Rocky II (1979) Review

"I feel like a Kentucky Fried idiot."
-Rocky Balboa



After the brutal match and loss against Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) retires from fighting and tries to go back to his normal life, but struggles to fit in in the regular world without fighting.  Apollo, whose reputation was damaged because of the fight, desperately wants a rematch and eventually Rocky agrees setting up a collision course of epic proportions.


What Works:

The highlight of Rocky II is, of course, the climatic battle between Rocky and Apollo.  The fight is brutal and just as awesome as the fight from the first movie.  We get some fantastic slow-motion shots that make this fight feel different from the first one and it's incredibly entertaining.  I knew the outcome of the fight going in, but I still found myself on the edge of my seat yelling at Rocky to get up.  It's that engaging.  

The acting is top-notch through and through.  Stallone is just so dang likable as the Italian Stallion.  His attitude during the press-conference with Apollo is fantastic and you can't help but root for him.

Carl Weathers gives an even better performance than he does in the original.  He has an electrifying screen-presence and his angers pulsates in every scene he is in.  He's a fantastic antagonist and I only wanted more scenes with him.

Burgess Meredith is also fantastic as Rocky's trainer, Mickey.  He's got a few very funny moments, some fantastic dramatic moments, and I can't help by smile whenever he insults Rocky.  I love every scene of him them training together.


What Sucks:

I have to say this movie has too much melodrama for my tastes.  Having the film start out being about Rocky trying to go back to a normal life makes enough sense, but it's not executed very well.  I really just wanted to get back to the boxing, but that takes almost an hour and I could definitely feel my interest waning.

I also didn't care for the whole storyline about Adrian (Talia Shire) going into a coma.  It kinda comes out of nowhere and completely sidetracks the movie right when I was getting back into it.  Sure, it gives Stallone and Meredith a few moments for some decent dramatic acting, but I wasn't all that interested.  Just give me some more boxing, dang it.  I'm fine with having other storylines going on in a movie like this, but they have to be integrated together better.  This honestly felt like two different movies and I liked one much better than the other.


Verdict:

Rocky II is nowhere near as good as the first film due to the excessive amount of melodrama, but the acting is solid and the 3rd act is fantastic.  Rocky II has still certainly got it going on.

 7/10: Good 

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