrs were pointed at each other with the two great superpowers of the world and destroy each other but he decided to use his platform to try to help the world and he did he also know the character called Rambo, which was a cult Fire ultimate warrior, the American people between Rocky and Rambo people saw that, and they thought that were all sold for like in America. Shortly after this, Russia had a new leader he was a man of peace. He wanted to do the change for his country. They were starving. They had no money no food he thought he can make it the world better place and Reagan and Coach got together, and they made a new world together. They made real peace, in our time Christmas day is always an important day historically in World War I there was a great battle of war were dying by the millions and then on Christmas Day it was a truce for some reason they dropped the weapons they help each other out. They gave each other food play games shared letters with the families for that day one day of peace Christmas truce so important I’m going to bed Rocky had to do with the end of the Cold War 25th. I’m not positive but I bet it is Very popular on both sides of the world even then sometimes they saw the first time Russian people see American American TV they saw with their missing and they wanted it and they got it and now Putin is in charge. He’s gonna take them back to the old days that’s what we’re going backwards, there are two more Rocky films in the franchise 5 6 is called Rocky Balboa now four is the best but five is good too. They’re all good I like five because it has his real sun playing son in the movie after the Rocky movies Creed movies about Apollo Creed lost son and Rocky train him to the next champion, thanks for the fun until next time
Not sure if someone mentioned this already but you might want to check out the Theatrical Version of this film as well, just to say that you've seen both. This version certainly "hits" differently. I'm enjoying your reactions as always. Good job Bunny!
Boxing exhibition matches are just supposed to be for fun and not serious at all because no title belt is on the line. I grew up watching all of the Rocky movies!!
Dolph Lungren that played Drago is a martial artist in real life and competed he is also in the Expendable movies and Creed 2 with Sly.Dolph has one beautiful daughter and Sly has three.
Happy Gilmore is another great Carl Weathers performance, Action Jackson, Predator, the Mandalorian
December 25 while we celebrate Christmas that day, the Russians don't. They actually celebrated Christmas on January 7th.
I'm happy you watched the Directors cut there was actually a scene in the original when they screwed up, when Drago and Apollo were in the ring, Apollo didn't have his gloves on when he was calling Drago out. I was shocked that the scene where Rocky is on the mountain, it was actually in Wyoming not in Russia.
Fun Fact: the lady who played Ivan Drago's wife got together with Stallone when Rocky 4 was being filmed.
According to IMDb Carl Weathers almost quit his role because him and Dolph didn't get along and almost got into a fight while during their boxing scene that they had to stop filming. Also Arnold helped Dolph get into shape for Rocky 4.