Maybe not the 'best'. That doesn't mean anything. But I really like them. They're funny (Rocky's malapropisms and oxymorons are on par with Yogi Berra's), inspirational, and about so much more than just boxing. (Even though 'inspiration' is a lie, it seems somehow necessary. That feels weird to write—a 'necessary' lie—as I don't believe in [g]od, and find the idea of [g]od not only an unnecessary lie, but a dangerous one.) I don't even like boxing, any sports really. But I really like Rocky movies. The speech below, from Rocky Balboa (Rocky VI), as well as others from the Rocky series, have 'gotten me through' some 'rough times':
2 comments:
Rocky's good stuff. Of course the series worsened as they churned out the sequels, but the latest made up for V. I wish they would've called the latest Rambo John Rambo to coincide with Rocky Balboa--a fitting end for both characters.
Rocky's good stuff, indeed, Jason. The first Rocky was probably 'the best', so I think you're right that the sequels declined in quality. (As a kid I liked Rocky IV a lot, but watching it again in my late teens-early twenties I realized what an overt piece of Cold-War propaganda it was.)
I think I read somewhere that Stallone wanted the entire Rocky series to be a life-portrait, so regardless of plot each succeeding film would just be another installment of a life, like we wake up tomorrow and not everything is awesome. We needed to see people around him dying, or something (first Mickey, then Apollo, then Adrian for this last film), and that's another one of my favorite quotes from the last film: "The older I get, the more I gotta leave behind--that's life."
Yeah, that would've been cool if he named the last Rambo John Rambo. It would've been a fitting end. Although, not the end of Rocky, apparently, as, according to the Rocky film series Wikipedia page, Stallone is planning a Rocky VII, which will be more like mixed martial arts rather than boxing. I'm not sure how that will turn out.
Post a Comment