So I've been rewatching the Rocky series...
Jun 10, 2020 7:02:29 GMT -5
Phosphor Glow, Ryushinku, and 1 more like this
Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2020 7:02:29 GMT -5
...as evidenced by my "Take her to the zoo" thread.
Here's a few things I want to have discussion about here:
- The first Rocky might still be one of the greatest movies of all time, and part 2 was pretty damn good too.
- Rocky III is pretty good, but for some reason isn't quite as epic as I remember. I had remembered Clubber Lang having more screen time and being more of a bad ass. Also, the movie feels really short compared to the first two.
- Rocky IV is so weird. It doesn't at all have the same vibe as the other films. It's like the epitome of an 80's movie. The way it's shot, the Vince DiCola soundtrack, Rocky seeking revenge for the death of his friend, the training montage style, the Soviets being the bad guys, and there's a f***ing robot. Also, did Rocky take down the Soviet Union by winning a boxing match? That being said, it's still a classic in its own strange way.
- Rocky V is supposed to be a piece of trash. Even Sylvester Stallone doesn't like it. However, I found it very enjoyable. It seemed to take the series back to its roots after all that stuff I listed from part IV. The only thing that didn't make sense to me was that Rocky wouldn't fight professionally and get some money for his family, but then he had a brutal street fight with someone for free and it was a much more dangerous situation than being in a boxing ring would have been. I would like to hear people's thoughts on why this entry is so hated.
I haven't rewatched Rocky Balboa or Creed, and I've never seen Creed II before, but I'm going to within the next few days, so no spoilers about the plots of those please.
Update: I rewatched Rocky Balboa last night. Wow, what a great movie. Probably the second best besides the original. I absolutely loved Paulie feeling like shit for the way he treated Adrian, I loved that Rocky has just kind of an average life now where he isn't rich anymore but isn't dirt poor either (which is realistic for a retired athlete), I loved him befriending the girl from the first film and her son, and I loved how the ending fight was filmed like it was actually a boxing match on HBO complete with celebrity cameos and real sports personalities and stuff. If I have any beef whatsoever, it is that Rocky shouldn't have lost by split decision. In my opinion, he should have pretty much gotten his ass handed to him. The moral of the story was that you need to get back up when life kicks your ass, and I thought a complete ass whooping would have been more in line with that.
Tonight I'll be watching Creed, and I will watch Creed II probably tomorrow.
Update 2 (or should I say II) : Just watched Creed. Wow, what a good movie. It captured the spirit of the original without being a carbon copy of it. Sad that Paulie died, but that's what happens to an old person after decades of heavy drinking. Sweet to see him buried right next to Adrian though. I also loved how the movie was very much a continuation of Rocky Balboa. He's still running his resturaunt, he's still got a chair in the tree at the cemetary, he's still driving that white van, etc. Adonis Creed was also a very likeable character, and easy to root for. Sad that Rocky got cancer, and I actually sort of understood him not wanting treatment since everything and everyone he loved in life is gone. His wife and friends are all dead, his boxing career is long over, his son treats him like shit, and he's just ready for it to be over. Then along comes Adonis and teaches him to live again. He cares for and respects Rocky the way Rocky's son should, and Rocky becomes the father to him that Apollo couldn't be. I loved that we finally found out who won the third fight between Rocky and Apollo also. And the line "Remember, it you against you, he's just in your way." is a motto more people should live by. I'm so excited that I can't wait until tomorrow to watch Creed II, I'm about to put it on right now.
Update III: Just watched Creed II for the first time. Holy shit this was a fantastic movie. Spiritually, it felt like a follow up to Rocky II, while story wise it was an excellent sequel to Rocky IV. I loved everything about it. The reunion of Rocky and his son, Adonis and Bianca starting a family, the character depth finally given to Ivan Drago after 35 years, etc. It was also great in the sense that if it ends here, it had a good conclusion, but if they made another I would be excited to see it. And they did such an excellent job of giving Rocky closure, that they could probably even do a Creed III without Rocky in it if Stallone didn't want to play the character again. They've done a great job making Adonis Creed a hero in his own right that he could carry the franchise himself now if he had to.
Overall, this was an excellent series of films. Some were better than others, but none of them sucked. It's an 8 film series where even the worst entry was still above average. Not many film series can say that.
Next up, I'll naturally be doing a Rambo watch/rewatch. I've seen First Blood and loved it, and saw and liked the fourth one that was just called Rambo. I've never seen Last Blood and only saw bits and pieces of II and III on tv as a kid. Which brings up the point that I think Sylvester Stallone really likes Roman Numerals, lol.
