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Rocky II (1979)

Rate: 9
Viewed: 12/03, 12/05, 5/11, 9/20

Rocky2
12/05: Bolstered by the outstanding ending, Rocky II is a phenomenal boxing movie.

Let's clarify one thing about Sylvester Stallone: he is a misunderstood creative artist. When I watch many films, they come off as bland. Then, when I watch Rocky II, I feel overwhelmed by the highs and lows. It's a lot of adversity for Rocky to overcome. What I love is how dopey he is, making it easy for anyone to like him. It's very good character work by Sylvester Stallone.

Also, I like how the atmosphere is set up for the superfight rematch between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed. I wish it was more real due to the numerous shadow punches. Once again, Carl Weathers and Burgess Meredith give remarkable performances.

All in all, Rocky II is tremendously underrated.

5/11: Although Rocky is a Best Picture winner, Rocky II is nearly as good.

The fight between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed still looks spectacular with an unforgettable ending: "Except for my kid bein' born, this is the greatest night in the history of my life. I just wanna say one thing to my wife who's home, 'Yo, Adrian! I did it!'" Although Burgess Meredith was Oscar-nominated for the last picture, he's a lot better in this. I'm always a sucker for Rocky training montages, and Rocky II meets the standard easily.

All in all, if you want to know what "heart" means, look no further than Rocky Balboa.

9/20: Rocky II is almost as good as the original picture.

I actually view both films as one just like The Godfather trilogy. All characters pick up where they left off to sustain the continuity. The superfight rematch between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed is the reason for the high replayability value of Rocky II.

The original may have received some Oscar nominations, but none went for the sequel when I thought there were a couple of worthy contenders. First is Burgess Meredith for Best Actor in a Supporting Role; he's a lot better and more memorable this time around. The other is the editing, which is among all-time greats, that's underscored by the dramatic finish in the final round which took eight months of work.

Apollo Creed is a great champion; it's enjoyable to watch him fight. Rocky Balboa was in the match of his career with Apollo, and he showed heart by winning it. Of course, there's a lot of drama beforehand that makes the film compelling to watch. The training montage is a can't-beat with Rocky and the children running up the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Rocky's switching to right hand for the boxing match wasn't originally planned. What happened was that Sylvester Stallone was in a bench press contest against Franco Columbu and thus tore his right pectoral muscle. Afterwards, he needed surgery and had to box right. If you watch Rocky in the sparring session with a lightning-fast Mexican boxer, it's Roberto Durán.

All in all, Rocky II is an underrated sequel to one of the best pictures of all time.