Before we get into this one, I would like to make a few notes about this poster I found. Just look at that!! That doesn’t look ANYTHING like Sylvester Stallone!! What the fuck?? I also like how Apollo isn’t even wearing boxing gloves. What is this shit? Put up your dukes! Put up your dukes! I said put em up!! LOL Ridiculous.
Well… I guess if you make a movie for under a million and it grosses over 100 mil, and wins Best Picture at the Academy Awards, you better grease out a quick sequel right? And – you better make it pretty much the same. If it’s fun once it’s fun again, right? Well – I remember seeing this in the theater with my mom (too) and we had the same reaction. Heartbreak, sadness, inspiration – I mean watching Rocky in the hospital reading to his comatose wife is really sad and when she comes out of it and tells him to “go win” – I mean how can you not be moved by that. Or when he finally catches that fucking chicken??? Or when gets up as the bell rings?? I mean – you CAN’T not like that. But in the end, it’s just the same as the first. Complete with the inspirational run down the streets and up those steps, this time with hundreds of kids running behind him. I don’t see how anyone CAN’T like it. But… it is the same story…. Firing up in the closing minutes of the first fight, this sees our two contenders being whipped up and sent to the hospital. Creed is pissed and, even though in the after-fight hug in the first one he said “there’s no rematch, there’s no rematch….” an hour or so later he’s sitting in a wheelchair screaming to Rock that “Rocky’s a chump and a fraud and he wants a damn rematch!” This sets off a series of melodrama in which Rocky talks A WHOLE FUCKING LOT. Instead of the ice skating scene from the first one we get a big dramatic scene at a Zoo. We also see Rocky trying to adjust to life outside of boxing: failing to do TV ads, failing to drive his new Trans-Am well, wearing a dumb jacket.
We also see them get married and, sorry this pic is so small but this was all I could find, we get something hilarious out of the first two movies. After his wedding, his old loan shark boss pulls him to the side. The conversation goes something like this:
LOAN SHARK: Hey Rock! How much did you make after the fight?
ROCKY: About 37,000 (he was actually paid 100,000)
LS: The government takes it’s share, don’t they?
ROCKY: Yeah, I guess so.
LS: Say, how about you invest that money with me. In some condominiums.
ROCKY: Condo… Condo? Con?
(and then with a completely befuddled and innocent expression)
ROCKY (whispers): I don’t use em…. I don’t want to go off sounding like I don’t like this movie – I do – I love it – but it’s the same thing as the first. If you read what I wrote about ROCKY – you know I love it. I love love love love it. This one is good too… it’s just….. the same thing…..
I think Rocky 2 is a good example of a sequel that naturally stretches the original, therefore is justified in making. I actually caught Rocky 2, 3 and 4 on AMC a few weeks ago and watched them back to back. Rocky 3 & 4 are the cash-grabs, where as I feel Rocky 2 was very much warranted. After part 2 the series started to get silly. Parts 3 & 4 weren’t terrible or anything, but they just felt tacked-on and like they were forcing drama to make a movie; especially part 4 with Apollo and Drago. Parts 3 & 4 were fun movies, but got very silly in certain elements. Of course, Rocky 5 was terrible! But then Sly came and closed the franchise with “Rocky Balboa” that did away with the silliness from the previous 3 and was almost as good as the first 2.
I gotta disagree with you about the poster, though. That thing is $$! 🙂
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I agree with everything here except for your very last sentence…! 🙂
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The reason the poster is good is b/c it captures the essence of an era where boxing was truly great; it looks like a poster for a Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, George Foreman type fight – back when boxing was epic! Not like today, where you hardly have any strong fighters and when you do have a couple they can’t set a fight up b/c the money isn’t right, etc.
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True… very true…
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Hilarious quote, I gotta re-watch this one of these days 🙂
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I just watched all 6 of em 🙂
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Wait – are you telling me there’s more than one Rocky film???
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HUH??? WHAT??? HUH????
#huh
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Yeah, what the hell is wrong with Rocky’s face in that poster? He looks more like Billy from Predator
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I don’t know but it’s pretty hilarious…
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Dear PSC,
I am so glad to hear that you had fun with this one again! Few movies manage to get away with churning out the same thing as its predecessor. Meh.
Nice quote! 😛
Love,
JB
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JB!!!!!!!
I know you’re asleep already but – when you get up – X-Men was FANTASTIC!! If I could save time in a bottle!!! LOL!!!
LOVE,
PSC
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PSC!!!!!!
I am so glad you enjoyed it. I thought it was damn fantastic, so well put together! Imagine!
Love,
JB
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Dearest and Loveliest JB,
Miss you!!
Love,
PSC
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Dear PSC,
WHOOP! Well, I am here and you have returned from your long weekend (however unfortunate).
Love,
JB
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Youngest JB,
Man what a busy weekend… I feel like I didn’t get any rest at all. 😦
Tired,
PSC
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Exhausted PSC,
That is usually why we get them. To get exhausted again. But at least you did some awesome stuff, sinning among it all!
Chipper,
JB
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My fairest JB,
And you got to see my butt!!! LOL
Love,
PSC
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Kind Chop,
How could we ever forget that?!
Love,
JB
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Purest JB,
LOL 🙂
Love,
PSC’s butt
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I’ve only ever seen the first one! So I haven’t heard that hilarious quote but I’m going to seek it out! That definitely doesn’t look like Stallone on the poster. Way too much Photoshop on his muscular cheeks. I also love the Shitfest header with the beer!
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Well…. I am doing all six of em over the next few weeks – I would advise looking at the very last one – it’s pretty good 🙂
Also – I didn’t do that header – that was done by this person:
http://thecriticalcinephile.wordpress.com/
Do you follow her yet? She’s AWESOME!!
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I wasn’t following the Critical CInephile yet but I am now. What an excellent blog! Thanks for sharing! 😀 One day I’ll get around to watching the Rocky film that has Mr T in it. One day.
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That poster is ridiculous. Stallone looks like he’s having a stroke…which I guess is kinda fitting since he always sounds like he’s having a stroke.
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HEY!
I’ve been awful busy the last three days 😦 I got your email and you ARE FUCKING AMAZING!!! Love you in that way that I can.
XO in the most platonic way possible.
#maybenotplatonicwhat
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Lol, that doesn’t look anything like Sly! What are you doing reviewing this awesome movie ;)?
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Hey!!! What’s up with the rocky review? Its a little bit off topic for you isn’t it? No boobs or anything! lol ; )
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HEY!!!!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN????
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Ya know how it goes, a day turns into a week between posts and then shit happens… but i’m working on fixing that. Missed you : )
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I’ve missed you too!! COME BACK!! COME BACK TO ME!!
#idigmelissanacinovich
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LMAO
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🙂
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That poster…why did they replace Rocky’s face with the face of a woman smelling something stanky??
#weird #dontgetit #probielove
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I have no fucking clue…
#bizarre
#stanky
#womanboxerface
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Basically, Rocky 1, but with an happier ending.
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True that 🙂
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I’ve always thought that this was underrated.
YOU’VE WASTED OUR TIME BECAUSE YOU CAN’T READ!!
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Do you even know how to drive?
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Sylvester Stallone seriously dressed like a pimp back then, fedora hat, black gloves, zip up jacket. Ayyyy how you doing girl?
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HAHAHAHAHA!!!!
#sexy
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Yeah, with all the money the first one made, you’d think they could spare some coin for a decent fucking poster… that thing is a total disaster.
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HAHAHA!!! You’d think, right????
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It’s not the same as the first – Rocky wins! Ha ha.
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LOL – right!!
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