Rocky 2
The art of the sequel was something that was often derided by critics back in the day, at least until the unholy modern day horror of remakes became more and more a Hollywood reality. This follow up to the 1976 groundbreaker that created an unforgettable lead character and made Sylvester Stallone into a major worldwide star, is certainly one of the best of its kind ever made, mainly by improving on several key aspects of the first film (which is not as nearly untouchable as many might think and hasn’t really aged all that well). Stallone not only once again writes the script here, but takes over directorial duties from John G. Avildson, and that is an improvement in and of itself, whereas Avildson tried to have it both ways by giving a gritty, Scorsese like feel to the story while still keeping it in family friendly (read: unrealistic) mode, Stallone goes all out for the flashy, stylized feel that would come to define his later career and yet still take the PG approach to the writing which makes the whole thing that much more palatable than the original (keeping in mind that Stallone wrote the first film as an R-rated piece until Avildson watered it down). The story begins immediately after the first fight, as Rocky and World Champ Apollo Creed are rushed to the hospital both in severe condition (Rocky’s eye is busted and Apollo’s ribs are broken like twigs). Once there, Creed is obviously embarrassed by the scorecard win over an unknown and openly challenges Rocky to a rematch in front of the media. Rocky though is adamant about retiring and starting a normal life by marrying Adrian after he leaves the hospital. Of course, the scene after they leave the hospital is when we notice the movie’s one major flaw, as even though the events take place right after the first film, we notice Stallone’s hair is now immaculately styled and coifed, a look Rocky never had in the first movie, as well as the fact that Burt Young’s Paulie has suddenly lost a considerable amount of weight (a fact noted by Rocky at one point, but strange considering we notice it in the hospital scenes at the beginning during the night of the first fight). Meanwhile, Creed stews in his own juices as he endures the criticism from his performance in his first fight with Rock, ultimately deciding to launch a media campaign taunting Rocky to come out of his “normal” life and agree to a rematch, an easy decision for Rocky since without boxing he can barely make ends meet. One problem though: Adrian (now pregnant) is against the idea of Rocky fighting again for fear he might get REALLY badly injured. So much so that when confronted by her brother Paulie, she temper tantrums herself into premature delivery and a coma, leading to the greatest scene in franchise history when she awakes (everyone will know it when they see it). One smart move made by Stallone was giving a LOT more screen time to Burgess Meredith as Mickey, the crusty old trainer who was great in the first movie, but nearly steals the show here as he cusses out Rock constantly with a number of highly amusing bits. Everything of course leads up to the big fight at the end, with an arena actually packed legit to the rafters with people for the big showdown (the wonders of a higher budget), and the battle between Rocky and Apollo may or may not contain the same emotional highs of the first one (you be the judge), but certainly more actual FOOTAGE is on display along with the first ever use in the series of slow motion (a technique pioneered by Stallone in his previous film and directorial debut, Paradise Alley, which was about pro wrestling), and the fight’s incredible conclusion, presented for maximum impact, provides an almost euphoric release that the first film didn’t quite pull off and can almost be classified as the ultimate happy ending (or was it?). Overall, a sequel that beats the original in almost every way, as directed by the guy who knew these characters better than anyone else and paved the way for the various sequels and franchises to have come from Hollywood since…
9/10