ROCKY V (1990)

Maybe going over to Russia to fight Ivan Drago wasn't such a good idea after all.  Yeah, he avenged Apollo's death, ushered in world peace and probably cured terminal butt cancer, but he got the daylights knocked out of him to the point that now he's pretty much intellectually disabled and while he was out of the country his accountant ran off with all his money!  That's right.  Rocky is flat broke!  So now without two wooden nickels to rub together between his chiseled buttcheeks he has to move back to the 'hood and Adrian has to get her old job back at the pet store!  This doesn't make any sense to me.  You're telling me that the recently retired World Champion is so broke that he has to go live in Paulie's old rundown house and live off what his wife makes working minimum wage at a pet store!  Jesus Christ, can't the guy find somebody to ghostwrite a autobiography for him or something?

Rocky starts up Mickey's old gym again.  Most of the people that come to train are deadbeats, but this one dude Tommy has the eye of the tiger!  Grrrrr.  Meow!!!  Under Rocky's tutelage, Tommy makes his boxing debut (at the same boxing joint we first saw Rocky boxing at back in ye olde 1976) and then works his way up the ranks into the big leagues...but yet somehow no money is made and Rocky still lives in the ghetto.  Blinded by the bright lights of stardom, Tommy leaves Rocky and signs up with a Don King-style manager who promises him a big payday and a shot at the title.  Stuff happens and Tommy ends up in a street fight with Rocky.  What the hell?

I understand Stallone was going for a more realistic feel when he wrote this story, but whatever he had envisioned didn't end up on the screen...or maybe it did and what he envisioned was just shit.  Either way, ROCKY V is a disappointing film.  Stallone's acting isn't very good, the story is rubbish, the secondary story about his kid is boring, the big fight at the end was meh.  Required viewing if you wanna keep up with the story, but honestly it's barely even worth the effort to watch it.

Part 1 - Rocky (1976)
Part 2 - Rocky II (1979)
Part 3 - Rocky III (1982)
Part 4 - Rocky IV (1985)
Part 6 - Rocky Balboa (2006)
Part 7 - Creed (2015)
Part 8 - Creed II (2018)
Part 9 - Creed III

ROCKY III (1982)

This is the one with Mr. T in it.

After winning the championship at the end of Part II, Rocky goes on to defend his crown numerous times.  At the same time, a brutal up-and-comer (Mr. T as Clubber Lang) has been climbing the ranks.  With tons of money in the bank and some serious health issues, Rocky decides to retire.  This doesn't site well with the new top contender: Lang.  Lang starts talking so much shit that Rocky agrees to fight him.  Stuff happens and who else but Apollo Creed comes to help Rocky train for the big showdown with Mr. T.

Artistically it might not be up the the standards of the first Rocky film, but as far as entertainment goes III is a lot of fun.  Mr. T plays a great bad guy, the charity match with wrestler Hulk Hogan is awesome, the training with Apollo makes you wanna dropkick the TV and go run up and down the beach until your lungs explode and that ending ohhh sheeeiiiiitttt!!!  This movie has the eye of the tiger like a motherfucker!

Part 1 - Rocky (1976)
Part 2 - Rocky II (1979)
Part 4 - Rocky IV (1985)
Part 5 - Rocky V (1990)
Part 6 - Rocky Balboa (2006)
Part 7 - Creed (2015)
Part 8 - Creed II (2018)
Part 9 - Creed III

ROCKY II (1979)

ROCKY II takes off immediately where the original left off.  After recovering in the hospital, Rocky decides to retire from boxing because Adrian is very concerned about his health.  Rocky and Adrian get married and with the prize money they buy a small place to call home, but soon the money has run out and Rocky has to get a job.  Adrian even gets a part-time back at the pet store despite the fact that she's pregnant.

Fuel by mountains of hate mail and sports commentators talking shit about his poor performance in the last fight, Apollo Creed has become obsessed with getting a rematch with Balboa.  He turns away more lucrative matches and refuses to fight anybody until he can clear his name and prove to the world that the last fight was just a fluke.  Despite his financial troubles Balboa turns down repeated offers for a rematch.  Finally, he cannot take it anymore and agrees to fight.  Adrian is not happy.

Whenever I watch ROCKY I usually just toss in Part II and look at it as one continuous film.  And it's easy to do since they are hooked together so seamlessly.  Sometimes I get all crazy and just watch the first four all in one giant megapump.  Back to ROCKY II though, it's a great film.  I have no idea if Stallone ever intended for the story to continue on and that's why he ended the original at the exact moment that he did, but II seems like a very natural progression of the story.  Burgess Meredith is even greater in this film than he was in the original, the music is back, all of the original cast appear to be back, the workout montages are back, in fighting to overcome the odds are back, pretty much it's just a lot of old shit from the first film all over again, but it works and it's a great movie.  Highly recommended.

Part 1 - Rocky (1976)
Part 3 - Rocky III (1982)
Part 4 - Rocky IV (1985)
Part 5 - Rocky V (1990)
Part 6 - Rocky Balboa (2006)
Part 7 - Creed (2015)
Part 8 - Creed II (2018)
Part 9 - Creed III