Rocky series ranked best to worst

Adrian too. She seems like three completely different people in the first 3 films.

I think it is interesting though how the Rocky character mirrors Stallone in his real life and career in each of the first 3 movies.

 

This is easy. Just rank them in chronological order for me. I love I - IV and just like the rest. However Rocky I is on a whole different level than the others and is one of the best films ever made in my opinion.

Rocky
II
III
IV
V
Rocky Balboa
Creed

 

The first one was the best by far,but of course our tough guy[Stallone]couldn't leave well enough alone.

 

I really like Rocky V. I don't know why people hate that one so much.

But I tend to like all of them and probably can't rate them because to me they are all #1.

 

I like em all. However...here is my ranking.

ROCKY (probably my favorite sports related movie of all time. Heck...one of my favorites period. It all feels so authentic and real. )

ROCKY II -decent sequel and feels very much like a part two of the previous story.
ROCKY BALBOA- great performances and surprisingly touching. A great ending note.
CREED- A neat reinvention of the franchise that brings Rocky's character full circle. I agree he should have won for best supporting actor.

(I think of those four as the essential arc for Rocky and the core of his story. Those four movies taken together tell a pretty powerful story of 40 years of a life.)


IV- over the top cheese but entertaining cheese. " I must break you." "If he dies...he dies." and look, James Brown!

III-MR T steals the movie. Otherwise a disappointment BUT...Mickey's passing always gets me in the feels. That mournful cry from Rocky after Mickey breathes his last... plus....EYE OF THE TIGER!


V. It was an earnest attempt to get the series back to its roots...but the script lets it down and not to speak ill of the dead...but Sage Stallone was not a very good actor.I mean at all. The only Rocky to have very little rewatch value.

 

Tommy Morrison and the guy that played the Don King rip off were both the best parts of V. The rest was just a huge step down. I mean III and IV had a pure popcorn entertainment value going that distracted from the lacking script. V had the weak script and very little entertainment value. Even Sly Stallone and Talia Shire felt like they were starting to phone it in.

 

I agree...but, if they would have fought in the ring instead of the ridiculous street fight R5 would have been a whole new ball game...I felt cheated...

 

I would just like to say that the chicken scene alone in II makes it very worthy.

 

IMO, the franchise ended perfectly with Rocky Balboa...

 

I agree...but CREED was damn great for what it is. You almost have to approach it as its own thing and it works as that. You can watch Creed and need not to have seen the past films to enjoy it. Everything you need to know is in CREED itself. However, if youve seen the others it just feels like the next chapter in that world. I was prepared to dislike it because I felt at first it before watching it that it was a needless milking of a story that RB ended well, but it worked so well on its own that I loved it. It was Adonis Creed's story we were following now, but Rocky got his due. He's basically Mickey now. The difference is though unlike Mickey, we saw Rocky's story unfold in the past.

 

I loved it too, but it's a bittersweet end to the career of Rock or taken as a lift for his old age...either way I loved it...looking forward to Creed 2, but I'd would have really loved if they made a movie with Rocky's son played by Milo who looked and played the part of Rocky's son perfectly...a he's quite pumped up these days..it would be cool...

 

Yeah...if it actually ended in the ring...even if it was, say a makeshift spur of the moment match in the old ring at Mickey's run down gym then it would have worked a bit better.The rest of the movie was dull but that could have given it a bit more rewatch value.

 

exactly...but Rocky has to end in the RING!

 

The only beef I have with CREED is that Rocky Jr up and abandoned Rocky completely and based on the dialogue in the movie they aren't on good terms. It seemed like that the ending of RB left them in a good place. I know it's probably because they couldn't get Milo back but they could have at least had it so Rocky Jr and Rocky were at least on good terms even if he had to move away for career reasons.

 

yes I agree...not a smart move...RJ was proud of his Dad and amazed...OK, here we go Rocky Jr. Vs Creed! LOL...

 

I don't like it much - it comes with a slew of problems - but I also don't see how it's worse than the other sequels.

It's not a good movie, but it's probably a little better than 2-4...

 

I'd have it something like this, well at least 1 is 1 and 5 is last!

 

Easy.

Rocky
II
III
IV
V
Rocky Balboa
Creed

The original and it's sequel are essential.
Parts 3 and 4 are fun cheesy 80s movies.
5 is not very good, but not the total trainwreck many make it out to be.
Rocky Balboa is a film that just didn't need to be made and also ignores the major plot point of part 5.
Creed I just didn't care about.

 

To be fair, I don't think many people were all that upset that an aspect of V was being ignored, because the general consensus seems to be that Rocky Balboa was a better note to end on than V.

Also the only reason really that they brought in the " if you get in the ring again you may die!" plotline was that the original draft of V ended with Rocky dying. In fact I think that was still the intended ending until about two thirds of the way into production when the either Stallone, MGM or both had second thoughts about killing Rocky off and changed it.

Also given that it was set 20 years apart, one could draw the conclusion that given time Rocky's brain had healed enough that he was out of immediate danger of dying in the ring. Also keep in mind the boxing commission in the film did reject his application for a license to box in Philadelphia BECAUSE of his past brain damage. So it wasn't really ignored.

 

Rocky III (1st Rocky film I remember seeing in a theater)
Rocky IV
Rocky
Rocky Balboa
Rocky II
Rocky V

 

Rocky
Rocky 4
Creed
Rocky 3
Rocky 2
Rocky Balboa
Rocky 5

 

My only real issue with Creed is that it showed renowned southpaw Rocky Balboa writing with his right hand. We lefties notice that sort of thing.

As regards the series 2, 1 and 5 were the best, in that order, with Creed next. I loved 4 when I saw it as a kid but it hasn’t stood the test of time. I haven’t seen 3 or Balboa so can’t comment.

 

Speaking of Rocky...

 

I also hated Rocky 5. I feel like Rocky Balboa is what we should have gotten in its place.

 

He should have stopped after the first film.