![]() ![]() ![]() Still, the film was a bona fide hit whereas Rocky V (1990) tanked at the boxoffice.ĭespite many flaws, the fifth installment at least tried for something different-it ends with a brawl in the street, not the ring. Rocky’s climatic speech, a ridiculous slice of glasnost, has to be heard to be believed. ![]() Rocky IV (1985), the weakest series entry, pits Rocky against a Russian steroid-enhanced fighting machine. T as Clubber Lang) fights his way into contention. Rocky III (1982), the best of the sequels, finds Rocky becoming complacent while a new ruthless challenger (Mr. In Rocky II (1979), we get the Creed-Balboa rematch while Adrian gives birth to their son. The rest of the story is a familiar one: Rocky propelled Stallone to superstar status and inspired five direct sequels. ![]() Amazingly, despite stiff competition from the likes of Taxi Driver and Network, Rocky beat the odds and stunned everyone with its Oscar win-thus cementing its place in film history. Still, despite the film’s strong performances (Stallone, Shire, Meredith, and Burt Young all received Oscar nominations), Rocky was considered a long shot for the Academy Award in 1976. It’s certainly one of the most indelible images in 1970s cinema. But by the time it’s complete, a jubilant Rocky races up the steps to the strains of Bill Conti’s “Gonna Fly Now” and, upon reaching the top, raises his arms in triumph. It starts with an out-of-breath Rocky struggling to run up the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Rocky’s transition from “nobody” (how he defined himself) to “somebody” becomes complete at the climax of the now-famous training montage. He lifts the spirits of an entire neighborhood, as they watch him running through the streets daily as he trains for the big fight. He convinces Mickey (Burgess Meredith), the grizzled owner of a second-rate gym, that maybe they can both make something of their lives. He finds love with Adrian (Talia Shire, a wonderfully nuanced performance), the shy girl who works at the neighborhood pet store. But from the moment that he accepts the challenge, Rocky’s life-and the lives of those around him-begins to change. A has-been with a mediocre won-loss record, Rocky makes ends meet by collecting money for a loan shark. In Stallone’s script, the champ Creed picks Rocky Balboa, a local Philadelphia fighter nicknamed The Italian Stallion. Expected to suffer a quick defeat, Wepner went 15 rounds with Ali before losing in a technical knockout. Stallone, who wrote a draft of the Rocky script in three days, derived his premise from the real-life boxing bout between heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and unknown challenger Chuck Wepner. The deceptively simple plot has Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), a flamboyant heavyweight boxing champion whose popularity is waning, generating publicity by giving an unknown fighter a shot at the title. But Stallone’s poor career choices don’t negate the fact that the original Rocky is a remarkably entertaining and-yes-even inspirational tale of an underdog that beats all odds. Heck, maybe the good-to-bad ratio is even higher. For every good movie he’s made (e.g., Cliffhanger), there are two or three humdrum ones (e.g., The Specialist, Judge Dredd, and Oscar). The credit belongs to Sylvester Stallone, whose talents as a filmmaker and actor have certainly been questioned. That year, I watched all six of the Rocky pics and was struck by the enduring popularity of the character. This time, Rocky Balboa takes a backseat in a story that focuses on Apollo Creed's son Adonis.Ĭreed is the first film in the series since Rocky Balboa in 2006. This latest installment in Sylvester Stallone's long-running series about a blue-collar boxer is a reboot. The Rocky saga continues on November 25th with the release of Creed. Sylvester Stallone in the original Rocky. ![]()
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