50 Stallone Movies Ranked From Best To Worst
14) ROCKY 2 (1979)
For fans of the Rocky series, Rocky II is the forgotten franchise entry – it’s not as brilliant as the first movie, but not as flashy or cheesy as later entries. People often brand Rocky II as the most depressing film in the series, as well, since a lot of the subplots delve into pretty heavy territory, with Adrian in a coma and Rocky struggling to adjust to his affluent lifestyle. Fortunately, this is balanced with moments of tender humour (including a hilarious set-piece involving a chicken) as well as a very uplifting and poignant finale. The only area where Rocky II severely falters is in the narrative – it’s more or less a rehash of the first movie, and character behaviour is far more predictable. Seeing the burgeoning family dynamic and watching how Rocky reacts to his sudden influx of money is definitely interesting, but the core conflict – Adrian’s reluctance to see Rocky get back into the ring – is underdeveloped and rather perfunctory.
One primary factor which makes Rocky II so endearing is Sylvester Stallone’s tender, finely-tuned portrayal of Rocky Balboa. The character is generous, humble and disciplined. He’s a loving husband and good friend to boot. Up against the cardboard heroes of many other action movies, Rocky stands out as a true champion. It’s worth noting that there’s a scene leading up to the boxing match wherein Rocky bellows to a priest, asking him for a prayer in case he gets badly injured in the fight. Afterwards, he cheerfully tells the priest he’ll see him on Sunday. It’s a natural, lovely scene which reminds us why the character resonates so well – it’s the sincerity behind him. He may not be bright, but he’s a man you can feel nothing but sympathy and love for. Meanwhile, virtually every cast member of the original film made their return here. The standout is Burgess Meredith who’s excellent as Mickey, while Carl Weathers is also great as Apollo Creed. Talia Shire and Burt Young additionally carried out what was required of them as Adrian and Paulie (respectively), with satisfying results.
-PvtCaboose91
53 Comments