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This is the first time I ever re-reviewed a movie on this thread. The original review was quoted above this one. The first six Rocky movies are leaving Tubi in about a week, so I'm gonna watch all of them as quickly as possible, and review one a day. Now to recap on my original review, assuming you decided to skip that one and go right to the new one, I thought the movie was a skillful take on a generic story. Let's see if I feel the same way. I always had a gut feeling that I would possibly give this a five star rating someday. Is this gonna be the case?
Rocky Balboa is a small-town boxer just steps away from being a bum. He's also a collector for a local loan shark, something his old coach Mickey never forgave him for. Nevertheless, he's a real sweetie. He loves animals, gets along with people easily, doesn't like to get in the middle of real conflict and has a crush on a shy little pet shop employee named Adrian, who's confidence is beaten down by her abusive brother, ironically a friend of Rocky. Once the greatest boxer in the world, Apollo Creed, loses out on an important match, he looks for a small-town replacement for promotional purposes... and he selects Rocky. Now the underdog the world has its eyes on, Rocky reunites with his old trainer and begins a relationship with Adrian, giving them both the confidence they need to discover themselves.
Rocky is a movie that relates to a lot of athletes and wannabes for its realistic depiction of the average athlete's story of reaching new athletic heights. But therein also lies a problem: that means the story runs the risk of being predictable. The movie is made of some typical sports storytelling tropes delivered well enough to enjoy more than most sports movies. The biggest example is the love-hate relationship between Rocky and the coach Mickey, played by Meredith Burgess in a flawless performance, displaying all the anger, heart and sorrow that the character encompasses. As a result, his charisma with Rocky is more powerful than the punches, even though the movie is tropy and largely neglects the loan shark subplot in the third act.
But this isn't just about Rocky getting stronger. Does anyone really have to recount the growth that Adrian goes through at this point? Rocky is such a lovable character on his own, with Stallone just sinking into the character like a literal rock. But when Adrian comes into the mix, you can't wait to see her tell her abusive brother off, and the strength displayed by both Rocky and Adrian as they grow together displays some emotion hitting heavy enough to break big slabs of meat in half.
This is all because Rocky has this abnormal ability to affect and even change the people he's closest to. Rocky himself doesn't go through a lot of character changes, making his one of the best positive flats in the world of fiction. I'd probably put him up there with Luffy of One Piece. Molding his character with the others adds a lot to the others' development, even Apollo Creed, who's a likable antagonist because of his fearless and calm approach to the world around him, as well as his desire to fight powerful opponents like Rocky. This aspect of Rocky's personality begs the question to me: how does this iconic aspect of this character play into other characters in the eight sequels? That's an important thing to keep in mind when I get around to the sequels.
I definitely see more in Rocky right now than I did the first time I watched it. However, does that make it a better movie in my eyes? ... Yes and no. I'd put it a few spaces higher on my list of every movie I've ever seen ranked from best to worst, but I don't think I would raise the numerical rating. It's a very well told story relying on character development to overcome the tropes, and it largely succeeds. Rocky deserves to be called a sports classic, and I consider it to be better than Raging Bull and Warrior. However, I wouldn't dare put it in the same league as Million Dollar Baby.
= 92/100
John G. Avildsen's Score (4 Good vs. 0 Bad)
Rocky: 92
The Karate Kid: 85
The Karate Kid Pt. II: 77
Inferno: 53
Average Score: 76.75 / 4
KEYSER CORLEONE'S ROCKY WEEK!
That's right! I'm going to be reviewing one Rocky movie everyday for the whole week, all the way up to Creed. First up, the classic itself.
REDO REVIEW: Rocky
(1976) - Directed by John G. Avildsen
--------------------------------------------
Boxing / Drama
-------------------------------------------------
That's right! I'm going to be reviewing one Rocky movie everyday for the whole week, all the way up to Creed. First up, the classic itself.
REDO REVIEW: Rocky
(1976) - Directed by John G. Avildsen
--------------------------------------------
Boxing / Drama
-------------------------------------------------
"Rocky, you went the distance."
This is the first time I ever re-reviewed a movie on this thread. The original review was quoted above this one. The first six Rocky movies are leaving Tubi in about a week, so I'm gonna watch all of them as quickly as possible, and review one a day. Now to recap on my original review, assuming you decided to skip that one and go right to the new one, I thought the movie was a skillful take on a generic story. Let's see if I feel the same way. I always had a gut feeling that I would possibly give this a five star rating someday. Is this gonna be the case?
Rocky Balboa is a small-town boxer just steps away from being a bum. He's also a collector for a local loan shark, something his old coach Mickey never forgave him for. Nevertheless, he's a real sweetie. He loves animals, gets along with people easily, doesn't like to get in the middle of real conflict and has a crush on a shy little pet shop employee named Adrian, who's confidence is beaten down by her abusive brother, ironically a friend of Rocky. Once the greatest boxer in the world, Apollo Creed, loses out on an important match, he looks for a small-town replacement for promotional purposes... and he selects Rocky. Now the underdog the world has its eyes on, Rocky reunites with his old trainer and begins a relationship with Adrian, giving them both the confidence they need to discover themselves.
Rocky is a movie that relates to a lot of athletes and wannabes for its realistic depiction of the average athlete's story of reaching new athletic heights. But therein also lies a problem: that means the story runs the risk of being predictable. The movie is made of some typical sports storytelling tropes delivered well enough to enjoy more than most sports movies. The biggest example is the love-hate relationship between Rocky and the coach Mickey, played by Meredith Burgess in a flawless performance, displaying all the anger, heart and sorrow that the character encompasses. As a result, his charisma with Rocky is more powerful than the punches, even though the movie is tropy and largely neglects the loan shark subplot in the third act.
But this isn't just about Rocky getting stronger. Does anyone really have to recount the growth that Adrian goes through at this point? Rocky is such a lovable character on his own, with Stallone just sinking into the character like a literal rock. But when Adrian comes into the mix, you can't wait to see her tell her abusive brother off, and the strength displayed by both Rocky and Adrian as they grow together displays some emotion hitting heavy enough to break big slabs of meat in half.
This is all because Rocky has this abnormal ability to affect and even change the people he's closest to. Rocky himself doesn't go through a lot of character changes, making his one of the best positive flats in the world of fiction. I'd probably put him up there with Luffy of One Piece. Molding his character with the others adds a lot to the others' development, even Apollo Creed, who's a likable antagonist because of his fearless and calm approach to the world around him, as well as his desire to fight powerful opponents like Rocky. This aspect of Rocky's personality begs the question to me: how does this iconic aspect of this character play into other characters in the eight sequels? That's an important thing to keep in mind when I get around to the sequels.
I definitely see more in Rocky right now than I did the first time I watched it. However, does that make it a better movie in my eyes? ... Yes and no. I'd put it a few spaces higher on my list of every movie I've ever seen ranked from best to worst, but I don't think I would raise the numerical rating. It's a very well told story relying on character development to overcome the tropes, and it largely succeeds. Rocky deserves to be called a sports classic, and I consider it to be better than Raging Bull and Warrior. However, I wouldn't dare put it in the same league as Million Dollar Baby.
= 92/100
John G. Avildsen's Score (4 Good vs. 0 Bad)
Rocky: 92
The Karate Kid: 85
The Karate Kid Pt. II: 77
Inferno: 53
Average Score: 76.75 / 4