Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

djb75-1 What makes a great film? Engaging characters, immersive story line, brilliant editing, fantastic music, an experience you can revisit again and again. Rocky has all of this and more. When it comes to performance I honestly do not know where Rocky starts and Sylvester Stallone ends. Stallone did not just play this character he conceived, created and crafted it. This is not method acting this goes way beyond that. What is this film about? Loneliness, love, self-respect, poverty, heartache, shyness, chance, pride, friendship, boxing? It is about life! Rocky is a downtrodden character, in the words of Mickey (Burgess Meredith) Rocky is a bum, a loser, he had talent but never applied it. Rocky does not see this, he lives his life, he has some boxing skills which he puts to use in the occasional low-key cash fights and working as a money collector for the local crime lord. Rocky has the physical attributes for the debt collecting job but deep down he has a soft heart. He is not the smartest guy but ultimately he is a good guy. Rocky is friends with Paulie (Burt Young) who is a deeply flawed character. Unlike Rocky he has a chip on his shoulder at life and the cards he has been dealt. Paulie has a sister Adrian (Talia Shire) that has not had an easy life either. She is painfully shy and introverted. Adrian works at the local pet shop which Rocky visits often. Rocky tries to make conversation and get to know her. The courtship between Adrian and Rocky is awkward at times but has a reality and sweetness that is undeniable. Rocky and Adrian eventually date. Rocky's life is on a nowhere trajectory until out the blue his name is selected by Apollo Creed (Carl weathers) the heavy weight champion of the world as a publicity stunt. Apollo Creed wants to stage a boxing event where a lowly ranked amateur boxer gets a chance to fight for the title, "The American dream". Initially stunned and unwilling to take on this challenge, Rocky does not feel he is worthy or capable of this. Mickey eventually persuades Rocky to take this once in a lifetime chance. And so begins the rest of the film. Cue training montage. Rocky works on many levels, that is why bit is such a fantastic film. The characters have a human naivety and poignancy that resonates. The editing and music are sublime in parts. It is a film I will watch again and again and appreciate more each time.

thedarkknight-99999 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)

mmallon4 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.

ket-44107 I chose do do a movie about a movie series starting off with the first movie, Rocky. I personally selected this movie because it not only portrays a exquisite storyline, but also portrays numerous themes of perseverance and character development. The movie Rocky is about a regular guy named Rocky Balboa, and he does boxing as a hobby to make a little cash. He likes a woman named Adrian who is his friend's sister. However, he knows this trainer named Micky and he's mad at him because Rocky has the potential to be a great boxer but he doesn't use his talent to make himself better. Apollo creed, the heavy weight champion of the world, offered Rocky a shot for the title to prove to the world that anyone can have an opportunity to be great. Rocky took this opportunity and trained with Micky. At the end of the movie, which is the fight between Rocky and Apollo, it was supposed to be one sided for Creed. However, Rocky fights his heart out, knocking down Apollo Creed, giving him a very tough match. At the end, however, Rocky loses and the second movie is the rematch. This movie series has a total of 5 movies highlighting Rocky's boxing career and is still continued to this very day when Rocky is old and training Apollo Creed's son, Adonis Creed. To me, this movie is worth watching because it is knows for being one of the most inspiring movies of all time. It motivated me to start working harder and to believe that anything can be done if you truly put your heart and soul into it. Because of watching Rocky's hard training, it pushed me to start working out harder and even pushing me to be a better person and a stronger student in school. It teaches you how to build yourself up from nothing and no never give up. Rocky once said, "It's not about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth, than go out and get what you're worth but you gotta be willing to take this hits and stop pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him or her or anybody, cowards do that." I remember his exact words because I was deeply inspired by what he said and I probably will never forget what he said. Overall, I highly recommend this movie for anyone of all ages. There were many reviews all of them ranging from 2-10 stars. The majority of the reviews for Rocky was 10/10 with a few 9/10 and 8/10. However, I did see a review that rated the movie a 2/10 and it said, "World's biggest let down? Yes" I believe the reason for that is because Rocky was defeated at the end of the first movie, but I am positive that if that user were to watch the rest of the movie series, he or she would be incredibly happy to see that Rocky was victorious at the end. This demonstrates the many individuals who treasure the original movie and it's artistry to portray self development and determination. Although there may be a few people out there who do not like the movie a Rocky, starring Sylvester Stallone, I truly do believe that this is the greatest movie to ever exist. Like my mother said, Rocky isn't just a boxer, he is an inspiration and a great role model to all. Encouraging individuals to never give up and to chase their dreams proves to be a great way to inspire others. Not only that, Rocky is a clean person as well. He treats Adrian and his friends so well that it makes me want to be like that to other people. The way he never gives up in his fight makes me a stronger person, wanting to be just like him and never give up when life seems to be getting too hard. Rocky had a broken nose, broken ribs, one eye swollen shut, out of breath and border line dying but yet he still found the will power to push through all that adversity. Overall, I highly recommend this movie as is has won numerous rewards and nominees and is still known till this very day as one of the greatest movies to ever exist.