Rocky is the ultimate underdog story, that is as much about the strength of the human spirit as it is about boxing. Stallone gives a fantastic performance, Rocky as a character is socially awkward, emotionally closed off, charming, endearing and funny. There's a lot more to him than just being a meat-headed fighter. He actually has more in common with Adrian than meets than the eye. She too is someone who's circumstances have left her feeling inadequate and insecure, obviously these feelings are just expressed very differently at the beginning of the film with Rocky being semi-involved in organized crime and Adrian being shy to the point of near mutism, afraid to allow herself to be comfortable with another person.
The film isn't about winning its about perseverance against all odds.
Taking your lot in life and trying to make it better, whatever that looks like and I think that's why it resonates with people so much.
Its use of music is perhaps some of the best in cinema, with the theme gradually building like Rocky's potential throughout the first and second act, played in glimpses, small moments that build to a crescendo when he runs up the steps and the final montage begins.
The final fight with Apollo Creed is emotional, because you want Rocky to win so badly but you know he isn't going to,
but maybe all it matters in the end is that you try to go the distance, whatever the outcome.
Rocky is a great film.
Rocky II begins right where the first film left off, with a recap of Rocky's fight with Apollo Creed. I think for the most part Rocky II is a worthy successor to the original, however I think its strongest elements are in the first act. The most interesting part of the film for me was watching Rocky deal with the aftermath of his fifteen minutes of fame. It's handled pretty realistically, he's impulsively blowing what money he made from the fight because he has never had to deal with having that kind of money before to the point that he ends up broke, he has to take on doing advertisements to capitalize on his brief success just to stay afloat and he has to deal with the pressures of being a local hero and the envy that inspires in others.
I also thought it was extremely forward thinking and ahead of its time in that Rocky is portrayed as being dyslexic, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense, he has all the qualities of someone that's neurodivergent. Learning difficulties were not that well known even when I was growing up, so for Stallone to have representation for people from this demographic in this franchise is pretty damn ahead of his time.
I think the build up to the fight is also great. We get to see a furious Apollo Creed holding onto what's left of his shattered ego from the first film, doing anything he can to get Rocky back in the ring. I also really liked the difference between the two men, Rocky has no animosity for Creed, he only respects him. That's one of the things that makes the first two films work, Rocky is a great character and an all round good person, he holds no grudges and only wants to be given an opportunity to succeed.
Where the film doesn't hold up to the first is the third act,
it is literally a retread of the first film with the only difference being that Rocky becomes champion this time around. The fight feels short and rushed, it doesn't land with the same impact this time around, even though it should, everything leading up to it works but the fight itself just felt lackluster to me.
All in all I think the film is best when it deviates from the formula that worked in the original and is held back by playing it too safe right at the end.
Rocky III, this may be a controversial take but so far Rocky III is probably my favorite Rocky movie. It may be slightly more over the top than the first two films but it works with where Rocky is, he has become a superstar and a champion after the second film and has become complacent, has too much faith in his own ability and is now occupying the space that Apollo Creed filled in the first film, when a hungry vicious challenger played by Mr T beats him in the first act. Now he has to go back to the drawing board following the death of his friend, father figure and trainer and with the help of Apollo Creed prepare to fight the new reigning champion.
The film may be more over the top in a quintessentially 80's way, (a good example of this being that Rocky fights Hulk Hogan in a charity event in the opening) but it is still very emotional. I have no shame in saying I cried when Mick passed away. Stallone is a great actor when the scene requires him to be. The whole build up to the fight this time around is excellent, the dynamic between Creed and Rocky is great, Adrian and Rocky are charming as always and Mr T is both hilarious and intimidating.
The film is just a great, great sequel and honestly,
for me its up there with the original.
Rocky IV, the one where Rocky basically stops the cold war. This film is as if the 80's ate a Rocky script and threw up a movie, 90% of the film is a montage, that's not an exaggeration, cut the montages from the film and it'd be twenty minutes long.
Other things that are quintessentially 80's, the Russians are the villains and for some reason Rocky owns a robot. Now that sounds like i don't like the film, honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this one, it's ridiculous but its entertaining, it has a good inciting incident with Creed being killed by Drago and Rocky coming out of retirement to fight him, but its definitely a step down from Rocky 3.
It lands somewhere between being so bad that its good and being genuinely quite good, I still care about the main cast and they all have the same chemistry that's carried the franchise so far and its over the top and hilarious and fun but is it a good film?, man, I don't know.
It didn't land with me the same way that the first and the third did and most of the second film, but i didn't dislike it, the third just sets the bar really high. Ultimately i think if you go in expecting a ridiculous, fun, cartoonish version of Rocky, its a good time for sure.
Rocky V fittingly doesn't feature a televised fight at the end, because the whole movie feels like a non-event. Now its not bad by any means, but the first four films are big dramatic epics, this movie ends up being just ok. The idea in the opening I actually quite liked and it led me into thinking that perhaps the film would be far better than its reputation.
Rocky V opens with Rocky broken and traumatized from his fight with Drago, now if that was what the movie focused on, man, it would have been great but instead it focused on its weakest areas for some reason.
Once the movie begins Rocky becomes broke because Pauly gave Rocky's power of attorney over to a corrupt lawyer who left Rocky and his family bankrupt, now there's a few problems with this admittedly, well, more than a few, its dumb, really dumb, but would Pauly do it?, yes, because if I've learnt one thing from Rocky its that Pauly is the only character in the franchise who doesn't change. He's a bum when we meet him in the first film and he'll always be a bum, so I'll buy it.
