The first two movies were pretty different from the others. I feel like Rocky III was kind of a transitional one, Rocky IV was a good movie that could stand on its own, V sucked, and VI was so so if you could check your brain at the door. Rocky IV is my personal favorite, but it's been a long time since I've seen some of the others.
Which is the best movie?
This one's my favorite, by far.
In order:
Rocky IV
Rocky II
Rocky
Rocky III
Rocky Balboa
Rocky V
One, and it's not even close.
This is a great question and one that I've spent a lot of time during my life thinking about. Each movie, save V, has something that makes it great on its own.
Rocky-The underdog story. Yes we've seen the story in so many different ways, but I think Stallone does a great job of selling us on the story. He just wants to go the full 15 and he's willing to die to do it. By the time you get to the bout, you feel like you're watching and rooting for a real person.
Rocky 2-Creed/Balboa part 2. What's not to love. When they both go to the mat you're out of your seat yelling for Rocky to get up. And he somehow forces himself to stand on legs that are pure jello.
Rocky 3-This one's awesome because we get the Rocky/Creed alliance. I love seeing Rocky change his training when he goes to LA with Creed. Swimming laps and he's getting sore muscles that he didn't even know existed. One funny thing about the movie is that there's no way Stallone beats Weathers in a sprint in real life. I love Rocky's attitude during the final bout. "You ain't so bad!"
Rocky IV-The old school training vs. the new school. The run up the mountain. The beginning of the movie is really pretty annoying though. But this might've been the most exhilarating fight. "The Russian is cut!" So many great quotes during that fight. "You see, he's not a machine. He's a man! He's a man!" And Drago to his trainer, "He's not human. He's like a piece of iron." Rocky's speech at the end is pretty cheesy, but I quote it all the time in real life. "If I can change, and yous can change, everybody can change!"
Rocky V-Pure trash. Nothing good about this movie.
Rocky Balboa-Pretty easily the most underrated of all the Rocky films, imo. I think people write it off because you absolutely need to suspend reality to buy into the fight. But that's fine with me. Rocky's monologue to his son on the street is pure gold, though. The absolute best moment in the entire franchise, and Stallone wasn't acting. Stallone knows what it's like to get hit and keep moving. This is the guy who wasn't good enough to play an extra in The Godfather wedding scene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z5OookwOoY
Overall Rankings:
Rocky
Rocky Balboa
Rocky IV
Rocky 3
Rocky 2
Getting hit by a car
Rocky V
Easily Rocky One was the best. So many great scenes throughout. Living in a poor apartment, broke, and lonely. Courts nerdy Adrian, another downtrodden loser, Then he gets a shot out of the blue and overcomes his skepticism of being made a fool for a stunt and starts believing in himself,
The fact that he simply went the distance against the champ hit a nerve with people that was overwhelming effective.
The second one was interesting only coming off the popularity of the first one. Rocky Three was awesome because of Mister T. It was probably the most entertaining of all of them. A fun movie, I recall in a packed theatre watching the final fight and people cheering like they were watching a real sports event when he did the Ali "Rope a Dope" strategy and knocked out Clubber Lange.
After that it was just the Rocky franchise making money. Rocky 4 was like seeing the Star Wars movies that Lucas made after Return of the Jedi.
The fifth one with Tommy Morrison was an abomination and total crap. Which is why I'm sure Stallone came back for one more.
Rocky one by far and Rocky three are the only two in the franchise that make the cut as far as I'm concerned.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show was the best.
For me personally Rocky 2 was the best largely because of the training montage. Watching Stallone jump over all those park benches at the end of a long run made me think that he had some serious steeplechasing ability.
An argument could also be made for Rocky 4. Sylvester Stallone's ending speech on the theme of "we all can change" probably played a part in the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and Russia during the latter part of the 1980s, so it was an extremely powerful movie from a political point of view.
Rocky
Rocky IV
Rocky II
Rocky III
Rocky Balboa
Rocky V
Watching Rocky V is like being slowly pecked to death by chickens.
Rocky IV
Anything else and you will lose.
The first two Rocky movies are legitimate films.
The rest are varying combinations of chessines, implausibility and cliche.
No contest. The original Rocky was a great movie in its own right. It's the reason the others were made in the first place.
well.... wrote:
No contest. The original Rocky was a great movie in its own right. It's the reason the others were made in the first place.
This is correct (IMO). I believe there was an academy award for the first one. It was a great film even if none of the other movies were made. The second film still maintained some of the grit of the first, but not much. It is revered so much because he won. It completes the first movie for those people that need the happy ending to feel good about a movie.
Three and four were entertaining in that it introduced some interesting characters into the franchise, with some lasting effects.
IV
I don't understand why people rank Rocky Balboa so low. I think it if probably the 2nd or 3rd best in the series. I'll say 3rd because Rocky 4 is just so classic.
Top three:
Rocky 1
Rocky 4
Rocky Balboa
At least we all agree to hate Rocky 5.
I was the best. The others were horrible.
You can buy the idea that a has been/never was could get rise to the occasion and go the distance with the champ. But Creed wouldn't underestimate him the second time. It would be over in the first round.
Like most franchises the first one is always the best and they get worse each sequel. Exception, like most said, the last one was better than V only because V was so bad. Although you have to take Rocky Balboa for what it is and not apply to being realistic.
Rocky
Rocky II
Rocky III
Ricky IV
Rocky Balboa
Rocky V
My prediction for this thread "Pain !!!!"
All of the rocky movies are entertaining. Not sure why all the hate for Rocky 5. George Duke(sleazy Don Kingesque manager) is a great antagonist. Some of the best dialogue comes from this movie:
"Tommy, you're a real piece of garbage you know that. Rocky he's the real champ, you're just God d@mn joke. You should've left him on the streets where you found him."
[tommy punches paulie]
"Hey! You knock him down how bout tryin to knock me down"
"No no. In the ring. Tommy only fights in the ring."
"My ring's outside"
"Touch me and I'll sue. Go ahead punk, touch me and I'll sue"
"Sue me for what??"
"God D@mn, only in America."