Here's a few things I want to have discussion about here:
- The first Rocky might still be one of the greatest movies of all time, and part 2 was pretty damn good too.
- Rocky III is pretty good, but for some reason isn't quite as epic as I remember. I had remembered Clubber Lang having more screen time and being more of a bad ass. Also, the movie feels really short compared to the first two.
- Rocky IV is so weird. It doesn't at all have the same vibe as the other films. It's like the epitome of an 80's movie. The way it's shot, the Vince DiCola soundtrack, Rocky seeking revenge for the death of his friend, the training montage style, the Soviets being the bad guys, and there's a f***ing robot. Also, did Rocky take down the Soviet Union by winning a boxing match? That being said, it's still a classic in its own strange way.
- Rocky V is supposed to be a piece of trash. Even Sylvester Stallone doesn't like it. However, I found it very enjoyable. It seemed to take the series back to its roots after all that stuff I listed from part IV. The only thing that didn't make sense to me was that Rocky wouldn't fight professionally and get some money for his family, but then he had a brutal street fight with someone for free and it was a much more dangerous situation than being in a boxing ring would have been. I would like to hear people's thoughts on why this entry is so hated.
I haven't rewatched Rocky Balboa or Creed, and I've never seen Creed II before, but I'm going to within the next few days, so no spoilers about the plots of those please.
Update: I rewatched Rocky Balboa last night. Wow, what a great movie. Probably the second best besides the original. I absolutely loved Paulie feeling like shit for the way he treated Adrian, I loved that Rocky has just kind of an average life now where he isn't rich anymore but isn't dirt poor either (which is realistic for a retired athlete), I loved him befriending the girl from the first film and her son, and I loved how the ending fight was filmed like it was actually a boxing match on HBO complete with celebrity cameos and real sports personalities and stuff. If I have any beef whatsoever, it is that Rocky shouldn't have lost by split decision. In my opinion, he should have pretty much gotten his ass handed to him. The moral of the story was that you need to get back up when life kicks your ass, and I thought a complete ass whooping would have been more in line with that.
Tonight I'll be watching Creed, and I will watch Creed II probably tomorrow.
Update 2 (or should I say II) : Just watched Creed. Wow, what a good movie. It captured the spirit of the original without being a carbon copy of it. Sad that Paulie died, but that's what happens to an old person after decades of heavy drinking. Sweet to see him buried right next to Adrian though. I also loved how the movie was very much a continuation of Rocky Balboa. He's still running his resturaunt, he's still got a chair in the tree at the cemetary, he's still driving that white van, etc. Adonis Creed was also a very likeable character, and easy to root for. Sad that Rocky got cancer, and I actually sort of understood him not wanting treatment since everything and everyone he loved in life is gone. His wife and friends are all dead, his boxing career is long over, his son treats him like shit, and he's just ready for it to be over. Then along comes Adonis and teaches him to live again. He cares for and respects Rocky the way Rocky's son should, and Rocky becomes the father to him that Apollo couldn't be. I loved that we finally found out who won the third fight between Rocky and Apollo also. And the line "Remember, it you against you, he's just in your way." is a motto more people should live by. I'm so excited that I can't wait until tomorrow to watch Creed II, I'm about to put it on right now.
Update III: Just watched Creed II for the first time. Holy shit this was a fantastic movie. Spiritually, it felt like a follow up to Rocky II, while story wise it was an excellent sequel to Rocky IV. I loved everything about it. The reunion of Rocky and his son, Adonis and Bianca starting a family, the character depth finally given to Ivan Drago after 35 years, etc. It was also great in the sense that if it ends here, it had a good conclusion, but if they made another I would be excited to see it. And they did such an excellent job of giving Rocky closure, that they could probably even do a Creed III without Rocky in it if Stallone didn't want to play the character again. They've done a great job making Adonis Creed a hero in his own right that he could carry the franchise himself now if he had to.
Overall, this was an excellent series of films. Some were better than others, but none of them sucked. It's an 8 film series where even the worst entry was still above average. Not many film series can say that.
Next up, I'll naturally be doing a Rambo watch/rewatch. I've seen First Blood and loved it, and saw and liked the fourth one that was just called Rambo. I've never seen Last Blood and only saw bits and pieces of II and III on tv as a kid. Which brings up the point that I think Sylvester Stallone really likes Roman Numerals, lol.