Rating the Rocky Movies: Part I
I love the Rocky franchise. The movies range from classics to great popcorn entertainment. When I was younger, the fights did it for me. It was just about the entertainment. But as I’ve gotten older it’s been about the substance. It’s a rare thing when a sporting movie can blend the two and find that balance. Over the next two weeks, I’m going to rate the Rocky-universe movies, going from my least favourite to my most favourite. There’ll be spoilers: so don’t read on unless you’ve seen all eight movies, or you don’t care about them being spoiled. Here goes … 8. Creed II Synopsis: Now champion, Adonis Creed…
Creed
I’ve always loved fight movies, even though the fight genre is usually formulaic and predictable, e.g. an underdog will enter some sort of fight game, come good, and – more often than not – win. This is where the recent Southpaw (2015) – starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, and Forest Whitaker – didn’t work. Gyllenhaal played Billy Hope, an undefeated champion sitting on a 44–0 record. When a personal tragedy derails his career, he enlists trainer Tick Wills (Whitaker) to help him train, regain his title, and get his life back on track and rescue his daughter from welfare. This story is the antithesis of the fight movie formula. Hope…