1. Rocky III - This clearly is not the best Rocky movie based on pure cinematic standards. It clearly is the most fun. It still has the beloved full cast in tact. It has a tremendous, easily hatable villain. It has Rocky and Apollo joining forces and running on the beach. It has the heart wrenching passing of Mickey. THUNDERLIPS! Plus it is a tremendously relatable story where the once hungry champion has gotten complacent and ends up getting mauled by the new up and comer. What more do you need? "PREDICTION? PAIN!"
2. Rocky - Now, this is technically the best movie of the bunch. A brilliant script, beautiful cinematography and a setting that perfectly captures the lower class society of the 1970s. Plus, we get a nice dose of Gazzo. I also love the brilliance of not having Rocky defeat Creed in their battle as Rocky just going the distance and proving he wasn't just a club fighting bum was his ultimate goal. "YOU'RE GONNA EAT LIGHTNING AND YOU'RE GONNA CRAP THUNDER!"
3. Rocky IV - We complete our descent into absurdity here. One of my favorite running themes of this series is how Rocky's life and the overall setting closely mirrors society at the time it is filmed. Here, Rocky is an affluent champion that lives in a mansion and is benefiting from the decadence and fat cat lifestyle of the 80s. That all is rendered useless when the roided up Russian (again, in tune with the time period) kills Creed and Rocky heads to Russia to end the Cold War. Lots of fun here, especially if you allow yourself to be washed over in jingoism and ignore the nonsensical plot. It was the Big 80s after all. "YOU CAN'T WIN!"
4. Rocky Balboa - I was so hyped for this movie. And it delivered. I love the slant they took as they didn't try to sell it as Rocky still being some legit fighter. It was the story of a retired legend being dragged back into the spotlight by the current culture and obsession with "dream matches" and TV ratings and PPV box office. The stuff with his son was well done too and of course, his inspirational speeches to both his offspring and the athletic board were classic Balboa. Paulie was in vintage form here and we even got a Spider Rico cameo! Plus, Rocky totally nailed Little Marie after his big fight. "IT'S NOT ABOUT HOW HARD YOU CAN HIT!"
5. Rocky II - The gap between the top five on this list is very narrow. I wouldn't complain if you had Rocky II much higher. For me, it is just a victim of circumstance. It is a great movie with another great story and a strong payoff with Rocky besting Creed and taking home the gold. Carl Weathers was a force in this movie, owning the Creed role with gravitas and treading the line between hatable villain and relatable GOAT perfectly. "YO, ADRIAN...I DID IT!"
6. Rocky V - This really isn't as bad as you may be led to believe. But on the Rocky scale, it isn't good. It was also the first Rocky movie I saw in the theatre. As 1990 dawned, one of the biggest plagues to many athletes was shady business managers and poor investment planning. And Rocky was not immune. Having lost all his fortune and now suffering from serious brain issues due to years of abuse, Rocky and Adrian were relegated to his old apartment and their previous jobs. And his son feels ignored due to Rocky's relationship with Tommy Gunn. Rocky being torn between reclaiming glory with Tommy while ignoring his kid getting bullied at school was actually pretty well done. Plus there is some good reflection on Micky with Rocky assuming his old role. Sure there is no in ring fight for Rocky, but we get a decent brawl in the street. Plus we also get to enjoy a blatant Don King ripoff character. There are some moments here, but it easily checks in as the worst Rocky movie and it was a great move to erase the bad taste of it with Rocky Balboa over 15 years later. "MICK USED TO SAY THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HERO AND A COWARD IS THE HERO'S WILLING TO GO FOR IT!"
This originally ran November 2015
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