For today’s “Throwback Thursday,” I thought I would do something a little different. Instead of focusing on one movie, I am going to focus on an entire franchise. The “Rocky” franchise is as old as I am. If you’re an avid reader of this column, you know that “Rocky” is one of my favorite movies of all time. I first saw “Rocky” in the theater when I was a legit kid, 7 or 8 years old, if memory serves.
I loved the story. It’s truly a rags-to-riches story. For today’s column, I am going to rank the films in the “Rocky” franchise, from worst to first. Full disclosure: I haven’t watched the entire “Rocky” franchise start to finish in several years, but due to my love of it, I feel quite capable of ranking them from memory.
Let’s go!
6. “Rocky V” (1990) — Easily the worst of the “Rocky” films. In this installment, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) learns he has some lingering effects from the beating he took at the hands of Ivan Drago. He’s also down on his luck, after shady brother-in-law Paulie (Burt Young) signed a power of attorney to his accountant. This forces Rocky and his family out of their mansion and back to inner-city Philadelphia. Rocky re-opens Mickey’s (the late Burgess Meredith) gym, where he trains a young fighter named Tommy Gunn (Tommy “The Duke” Morrison). The film goes down a crazy path that ends with Rocky fighting Tommy Gunn in a Philadelphia alley.
Simply put, it’s ridiculous.
Side note: Tommy “The Duke” Morrison was a WBO champion before Stallone plucked him for the role of Tommy Gunn.
5. “Rocky IV” (1985) — Stallone started killing off the cast in “Rocky III” when Mickey bit the dust. The trend continues in “Rocky IV” as Stallone takes out his best friend Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), who gets destroyed in the ring by Drago (a juiced-up Dolph Lundgren). Although there is a great training montage in Russia prior to the climatic fight between Rocky and Drago on Christmas Day, it’s simply not enough to rescue a rather far-fetched plot. Stallone pushes all the usual buttons, but the magic just isn’t there. Also, why kill off Apollo? He was one of the best characters in the entire franchise!
4. “Rocky Balboa” (2006) — Unbelievably, an aging Rocky gets back in the ring for one last fight. This time, it’s an exhibition contest against a much younger Mason “The Line” Dixon (Antonio Tarver). We also find out that Adrian (Talia Shire) is the latest character to die. When the film begins, we learn that she died of ovarian cancer and Rocky has opened an Italian restaurant — Adrian’s — in her honor. The film is heavy on dialogue, which is a change of pace for the franchise.
3. “Rocky II” (1979) — The sequel picks up right where the first film left off. After a brutal knockdown, drag-out fight between Rocky and Apollo, the two are jawing at the hospital. The film focuses on the re-match, but there’s plenty of drama in between: Rocky considers retirement and Adrian slips into a coma prior to giving birth to their first son. It’s a good movie, but not on par with the original. It’s still a fun ride and enjoyable in every way, shape and form.
2. “Rocky III” (1982) — One of my favorites. Now the champion, Rocky has to deal with fame and a challenger named Clubber Lang (Mr. T). As Rocky starts getting endorsements and living a luxurious life, he loses the “eye of the tiger.” Eventually, Clubber convinces him to get in the ring, and Clubber promptly takes the belt from Rocky. Rocky then enlists Apollo to train him. Great plot, great acting, great soundtrack. Mr. T delivers one of the best performances we’ve seen in the Rocky franchise.
1. “Rocky” (1975) — The original — and still the best. “Rocky” is a true rags-to-riches story — in more ways than one. Stallone wrote the screenplay for “Rocky” in three and a half days. According to film lore, he wrote it after watching the championship match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner that took place at Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio, on March 24, 1975. In that fight, Wepner was TKO’d in the 15th round of the match by Ali, with few expecting him to last as long as he did. Stallone later denied that Wepner was the inspiration for “Rocky.”
Whatever the inspiration was, thank goodness it happened. It’s hard to imagine a world without “Rocky.”
Chris Morelli is the managing editor of The Centre County Gazette. Email him at [email protected].
