Sylvester Stallone and MGM have released the official trailer for the Ultimate Director’s Cut of Rocky IV, retitled “Rocky IV: Rocky vs Drago”, and it is incredible.
The 4K picture quality of the trailer alone is eye-opening, and though the new cut of the movie has been billed as having “40 minutes of new footage”, Stallone clears up this misconception, posting that “I believe someone was a bit premature in stating that there is ’40 minutes’ of new footage. I wish. There is a LOT of new footage but 40 minutes is basically over half of a new movie! Enjoy the new scenes and the fight is amazing.”
The official trailer reveals a number of never-before-seen moments including alternate takes, angles and dialogue.
Rocky’s guilt over the death of Apollo Creed is made a central point, and though Paulie’s robot and other (in Sly’s words) “goofier” aspects of the original have been removed, fans can rest assured that the film’s iconic training montages remain intact, if not bettered.
The director’s cut opens in select U.S. theaters nationwide on November 11, and will be available for purchase and download afterwards.
