GUEST EDITORIAL: Movie Review of the "Rocky" Series

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Movie Review of the Rocky Series

by Kevin Gardner

Spanning over three decades, the Rocky film franchise has entertained several generations of fans from around the world. Although the last film of the original series, Rocky Balboa, came out in 2006, the story was revived in 2015 with Creed. Sylvester Stallone’s iconic character has had his ups and downs through his long fighting career, and some of the Rocky movies are much better than others. You can examine which films are exceptional and which ones are missed in the following sections.

Rocky 

Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay for Rocky and fought hard to convince producers to cast him in the title role. Stallone got his wish, and the film became the highest-grossing movie of 1976 and earned three Oscars. The story involves a young fighter who gets a chance to fight the world champion Apollo Creed played by Carl Weathers. Rocky is a character with exceptional mental fortitude who beats the odds for his chance at glory. The film has incredible fight sequences, great acting and a proper 1970s soundtrack by The Electric Light Orchestra. The training sequence with Rocky punching large slabs of beef cannot be missed.

Rocky II

Apollo Creed’s victory by decision in the first film doesn’t sit well with the world champion, and he decides to challenge Rocky for a rematch. After getting married, Rocky declines the rematch but changes his mind after his wife awakens from a coma and gives him her blessing. Rocky II does not have the charm or pacing of the original. You get to see Rocky marry Adrian and Apollo torment Rocky in public to goad him, but it’s an unworthy sequel to an outstanding film. The fight with Apollo is spectacular, but the rest of the film is a dull mess.

Rocky III

Next to the original, Rocky III is the best film in the franchise. Unlike the last movie, Rocky III is full of hilarious dialogue, even pacing and some of the most memorable scenes in the series. The film opens with Rocky fighting an exhibition match with a pro wrestler named Thunderlips played by Hulk Hogan. Seeing Stallone and Hogan body-slam each other is amusing, but the action heats up when you meet Clubber Lang (Mr. T.). Rocky is overconfident and out of shape when he fights Lang. Lang wins the match, but Rocky agrees to fight him in a rematch. Rocky trains with Apollo and takes on Lang in a bloody fight to the championship. It’s a great popcorn movie with a memorable Survivor soundtrack.

Rocky IV

The world champion battles the forces of the Cold War in Rocky IV. After suffering the loss of his friend to an aggressive Russian boxer named Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), Rocky decides to fight Drago in a special East vs. West match. Rocky IV is a silly movie, but it has plenty of exciting training and boxing scenes. The highlight of the film is Rocky’s training exercise in Siberia contrasted with Drago’s computer-assisted training program. Rocky IV isn’t great, but it has a scene with James Brown singing in the boxing ring.

Rocky V

The series took another dive in 1990 with the release of Rocky V. The film focuses on Rocky training a new fighter, Tommy Morrison, and discovering he suffers from brain damage. Rocky and Tommy have a falling out, and they decide to fight it out in the street. Like all the films, Rocky V has exciting fight sequences, but the film suffers from an overload of melodrama. However, if you’re a Rocky fan, you’ll find something to appreciate.

Rocky Balboa

Rocky gets one more chance at glory in Rocky Balboa. The film was released sixteen years after the forgettable Rocky V, but time has served Rocky well. Rocky Balboa is much better than the last movie, and you get to see Stallone fight a challenger thirty years younger. It’s an enduring finale to the franchise.

Although the franchise scores a few misses, the Rocky films are vastly entertaining and influential. The character Rocky has become deeply embedded in American culture.