Sorry, this movie sucks

Simply A Masterpiece

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Rocky shot a then struggling actor and writer Sylvester Stallone into the A list. This is a great underdog story enhanced by some gritty direction and great performances by Stallone, Talia Shire and others. What many do not realize is how little Rocky is about boxing. In fact the boxing doesn't even take center stage until well into the second half. This is a character study first and foremost and Stallone should be commended for penning such a heartfelt screenplay. Rocky has entered pop culture lexicon but its important to remember that it started off as an independent feature with a minuscule budget. This is a great start to the career of a fantastic actor.

The fight scenes are pathetic and the acting is laughable. Rubbish

Rocky took a well-worn story and redefined it by delving deep into the characters. Rocky's character arc is so familiar that everyone, even who don't watch many movies, knows every single detail about it. But the movie adds a simple twist, yet a very effective one, in the character's motivations.But it didn't stop here, as the movie keeps raising the stakes by making an advantage of all the developments that have been given to all the characters.The movie could have easily used the ups and downs of Rocky to evoke our feelings. Instead, the movie succeeded to be very moving by taking advantage of the very new twist that has been added to Balboa's motivations. The result is an underdog heroic character that is by no means clichéd. And Stallone shines in this movie and gave his best performance in his career. There are some moments when Rocky's confidence has been shaken a little bit and the hero starts to tell the message of the story and these moments somewhat worked, and they could have never worked without Sylvester Stallone's superb acting.I said that Rocky takes advantage of the developments of all its characters. Yes, all its characters!The character of Adrian, for instance, has some realistic and genuine details that make the romance between her and Rocky works very well, although the relationship proceeds so fast. Talia Shire performance made Adrian even more realistic,unique and very compelling character.Paulie is another great character that made the movie even more poignant as it gave some depth for Rocky too.What I didn't like so much is Apollo Creed. In contrast to the rest of the characters, he is nothing but the stereotypical undefeated Champion. Also, all decisions he made exposed the movie's clichéd story. With that being said, his scenes are masterfully directed and he has a very catchy style. The final fight scene is maybe the most realistic fight scene has been shot at that time. And those who think it's not, please watch a boxing match and you'll find that boxing punches make sounds different from the comic book punches sounds that are still used in movies today.(9/10)

I may sound like a bit of a fanboy when I talk about the Rocky franchise but I just legitimately love all these movies so much. This is a series which always inspires me and has aided me during my darkest days. Rocky was one of the first movies to have such a profound impact on me, making me appreciate cinema on a deeper level. I first saw Rocky on TV and week after week came back to watch the sequels; such joy I had and memories I never forget.I don't think there is a fictional character whom I've been more emotionally invested in than Rocky Balboa. Could there be a character who is more honest or down to Earth? A man who has next to nothing yet has such a positive outlook on life ("Naw I ain't got no phone, I had to pull it you know because people calling me all the time, and who needs the aggravation, right?" - such profound wisdom). The character is also a mystery and an enigma; who are his parents and what about his early years? Apart from a few brief snippets of information, it's up to the viewer's imagination instead of giving us a pointless origin story which Hollywood is so keen on nowadays. The character is biographical of his creator Sylvester Stallone throughout the whole series; his fictional alter ego. Just like Rocky, Stallone had next to nothing before making it as a star. Just like how the character rises to the challenge against impossible odds, the movie also beat impossible odds by becoming one of the biggest sleeper hits of all time. Likewise what movie or character is more identified with a city or has such reverence for the location it was filmed.All the films in the series reflect the periods in which they were made. It's 1976, America's Bicentennial year. Perhaps the country didn't know it needed an injection of optimism after years of cynical and pessimistic film as well as political upheaval. Don't get me wrong, there will always be a place for cynicism in movies but with such movies dominating the mainstream at the time it was clear that enough was enough. It seems like happy endings where against the law in the first half of the 70's, but Rocky brought them back for better or worse, and film snobs will look down on it for that. But yes, I do blubber away at this ending and Adrian's uttering of "I love you!" is the greatest "I love you!" in cinema history. The ending has that same feeling of joy and happiness as seen in the ending of many Frank Capra movies. Speaking of Capra, Rocky's response to being asked if he wants to fight Apollo Creed for the world heavyweight championship is like Gary Cooper in Mr Deeds Goes to Town when he is told of the vast sum of money he has inherited.As the filmmakers didn't get permission to shot for many of the on locations, guerilla film making techniques where employed in the making of Rocky; capturing the streets of Philadelphia in all their glory with that distinctive that gritty look of 70's films while aided with the use of the then new technology in the form of the steady cam. You'd be hard pressed to find a movie which is more naturalistic and unmanufactured as Rocky.It's astounding that such a low budget film could have had such a great soundtrack and score. Bill Conti's score to Rocky always makes me feel melancholic; the Rocky soundtracks have given me hours upon hours of listening pleasure. I even watch the end credits of all the films for the music (well expect the first one as the end credit music here is quite dreary). The Rocky movies are also responsible for my love of montages. I'll never forget the feeling of exuberance I felt watching the film's training montage for the first time and hearing Gonna Fly Now; we're talking the goosiest of goose bumps.Roger Ebert compared Stallone to Marlon Brando in his original review, and in 1976 no one could have seen this man being a future action movie star; but I maintain the man is more intelligent than people make him out to be. He's made a respectable career out of what he is capable of doing. How many people can claim to have been able to write installments in a film series which has lasted four decades and still manage to keep the long running story interesting. During the filming of Rocky he had to do script rewrites on the spot such as upon discovering the ice rink for Rocky and Adrian's was completely empty or the shorts on the giant poster of Rocky in the stadium where the wrong colour.When I watched this film at a younger age, I never fully appreciated the romantic angle, yet watching it from a more mature perspective. Rocky and Adrian are like two misfits who don't fully fit in with the rest of society. There is a goddess with Adrian, and only Rocky can see it. The scene in which Rocky invites Adrian to his apartment after their first date took my breath away like few other love scenes have ever done. The sexuality on display is immense with Stallone in a vest and the gradual build up to their first kiss, and I'm sure they did it.The world of Rocky is populated with such unforgettable characters. Rocky's trainer Mickey Goldmill is one of the greatest mentors in film history (either him or Obi Wan Kenobi in my book) with his grouchy and curmudgeon manner. I feel Burgess Meredith is an actor who got better with age, so no surprise his most famous role came to him at the age of 68. Paulie (Burt Young) is one pathetic hateful loser, abuses his sister, is violent and yet you can't help but feel sorry for him. Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) on the other hand, dam! What a showman with his charisma, confidence, cockiness and ego; the archetype of a leading man from a blackploitation film. Yet despite being a black man he is surely one of the most patriotic characters ever put on screen who shuns any left wing mentality of victimhood; sounds like a dam monster movie!One more recent viewings of Rocky I've also come to appreciate Tony Gazzo (Joe Spinell) more as a character. A charismatic loan shark who employs Rocky and has a real liking for him, giving him money for his date, attends his fight with Apollo and doesn't try to take over his boxing career where as many other mobsters would. Yet Rocky's lenient collecting style by refusing to break the thumbs of clients who don't pay up causes problems for Gazzo yet he treats Rocky almost like a brother. It shouldn't come as a surprise then that in the original script for the film, Rocky and Gazzo where brothers.When Rocky visits the empty arena before the fight you can feel the pressure and weight that bestows him. By the time the final fight comes around I'm so emotionally invested in this character that I'm rooting for him like it's a real fight. During the fight itself the punches look real and there's no sped up footage like boxing films of the past; while Bill Conti's score ups the intensity and suspense for some serious emotional impact.