Movie Notes: Rocky II

May 26th, 2008

= 4 stars

Starring Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young
Directed by Sylvester Stallone

Synopsis

After his exhibition match against heavy weight champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) marries Adrian (Talia Shire) and tries to retire from boxing, but finds the return to his hardscrabble life difficult. After the birth of his son, Rocky is taunted into a rematch with Apollo Creed.

The Good

• Contemplates on how success can’t really change a person. I enjoyed watching Rocky blowing money on silly things, and ends up filming a dumb commercial where it’s made clear he can’t read well. Rocky unfortunately finds himself drawn back down to earth, implying that his success will not allow him to rise above his roots, and his only way out is to continue fighting. That’s an interesting theme.
• The film selects many of the first film’s highlights and amplifies them for greater effect.
• The somewhat unsatisfying fact that the first film’s fight was an “exhibition match” is rectified. In Rocky II, the final fight is for the heavyweight title. And that match is twice as intense, suspenseful, and bloody as the first.

The Bad

• It’s essentially a remake of the first film — Rocky even fights the same opponent.
• I don’t think it was necessary to start Rocky II with the last few minutes of Rocky.
• I was struck by how little Rocky talks in this flick in comparison to the endearing chatterbox of the first. Maybe it was brain damage.
• The scrappy, indie feel of the first film is traded for spectacle and bombast that plagues the successive sequels.

Conclusion

While not as down to earth and endearing as the first, Rocky II definitely has moments. It’s good enough that I can understand why Rocky III was inevitable.

IMBD: Rocky II
Wikipedia: Rocky II
Rotten Tomatoes: Rocky II 67%