The Rocky films have never been my thing. I tried out the first one when I was much younger, and I was so unimpressed that it took me over a decade to give it or any of them another chance. One of the things that kept a desire in me to look at them though is that I loved Stallone’s work in the Creed films. He is such a talented movie star when he has the right role. And Rocky Balboa, if nothing else, is his defining role. And now Adonis Creed is Michael B. Jordan’s defining role.
While you’re here, check out the following articles/podcasts:
Jerome’s 100 Favorite Movies Ever: Creed
There Will Be Movies – Episode 37: Creed
Jerome’s 100 Favorite Movies Ever: Rocky
Pantheon Plus – Underrated Sequels: Rocky Balboa
9. Rocky V [1990]
I really went into this open-minded. As someone who is not wired to enjoy Rocky all that much, I thought perhaps it was possible that the one film in the series that is universally derided might appeal to me in some way.
I was wrong to be so optimistic. This film is fucking terrible.
There were two key issues. The first was Sly casting his actual son to play his son and giving a significant amount of screen time. It was very bad as such things tend to be. The second big issue was the very rushed arc with Rocky’s new trainee that led to a STREET FIGHT conclusion. These two dynamics sunk a film from a series that always asked its audience to accept a lot.
8. Rocky II [1979]
While I did not really like Rocky much, I did appreciate elements of it and thought there was some merit to its attempt at a humble hero story. So it was pretty stunning to see how much the sequel felt like an INSANE EGO FEST. It was a startlingly shift from a humble movie about a character to a movie about a movie star.
This movie felt much less about crowning Rocky Balboa as the heavyweight champion and much more about Sylvester Stallone as a certified star who needs to be presented as such. It was frankly off-putting but equal parts compelling. Sly is one of one in Hollywood and watching his ego expand and contract over the years is one of the great stories in the business.
7. Rocky [1976]
Despite some merits, it has always been hard to see this as anything but reactionary swill. Sylvester Stallone is an interesting performer, artist, and public figure. You cannot understand him without knowing these movies, and you probably cannot understand proper Hollywood history or late United States culture without knowing these films in fact. The most interesting aspect of the film is that there seemed to be some self-awareness of how icky the culturally reactionary the film was. The scene where Apollo acknowledges that the characters are trying to stir up some culture war shit got my attention. Now, self-awareness does not erase the actual reactionary slop core of the film – but it does feel notable and at least something to keep in mind as the films progress. (Editor’s note: they never really meaningfully explored it again.)
6. Rocky Balboa [2006]
All of the Rocky movies ask a lot of the audience when it comes to suspending their disbelief. The final one possibly asks more than ever before because they have old, roided up Rocky fight the heavyweight champion of the world to a draw.
What makes this an even bigger ask is that the film once again (like Rocky V) demonstrably wants to be a “Back to Basics” movie in terms of tone. To help compensate for that though, Stallone has rarely been in better form as Rocky or behind the camera.
The film has a great look at Stallone seems intent to show off sometimes in some ways he was never capable of before. Stallone’s peak ability in front of the camera meanwhile has turned out to be as an old man full of regret. It’s what helped to launch the Creed films and it is what made this one so interesting even when the film itself was too stupid and contrived.
5. Rocky IV [1985]
Much like Rocky III, this entry wisely leaned into the absolute absurdity of the Rocky premise and made, for lack of a better term, a superhero film. At this point, Rocky is so much bigger than life and way too unbeatable that they have to keep raising the bar to make it seem like a believable challenge. To do that, the film makes a deal with the devil and killed off Carl Weathers in attempt to establish just how dangerous Ivan Drago was and to make the stakes of the film’s main event seem that much more dangerous. Weathers’ energy was really the key ingredient to these films and killing him off for the sake of making the film’s villain more dangerous should have been an endgame story. It does work in the bubble of this film though.
4. Rocky III [1982]
Rocky III has a completely different tone than anything that came before it in the series. There is a genuine pro-wrestling element to the story that exceeds even the general pro-wrestling feeling to all boxing movies. It is so contrived and cartoonish every step of the way. It feels kind of ridiculous in some ways, but it was a necessary shot in the arm for a series that was straining credulity going past film #1. Leaning into the natural silliness of this playhouse that Sly created was possibly the best way to keep the series fun and fresh. It also features a fantastic Talia Shire scene towards the end to get Rocky to get his head out of his ass before the big fight.
3. Creed II [2018]
While Creed II felt far less essential than the first Creed film, the second entry absolutely felt like a worth sequel in essentially every way. The highlight this time was the return of Dolph Lundgren as Ivan Drago. While obviously Adonis Creed is the center of the story, the care given to Ivan and Viktor’s story is what gives this movie its heart.
It may not be a genuinely profound, but sometimes it is hard to remember that the people that we come across over the course of our lives have their own stories to tell. Creed II gives us just enough of a taste of what Ivan and Viktor have been dealing with that you can imagine an alternate movie that is just as emotionally effective centered on them during the events of the film.
2. Creed III [2023]
After re-watching the first two films in the weeks leading up to the release of Creed III, I could not help but doubt the ability of this third film to work well without Stallone. He was the MVP of those films and is the reason this new franchise has carried so much (oh no oh no) punch.
Thankfully, Michael B. Jordan rather chaotically moved the franchise forward by treating his directorial debut as if it was going to be his only chance to ever make a movie. It’s visually all over the place. Many arcs are half baked. Manipulative emotional shortcuts are taken liberally. And most importantly, Jonathan Majors delivers a modern bozo performance for the ages.
Majors is genuinely insane in this movie in just about every way. From the facial expressions, to how he physically composes himself, to his bizarre attempt to make his boxing style look unique, and the way he delivers just about every line. It is absolutely spellbinding, and it helped to make Creed III one of the most compelling mainstream Hollywood releases in a few years. You will take that over fully polished almost every time.
1. Creed [2015]
Given my previous disinterest in all things Rocky Balboa, I was so pleasantly surprised to see what a good movie this turned out to be. Even more surprising though for me was that the highlight of this film is the seamless integration of Stallone into a new story. Stallone gives a sincerely brilliant performance here and was deserving of all the praise and accolades he received.
Rocky at this point in time is in an all-too-common emotional place. He is simultaneously at complete peace and content while at the same time he is full of regrets and unfinished business. It may seem contradictory but really it is how so many people finish out their lives. Rocky has another chance to do something and to feel like he has made an impact and find some comfort. It was quite stunning, and in my ignorance, I did not previously realize Stallone was capable of such work. Shame on me.
The Reel World 