Rocky series ranked best to worst

yea, and the street fight wasn't a good move...should have been in the ring...Tommy played a great ahole! too bad he passed so young. very sad.

 

Let’s see. Going by story and pure enjoyment:

Rocky
Rocky II
Rocky Balboa
Creed
Rocky IV
Rocky III


Rocky V

 

Rocky. Stunning debut. Perfect ending.
Rocky IV. See below.
Creed - loved it. Could have done w/o the cancer.
Rocky II. I just had to see him win.
III
V
RB

Over-the-top and loving it and why I dig IV so much.

 

Bits and pieces of the other 6.

 

Yes! I love 4 as well. Pure 80s goodness.


I've seen 1 through 5, but not the new ones. 1 is a legit great movie, and 4 is incredibly entertaining. 5 is without question the worst of the bunch. 2 and 3 are both rather mediocre in my opinion, but I'll give the edge to 3 based on Mr. T. So: 1, 4, 3, 2, 5.

 

gotcha...6 (Rocky Balboa)is great you should finish it...

 

And of course:

Rocky = Werner
Ali = Apollo

So the wrestler/boxer match continued to mine the life of Wepner.

 

IMO, I thought Rocky was Wepner. the above Werner is a typo?
Apollo most def Ali! LOL.

 

I have seen the first four so many times that I feel like I know them all by heart. I pretty much rank them in order:

I
II
III
IV
V
Rocky Balboa

I have not seen Creed.

Rocky Balboa was probably better than V, but it was so many years later than it seemed far too different from the original run. It just didn't have the rewatchability factor that the earlier films all have. V isn't that good, but it does have some great scenes and some awesome lines.

 

Creed 2 is coming out around Thanksgiving.

 

Pass.

 

fine...: )

 

OK thanks...

 

Even V has it’s moments. No doubt. Much like Star Trek V has some great scenes. I own both for the completist in me.

Rewatching them though, yeah not so much.

 

There are several parts that I like though...the Mickey flashback and most importantly (get up cause Mickey Loves ys!).....YO! I didn't hear no bell! One more round!

 

yes...nice!

 

Rocky III is a hoot -- super fun. Mr. T seemed like a breakout star in that role, so entertaining. I haven't watched any other Rocky flick in 35 years or more apart from seeing V for a laugh (and not even getting that). Honestly, I think it mainly appeals to someone who could appreciate '80s professional wrestling; Clubber Lang was the ultimate "heel" that you rooted for because he was so much fun, like Roddy Piper. "I reject the challenge from Balboa, because Balboa is no challenge. But I will be more than happy to beat up on him some more."

 

I have seen the first 3 so many times, I have honestly lost count. While I know III does not receive the critical acclaim the first two do, I love the Clubber Lang character.

I rank them:

1. Rocky (a masterpiece)
2. Rocky II (you knew a sequel was coming and Rocky would win)
3. Rocky III (Mr. T stole that movie, and is the only true antagonist)

For the rest of the series, I checked out after watching the absolute comedic (in a bad way) and dreadful Rocky IV. Nothing like a couple of montages to “destroy” a movie. Although James Brown rocked (no pun intended) in his Rocky IV performance.

Prediction if you watch the other Rocky movies:

 

Pretty close to mine, except mine is

1
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

Fair enough.
I liked Apollo and saw II as a kid when it was out.
It was different to one but then after they kept copying the mould (in some ways) and it wore out but not everyone noticed!

 

The trouble with the films after II is that Rocky is almost a completely different character to the one portrayed in the first two installments; in those films, he's a punch-drunk schmoe with heart, but from III onward, Stallone plays him like a different person altogether... not just his circumstances but his entire personality!

Can't remember much about Rocky Balboa, but I seem to remember he seemed more like the old Rocky than the later sequels. If Rocky is the ascent, Rocky II the inevitable descent (and having to fight his way back from the depths), then Balboa is a nice little epilogue to Rocky's story; not essential but a respectable last grace note.

 

Is Balboa the one he loses on points to the HW champ over 15 rounds after retirement?

 

I believe so... like I said, don't remember much about it, except that the final fight was a bit of a headache to watch in the editing department. Not at all like the concise editing of the earlier films...

 

Frankly, I don't care about any Rocky sequel after II because none of them did anything more substantive with the character and they became increasingly cartoonish... Rocky Balboa is clearly the better of the later sequels, but it's not really necessary, a little contrived in the reasons for getting him back in the ring, I don't like the digital grading look, and the final fight looks awful with the HD video cinematography and crazy editing decisions.

Creed was a far better extension/continuation to the Rocky saga than any film since II, it looked great and very natural in it's cinematography, Ryan Coogler is a terrific director, and Stallone gave the performance of his career... he should have called the cops on Oscar night 'cause he was systematically robbed of a golden statue for that performance (ditto Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler). That film would have been the perfect bookend to Rocky's story.

I'm thinking Creed II may feature Rocky's demise... Adrian's gone, Paulie's gone, he's battling cancer, and the last two films have seen a continuing thematic thread of mortality.

It'll be a sad moment when Rocky breathes his last onscreen, but kudos to Sly for creating such a resonant, beloved, and enduring character...