Rocky IV (1985)

Rocky IV runs 91 minutes, and an astonishing amount of it is montage: Rocky driving at night remembering the first three movies, Rocky hauling logs through the snow, Drago running on a treadmill wired to computers, Paulie’s birthday robot rolling around the house. It’s less a movie than a playlist with a mouthguard. The Cold War stuff is cartoon simple. Dolph Lundgren’s Drago barely talks and mostly looms, and the Soviet officials around him scowl like they’re auditioning for a spy spoof. Carl Weathers is a blast as Apollo, too proud to stay retired, and his Las Vegas entrance is pure showbiz. Then Stallone sends Rocky up a frozen mountain to yell at the sky, and somehow you’re right there with him. The final fight is ridiculous, exhausting and a lot of fun. It made $300.5 million worldwide on a reported $28M. A 5.6 because the montages hit hard and the drama is thinner than Drago’s dialogue. $29.42 says you jog to the top of a snowy hill this winter and shout somebody’s name at the clouds.

What works: The training montages are iconic, and the final fight is pure, ridiculous adrenaline.

What doesn’t: The Cold War villains are cartoons, and so much of the runtime is music video that the story barely gets room to breathe.

Who it’s for: Anyone who wants pure workout motivation with a synth soundtrack and doesn’t need nuance.