Decided to fill a gap in my movie knowledge and I’m currently watching all the
Rocky/Creed films. The reason I’ve never watched them is because I don’t like sports movies much and I’m not a Stallone fan. But I’m intrigued by the rave reviews for the Creed movies, so I thought I’d catch up. So far I’ve watched the first three.
Rocky is difficult to evaluate now. It’s become the template for so many films, so what was fresh then, now looks very cliched (I doubt it ever was
that fresh). So much of it has seeped into popular culture that it feels like I’ve already seen it. Stallone overdoes the dim blue collar shtick to the point where he appears mentally challenged. Talia Shire received the least deserved Best Actress Oscar nomination of all time, it’s a thankless role and it's a supporting part. (Looking at the films from 1976, there really weren’t many great roles for women around, though Genevieve Bujold in Obsession would have been far more deserving. At least the right actress won that year, Faye Dunaway in
Network) The film bounces along well enough, even if it’s cheesy as fuck and all the other movies nominated for Best Picture that year were more deserving (
Taxi Driver lost to this !!!). One thing which is surprising is how little actual boxing is in the film. The climactic fight only takes up the last ten minutes and then the movie abruptly ends. The scene I liked the best is there Rocky gives advice to a tough little street kid, who is a girl. I read she comes back in a later film.
Rocky II is the type of sequel which is a carbon copy of the first film, it just advances the (not terribly interesting) love story between Rocky and Adrian. After his moment of fame is over and he's burned through the money, Rocky is back at square one and by the end, back in the ring with Creed. Unlike the later films, in terms of style it connects to Rocky almost seamlessly. One thing it has over the first film is that the climactic fight sequence is far better staged (and it is twice as long).
Rock III is the one I’ve enjoyed the most so far, I actually thought it was good fun. Rocky almost seems like a completely different character and has received an upgrade in terms of body and brain power. At least it gets Stallone to drop his poor Marlon Brando impersonation. The style of the movie is far more hyper in an 80s way but also more dynamic and the relationships are a little more interesting. They even wrote Adrian one decent scene (and it becomes clear that Talia Shire really isn’t much of an actress). The training sequence with Rocky and Creed is shot in a hilariously homoerotic way. What was it with midriff baring sweatshirts in the 80s ? I’m glad Burgess Meredith snuffs it, he’s always been an unbearable ham. The fight scenes in this are great (Hulk Hogan !
) and Mr. T is a hissable opponent.
Rocky IV tonight...
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