Ranking the “Rocky” Movies

Ranking the “Rocky” Movies

I put up a poll about a week ago asking which film franchise I should rank, and this is what won the poll overwhelmingly. So, here is my personal ranking of the 7 films thus far to feature Sylvester Stallone as the iconic character Rocky Balboa. Like my list ranking all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films (which you can check out here: http://onlyinthemoviesblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-marvel-cinematic-universe.html) this list is a worst-to-first ranking based on a variety of factors; story, initial viewing and rewatchability and, above all, how much I personally enjoyed one film over another.

#7 Rocky V -1990

There was no internal debate here for the #7 spot, it wasn't even close. This is the only one I have a hard time sitting through. The movie isn’t any fun, Rocky’s son Robert (played by Sylvester Stallone’s real-life son Sage Stallone) is awful, and the plot just doesn’t work for me.

#6 Rocky Balboa -2006

I get what they were going for with this one, but it wasn’t as enjoyable as it could’ve been. It shot passed being just a dramatic look at where the 'Italian Stallion' is at this point in his life and went straight to depressing. Unlike Rocky V, I don't hate this one, it's just not one of my favorites.

#5 Rocky III -1982

 I have mixed feelings about it this one. There are a few game-changer moments for the franchise in this film; most notably Mickey's death, and Rocky and Apollo Creed putting their rivalry aside because Rocky has to learn to fight with the "Eye of the Tiger" in order to beat Clubber Lang (played by Mr. T). It's not the strongest movie, but there's a lot to like about it.

#4 Rocky IV -1985

Interestingly enough, the #4 film in the franchise came in at #4 in my rankings. Is this the 4^th best written or acted film? Nope. But it is a ridiculous bag of fun. They went balls to the wall with this one: it’s got a great training montage, some cheesy lines, they apologetically play up the strained relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, and it’s one of the most rewatchable films of the franchise.

#3 Rocky II -1979

The first sequel to the masterpiece that is 1976’s ‘Rocky’ is a satisfying continuation. A rematch between Rocky and Apollo would’ve been enough reason to watch the movie, but it's also a solid development of Rocky’s relationships with the other characters from the previous film which places this one pretty high on my list.

#2 Creed -2015

 

This film really surprised my when I saw it in the theater last year. Sylvester Stallone returns as Rocky Balboa and Michael B. Jordan joins the franchise as Adonis Creed (son of Apollo Creed). Both of these actors knock it out of the park it in this film, and it hit all the beats I was hoping it would. It’s not only one of my favorite films in this series, but also one of my favorite films to come out in the last several years.

#1 Rocky -1976

It’s one of the most iconic films in the history of American cinema. The others in the franchise have their memorable moments, but I don't think any of the other films are quite as good as the original. It's a great sports movie, it's a great drama, it won 'Best Picture', it's become the definitive underdog story... It's going to take a damn good movie to eventually knock this one out of the #1 spot.

 

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