How do you introduce a movie like Rocky? Who doesn't know at least a rough smattering of information on the film that launched Sylvester Stallone into stardom, and would become one of the most imitated movies going, feature one of the most distinctive score's ever and generally become a pop culture staple.

I can't remember when the first time I viewed Rocky was, I had probably seen most of the sequels before it. The first viewing where I was old enough to really take things in was only a few years back when the UK Cable Channel Bravo screened the entire series over the Christmas holidays. I was quite shocked by the ending, and that it certainly broke from what I had grown accustomed to thinking the Rocky series mould was.

Im sure you all know the story, but I'll offer a brief summary. A down and out Philadelphia boxer named Rocky Balboa(Stallone - Escape to Victory) is going nowhere with his life, when by pure luck he is picked by Heavyweight champion Apollo Creed(Carl Weathers - Predator) to take him on for the title in a thanksgiving special, purely on the basis that he likes his nickname, 'The Italian Stallion',.
The movie follows Rocky, as he trains for the fight, and has to juggle the media attention, under the guidance of trainer Mickey(Burgess Meredith - TV's Batman), who never got his shot, and all the while trying to juggle his private life and his girlfriend Adrian(Talia Shire - The Godfather), with her abusive brother Paulie(Burt Young - Amityville 2:The Possession), as he aims to go the distance with Apollo, something no man has done before.

People can take as many shots as they like at the plot of Rocky, say it's cliched, feelgood rubbish if you like. Im willing to stand up for it until the end. Rocky is a masterpiece in almost every aspect in my eyes. The plot may not be Earth shattering in it's originality, but I can't think of a film that even comes close to matching how well Rocky works with it's plot. The film wins points in my book for the ending which doesn't take Rocky's victories too far, and for the characters. You see, I would say that the characters in Rocky are some of the best in any film I've seen, in that they are actually more than 1 Dimensional. Take Gazzo, the loan shark whom Rocky works for as a heavy at the beginning of the movie. He isn't portrayed as all that nice a guy, and nor should he be, he's a loan shark. But the plot doesn't just make him out to be nasty either. He donates money to Rocky for training, telling him he deserves a break, and even shows up to cheer him on at the fight. These take the character from being more than a nasty loan shark, and actually into a character.
This applies to all of the main cast, and the film also has the sense not to over-villify Creed,nor ever settle on any real stance for Paulie, and while this may put some people off, for me it adds a sense of realism. Few people in life are as straightforward as characters in movies, action ones especially, and for a movie to treat it's characters as well as this makes it a real standout in my book.
You can also comlplain about the cliches, but the truth is that Rocky is probably responsible for a lot of these cliches, because so many movies have ripped it off, with it's wonderful training sequences and so on. The fact that the film is rather feel-good also puts some people off. Why this is I don't know, it is really so bad to not be depressed every so often?
Where Rocky really succeeds, is that it taps into things everyone has and wants. Everyone has a dream of some sort, and everyone would love a chance to live out this dream. That is what Rocky is about, as soppy as that sounds, the film's story could not be made any better in my eyes, it's possibly rather simple, but so very effective.


The acting is also of an excellent standard. Stallone puts in a performance that would overshadow his entire career, and no matter how hard he could try to shake it, which isn't something he ever did, he will always be remembered for this role. He brings Rocky to life as a loveable thicko, given his chance and unsure of what to do with it. He isn't an over the top hardman here, not in terms of character anyway, and Stallone did himself proud with this role.
The fact that he had absolutely wonderful support in the form of Shire,Weathers,Meredith and Young also helps. Shire captures the essence of Adrian superbly, taking her from the shy and retiring geek, to a far more open character, without taking things too far.

I don't think there is much I can say about Bill Conti's score other than it's sublime. The immortal 'Gonna Fly Now' training theme, is perfect. It captures the mood in a way nothing I've heard prior or since can ever hope to achieve. When things take a turn for the more melancholy, there is also the version of it played slowly on a piano, which proves how wonderful it is, that the same tune is good enough to play in two hugely different situations, under different circumstances and still comes accross as nothing but wonderful.

On the whole, I feel that from the ground up, Rocky is simply one of the few films that can make an honest claim to perfectly achieve what it set out for, and even surpass. There is no way Stallone could ever have hoped in his wildest dreams that his little picture would even get nominated for an Academy Award, let alone win one, which makes it one of the few movies I wholeheartedly like to do so.

I would recommend Rocky to anyone. It may be a little too feel-good in the eyes of some, but if you ever need lifted up, given a little hope in the form of a great movie, then there really isn't anywhere to look but Rocky. I watched this as part of the DVD box-set of the series, and even if the rest were terrible, the price of the set would be worth it for the privelidge of owning this wonderful movie.
I can't give Rocky anything other than the full marks this place allows you to give. One of the only movies I can watch repeated times and never grow weary of proceedings. I defy anyone not to be firmly rooting for Rocky in the fight, and not smiling after taking in a viewing.


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Rocky for XBox

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening