If there was ever a film series that put Sylvester Stallone on the map, Rocky would be that series (and maybe Rambo too). Its all about a guy who trains to become a professional boxer while dealing with personal issues such as his family, his friends and other relationships he may have. Its been 40 years since the first film and we're wrapping up the month of reviews of films considered the best with this great series of films. So let's get to it:
Rocky
Best way to describe the first film is that its the one that establishes all the characters and shows us a boxer who at the time of this film, is failing in getting a career in boxing and mostly deals with the problems that failing athletes tend to have, before eventually getting the big break they deserve. It is a great film that not only put Stallone on the map, but showed that he can be a serious actor as well as an action star. Its got great acting, some great music and is pretty much what you expect to see in a story about a failing athlete who gets that big break he needs. 9/10
II
So after the last film, Rocky (reprised by Stallone) decides to retire from boxing to focus on other important matters. In doing this, he manages to become famous, attracting an agent who sees Rocky as a potential endorsement and sponsorship goldmine which makes Rocky suddenly become rich, encouraging him to propose to his girlfriend Adrian (reprised by Talia Shire) which she accepts. They get married and soon enough, they have their first son. However, Rocky's opponent from the first film named Apollo (reprised by Carl Weathers), fuelled with rage, is ready for a rematch to prove once and for all that what Rocky did was nothing more than a fluke and when Rocky finds himself struggling financially and getting publicly insulted by Apollo, he decides to return to boxing. This is another one of those sequels that builds upon what made the first film great with a powerful and heartfelt story and has you rooting for your hero once more as he enters the ring. A fine film I must say. 9/10
III
So for Rocky fans, this is considered to be the best film mainly because of the appearances of Mr. T and Hulk Hogan as well as the famous rock song by Survivor "Eye of the Tiger" and honestly, I agree. This film mostly focuses on Rocky's fight against Clubber Lang (played by Mr. T) and getting himself over personal issues with his coach Mickey (reprised by Burgess Meredith) which eventually leads to him getting trained by his former rival turned friend Apollo. While its not the best of the series, it is the most well known thanks to the theme song and the appearances of Mr. T and Hulk Hogan. I feel that its good to have the film focusing more on actual boxing than on everything outside of boxing, but I think that's where the film falls. Its too much boxing and not enough drama, but that doesn't mean it sucks. Its still good, just wish it could be better. 7/10
IV
So now we come to the most financially successful film of the series, but also among the worst. So a soviet Russian boxer by the name of Ivan Drago (played by action star Dolph Lundgren) arrives in the USA and is challenged by Apollo who has Rocky train him for the upcoming match. But when the match ends in the death of his former rival, Rocky as an act of revenge, challenges Drago to an unsanctioned 15 round-bout to happen on Christmas Day which could very well end in disaster. Its a very patriotic film that I think explores how two nations can either go to war or be at peace just by what happens building up to that moment. The thing is though, I like many others didn't like this film for trying new things and just trying too hard to do something other than what the previous films did and in some way, that's where it fails. Don't get me wrong, seeing two action stars fighting it out is great and all, but there are other and more better ways to do it than what we got here. 6/10
V
Just when everyone thought that the 4th film was bad, here we have what many consider to be the absolute worst of the bunch which Stallone himself also agreed wasn't very good nor satisfactory. So the film sees Rocky and company returning home from defeating Drago, but as things are looking up, they soon come falling down when Rocky faces more financial trouble which eventually leads him into training an up and coming boxer who due to bad press would eventually challenge Rocky to a fight. What made this film not work was that Stallone had no say in its creation after taking a backseat into allowing the director of the very first film to direct it. It also goes against a lot of what previous films did in that it wasn't an equal balance of drama and actual boxing which previous films were able to do. Well thank the lord that this didn't end up being the final film because we got two more to go. 4/10
Balboa
So after the last film, we go 16 years into the future and see Rocky who is now retired from boxing and is a widower after the death of his wife Adrian. He now owns and runs a small but successful Italian restaurant named after her in which he entertains patrons with stories of his past. He also tackles some personal issues such as the death of his wife, the changing times and his relationship with his son Robert (played by Milo Ventimiglia) who is now much older and is a struggling corporate employee. Rocky encounters many characters from his past and when he finds out about an unpopular boxing champion wanting the popularity he once had, he decides to take up boxing once again with his reconciled son and Apollo's trainer Duke (reprised by Tony Burton) by his side. This is a much more satisfying end to the original saga of films as it deals with Rocky in more troubling times and packs a number of references to previous films (especially the first film) and has us rooting for him as he takes to the ring one last time. 9/10
Creed
So its the 40th anniversary of the first film's opening scene and to celebrate, we get a spin-off/sequel to the Rocky films. So we meet Donnie (played by Michael B. Jordan in a much better film than Fan4stic) who is the son of an extramarital lover of the late Apollo Creed. He is serving time at a youth facility in Los Angeles. Mary Anne (played by Phylicia Rashad) who is Apollo's widower, takes Donnie in as her son and 17 years later, Donnie is working at a securities firm, but leaves his job to fulfil his lifelong dream of becoming a professional boxer to which Mary Anne refuses him to do after what happened to Apollo. He first tries to get into a Boxing Academy, before seeking out Apollo's former rival turned friend, none other than Rocky himself. Rocky at first, declines to train him, but eventually chooses to do so while also offering some insight on Donnie's late father. This then leads to a boxing event that would possibly change his life forever. Even though this is more of a spin-off than a sequel, its good that the film makers went for a spin-off rather than a sequel or even a reboot to the series because no one can beat Stallone and well, he is getting on now so yeah. But having said that, it is a great film that's inspiring and has a lot to do with the original saga than having nothing to do with it at all and its good. I like that and Rocky having more of a supporting role this time, is probably a good move considering what I said earlier. Great film. 9/10
And that is that. Whether you're into boxing or not, this is a great series of films that yes do die down as the series progresses, but it ends on a high note which is nice. 9/10
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