Rocky Review

 

        Whenever you think of Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa will always be the one character that he will forever be associated with. It’s one of those down to earth and humble films where anyone can put themselves into any daunting situation and have Balboa be the representation. To this day, Rocky is the only sports movie to win Best Picture.

1. Rocky

        This is one of the most lovable characters ever to be put into any screen. As I mentioned prior, Stallone will always be associated with the boxer. We see him box inside a church and get paid a petty sum. At a glance, he appears to be a well-meaning guy, since he’s known throughout the neighborhood. The only thing is that he works for a loan shark and shakes money from people. What I like about the character is that he has depth.

        Everything about him is spelled out or shown when he interacts with people. He’s a tough guy but he’s a softie. The best moment is when he visits the pet shop and tries to make Adrian come out of her shell. Just by the conversation, Rocky makes her laugh. It turns the movie from a sports film to a drama. Due in part that Balboa is a good person, but what he lacks is the passion to go further. 

        Meanwhile, we see the main antagonist Apollo Creed. He decides to schedule an exhibition fight and picks out Rocky. The film is in no way a macho filled that you may think of. It has a blue collared feel to it that there’s emotion when Rocky interacts with the other characters and gets into arguments. In this one scene in particular, Mickey the boxing trainer visits Rocky to help him train. Rocky turns him down and gets mad that he wouldn’t help him years prior. 

        Much like in his future work in First Blood, Rocky’s personality is more than what he appears to be. With him dating Adrian and seeing her brother, we get to know him personally and overall care about him when the fight draws closer. Even before those moments when he walks a young girl home after he spots her with the wrong crowd. It’s a hidden gem to make a character relatable, since we have to empathize in order to really be invested.

2. Training Montage

        Everything in the film works its way to this famous moment. It’s the whole representation of what the whole movie is about thematically. Which is about persistence and going the distance for our favorite boxer. What can I say but it’s the one to really lay the foundation of how to do a montage. The music is what sells it as well. Lastly, the one shot where Rocky runs and jumps the steps of the Philadelphia museum of art and raising his arms has been the defining image of the character and the city. 

3. Legacy

        The film was a hit and deserved to win Best Picture in its time. It continued with 5 sequels, each feeling that it would be the last one since it got more personal with Rocky. Although, what I feel gets lost in the other films is that it couldn’t possibly top the first one. It focused more on the machismo instead of the personal drama that is going on with Rocky. Well, there are subplots where his health was hindering him and other aspects that hit close to home for him. 

        It seemed that it would be crazy to spin off the franchise. The expectation is that Hollywood was out of ideas and to have a spin off with Apollo Creed’s son was something that people didn’t need to see. Fortunately, Creed is the film that I will say is the definitive Rocky sequel and a good passing of the torch film. 

4. Overall

        This film is a must watch for any film lover and sports fan in general. Need I say more?