Ranking the Rocky Movies
So I just watched Creed II and finished the Rocky series. I'm not a huge sports movie guy so I was surprised about how much I enjoyed these films. I liked every single one of them, even one I know most people don't like. But one of these movies has to be the best and one has to be the worst, so let's rank these bad boys from best to worst.
#1. Rocky (1976)
I mean, what else was it going to be? The original Rocky is just so great. The acting is incredible. Stallone really gets the character of Rocky Balboa. It's impressive from a production standpoint because of its low budget and the climatic battle between Rocky and Apollo Creed is nothing short of epic. What else do you need?
9/10: Great
#2. Creed II (2018)
This may be one of my more controversial placements. I hear most people say Creed is better than the sequel, but I loved this movie. It has the best villains of the series, my favorite boxing match of the series, excellent direction, and fantastic action. It also has an unexpected conclusion that I found very moving. The baby subplot could have been trimmed, but this is still an excellent addition to the franchise.
9/10: Great
#3. Creed (2015)
A genius direction for the series to take, Creed gives Rocky the role of the trainer and puts Adonis Creed in the spotlight. Michael B. Jordan and Stallone are just so good and work extremely well together. The one-shot fight is spectacular, Bianca is a superior love interest to Adrian, and the final battle is really intense. It's just a little too similar to the original film, otherwise it might have taken the top spot.
9/10: Great
#4. Rocky Balboa (2006)
Rocky Balboa has some of the most emotional beats of the series. The relationship between Rocky and his son is really well done, Mason Dixon is an interesting antagonist and isn't even a villain, and the 3rd act boxing match is another highlight of the series. The movie takes awhile to get going and the characters of Marie and Steps don't add anything to the film, but it's a fitting end to the original series.
8/10: Really Good
#1. Rocky (1976)
I mean, what else was it going to be? The original Rocky is just so great. The acting is incredible. Stallone really gets the character of Rocky Balboa. It's impressive from a production standpoint because of its low budget and the climatic battle between Rocky and Apollo Creed is nothing short of epic. What else do you need?
9/10: Great
#2. Creed II (2018)
This may be one of my more controversial placements. I hear most people say Creed is better than the sequel, but I loved this movie. It has the best villains of the series, my favorite boxing match of the series, excellent direction, and fantastic action. It also has an unexpected conclusion that I found very moving. The baby subplot could have been trimmed, but this is still an excellent addition to the franchise.
9/10: Great
#3. Creed (2015)
A genius direction for the series to take, Creed gives Rocky the role of the trainer and puts Adonis Creed in the spotlight. Michael B. Jordan and Stallone are just so good and work extremely well together. The one-shot fight is spectacular, Bianca is a superior love interest to Adrian, and the final battle is really intense. It's just a little too similar to the original film, otherwise it might have taken the top spot.
9/10: Great
#4. Rocky Balboa (2006)
Rocky Balboa has some of the most emotional beats of the series. The relationship between Rocky and his son is really well done, Mason Dixon is an interesting antagonist and isn't even a villain, and the 3rd act boxing match is another highlight of the series. The movie takes awhile to get going and the characters of Marie and Steps don't add anything to the film, but it's a fitting end to the original series.
8/10: Really Good
#5. Rocky IV (1985)
Rocky IV is a really fun movie, even if it is basically one giant montage sequence. Ivan Drago is a fantastic villain, the final fight scene is epic, Adrian and Paulie are great, and you can't beat Rocky running up a snowy mountain. There is quite a bit of filler, which is crazy because the movie is only 91 minutes long, and we could have used another scene or two between Rocky and Drago, but I still love this one.
7/10: Good
#6. Rocky III (1982)
Rocky III is where the formula starts to get a little stale. It doesn't help that Paulie is obnoxious in this film and Talisa Soto isn't very good in the scene where she has to argue with Stallone, but Clubber Lang is an excellent villain and he's by far the easiest to hate. It's also awesome that we get to see Rocky and Apollo team up and the fight sequences are excellent, both with Clubber and Hulk Hogan.
7/10: Good
#7. Rocky II (1979)
The first half of Rocky II isn't my favorite. There's too much melodrama and the Adrian going into a coma twist comes out of nowhere, but the acting is incredible. I love that Carl Weathers gets more screen time this outing and the climatic battle is just as awesome as the first movie.
7/10: Good
#8. Rocky V (1990)
It probably comes to no one's surprise to see Rocky V in last place, but I actually enjoyed this movie a lot more than I thought I would. I think people just talked it down so much, I was unexpectedly entertained. I appreciate that the film deviates from the Rocky formula by making him a trainer. Talia Shire gives her best performance of the series, Richard Gant plays a fantastic villain, and I enjoyed the street fight at the end of the movie. Sure, it was stupid, but I still had fun. A lot of the family drama doesn't work and Tommy Gunn is by far the worst villain of the series. Yes, it's the worst Rocky movie, but still worth watching. It's fun.
6/10: Okay
So that's it! What do you think of my ranking? Did I nail it or am I dead wrong? Let me know!
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