How ‘Cliffhanger’ Brought Stallone Back from the Comedy Brink

https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/cliffhanger-review-1993-stallone/

This was Stallone’s post-comedy comeback, as the mild success of “Oscar” (1991) and the embarrassment of “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot” (1992) was enough to remind the stars and his fans that the road to “Rhinestone” is paved with good intentions but horrendous reviews and meager box office.

Hitching his return to form on the popcorn movie maestro Harlin made for a shrewd pairing.

The screenplay is notably “Based on a Premise by John Long” and, for all the spectacle, lacks depth, though I’m unsure if the aim here is to do anything beyond entertaining the masses.

Harlin’s film could certainly be tighter (there’s far too many reaction shots) and there’s also two snowboarder characters whose premise can only be explained by the success of “Wayne’s World” (1992) signaling Stallone that he’d need a young demographic to maximize his return to glory.