This writing choice may be a little out of left field but it does set up some strong introspective moments with Rocky revisiting the old life he had in the original film and honestly, I was all in still, I love the character and I was down for that story, but then the movie introduces Tommy Gunn, an underdog fighter who Rocky trains to become a great boxer and it takes the focus off of the things that could have made it a great movie, but its still not bad.
The film is essentially about how Rocky does not see the bad in people as Tommy is a piece of shit who has no loyalty to Rocky whatsoever. I don't mind why this is done, which is for two reasons, one to show that Rocky is literally the nicest man that he doesn't expect people to double cross him and the other is that he's projected himself onto Tommy and so he doesn't see him for the snake he is. It all works but in ends up being quite average, the final fight doesn't take place in a ring even, it takes place in the street, now maybe that's to be different but it doesn't land in the same way. It has none of the gravitas of the earlier movies. Also there's a sub plot with Rocky's kid that is hilariously bad, I have no idea how that kid aged ten years in the time Rocky was away in Russia.
Especially to go from the extremely over the top but extremely fun fourth installment which is so larger than life that its basically a cartoon to this doesn't really make much sense.
Its not bad but for a series that has been one of the most consistently good franchises I've ever seen this was definitely a low point, that said, its still not bad.
Rocky Balboa, this is the film that should have been Rocky V, it is excellent and a perfect end to this chapter of Rocky's story. It is surprisingly emotional and throws back to the tone and feel of the original film. It's a very heartwarming movie. The thing that has made me a huge fan of this series is Rocky as a character, the man in the understated blue collar hero that we can all hope to be, he only sees the good in people and is kind, respective and compassionate towards everyone in his life. There are few characters that represent the best qualities of the everyday person and Rocky is one of them.
The film mirrors the original without feeling like a retread, its a great homage to the original film. I have to say this has been one of the most consistently entertaining franchises I've ever seen, its rare to the point of being unheard of that the sixth entry in a franchise is anyone good, let alone as good as this movie is.
Creed is a great movie, its a different type of underdog story to the original Rocky series and Adonis Creed is a very different character to Rocky. Michael B Jordan is brilliant in this film.
When we are introduced to Creed, he is in juvenile hall, fighting. Aimless and lost, when he is adopted by his step-mother and brought to live with her in Los Angeles. He is a complex character and one of the things I felt the film achieved was showing how vulnerable Creed is, underneath all the bravado and anger, he is afraid everyone in his life will abandon him. It takes a bit to warm to him because he is so defiant but that's the whole point and I think the film does a great job of building his character into someone you truly care about by the time the credits roll.
Stallone is brilliant, it is truly sad to see Rocky nearing the end of his life, he is a man lost in the past and apathetic towards the future, until he begins to train Creed. Their relationship is a big part of why this film works as well as it does.
The camera work during the fights this time around is very different, its claustrophobic, and puts you right in the middle of the action, so you feel the weight of each hit.
I'm pretty amazed that seven movies in this series has had only one mediocre entry. Check it out, its great.
Creed II is a good film with one huge core issue, for whatever reason the writers chose for Adonis Creed's character to take a massive backbstep in the characters progression from the first film and it hurts the movie, not enough to ruin it, its still a very good film but I didn't feel myself cheering for him, more feeling frustrated by him for most of the runtime, which i think was the point but they took it too far in places and at the wrong times.
For example, Creed is flat out horrible to Rocky when Rocky doesn't want him to go up against the son of the man who killed his father and I get it, he doesn't feel supported but he is a real dick about it and says some extremely hurtful stuff, for 90% of the film he doesn't seem to care about anyone but himself. Rocky is the opposite and that's why you always root for him. That approach worked in the original film, but by the end Creed had progressed as a character, it didn't feel right.
Anyway onto the good stuff, Drago is back and it was great to see Lundgren and Stallone in a scene together again. I like that he is somewhat sympathetic this time around and weirdly I actually bought more into his son's reason for fighting than Adonis's this time around. I just read a fan's idea on reddit that the film should have been called Drago and centered around their struggle and fight with Creed, honestly, that would have made for a very interesting film. Still, I really enjoyed the premise being that you're essentially watching what happens when a boxer loses, how it affects their ego and how their entire life is shattered when they're injured.The film might literally copy the entire structure of Rocky III, but it works.
Overall its a solid movie but it could have been a bit better if Adonis Creed was allowed to be as likeable as he is in the first film, but maybe that's part of the whole point of the movie, fame messes people up, success isn't good for everyone and sometimes you need to fall in order to appreciate those around you.
Creed III, right off the bat Stallone's presence is missed and It feels off that Rocky isn't mentioned even in passing for the whole movie. That said, its a good film but feels somewhat on a smaller scale compared to Creed and Creed II but perhaps that's what they were going for, a more personal story that focuses on the trauma of Adonis's childhood.
The film hinges on the relationship between Creed and his estranged best friend who has emerged from prison and wants the retired fighters help with obtaining a title shot. I think the set up is a clever twist on the original plot to Rocky, where an underdog who is not a professional boxer is given a chance to prove himself by Apollo setting up a title shot, only difference is, Damian Anderson is far from being as good a person as Rocky Balboa.
I think its a solid movie, its nowhere near the original film or the quality of a few of the Rocky sequels but its pretty good and i look forward to what they do for Creed IV, hopefully they bring Rocky back for that one.
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