Most people who know me assume I’m hugely excited for the new Star Wars film being released next month. That goes without saying. However, those that really know me understand that the film being released today is probably the one for which I was slightly more excited: Creed, the seventh film in the Rocky saga.
(Little aside here before we get started-this is the first time a Rocky movie and a Star Wars movie are being released in the same year, let alone a month apart, and each one is the seventh film of both franchises. It's also worth noting that both films announced themselves each with a somewhat bombastic fanfare that they hadn't quite earned, yet somehow felt assured they would.)
Despite being a full-on sci-fi/comic book Geek, my all-time favorite film is the original Rocky. I’ve probably seen Rocky III and Rocky IV (two of the most watchable—if not necessarily the best—films in the series) maybe a hundred times each. With You Tube I can watch favorite scenes any time of the day or night whenever the spirit moves me (not on work time, or anything…)
Stallone’s lovable creation spoke to me on a level few fictional characters did. Whether or not he was wholly original, or based (at least partially) on scrappy club fighter (and one-time challenger of Muhammad Ali) Chuck Wepner is immaterial. Stallone struck cinematic gold with a character rooted in all the unrealized ambitions of his own life to that point.
Rocky seized on something primal in all of us: our frustrated desire to be something more, to attain something greater, to make our mark. That he was intellectually slow, but innately kind hearted, only increased his likability (and marketability), as well as our desire to see him win the fight, get the girl, and not be “just another bum from the neighborhood.”
The character’s popularity spawned an improbable six sequels stretched across 40 years. The series reached its apex of implausibility with Rocky IV, which, while eminently watchable, is little more than a populist revenge tale framed against the tensions of the Cold War, punctuated by endless montages and snappy (and mostly forgettable) 80s tunes.
Somewhere between Rocky III and IV, I discovered the magic of these films. I’m hazy on the details, but I think I saw Rocky II first (definitely not the original), then III, then I. I taped II and III off network television with my first VCR and couldn’t stop watching them. But when I saw the original, I realized the profound depths Stallone had reached with this character. As I said, the kindly pug spoke to me. His words resonated with a shy teenager who had yet to come into his own. Rocky was a loser, a ne’er do well. He missed the boat. He wasted his chance.
So when the totally random opportunity comes along to face the champ, coupled with the sweet, unsteady romance he finds with Adrian, who wouldn’t root for this guy who has not a single mean bone, or a hint of guile? Call the story audience manipulation at its finest, but for me it remains one of the most honest and endearing expressions of hope any film has ever put across.
As I said, my immersion into the series came shortly before Rocky IV was released, so while I see that film for what it is, I have a major soft spot for it. The anticipation for it (even in the pre-Internet age) reached a fever pitch for me in late 1985. Granted, I was 15, and didn’t have much going on at the time except the endless consumption of movies which I copied relentlessly with my two VCRs. Prior to that, my buddy Ed would haul his ancient machine to my house and we would bang two or three copies out a day.
My Dad took Ed and me to see Rocky IV on a grey November afternoon, almost 30 years to this very day. I remember the theater being packed, people going nuts, and getting exactly what I hoped for. The film was preachy, implausible, and jingoistic, with a story so thin it was about to snap, but by now Stallone knew how to deliver what his audience wanted. Rocky IV cemented my love for the series.
When it came out on home video, it was released with the infamous Macrovision copy protection system, which threatened to foil my efforts at obtaining a pristine VHS copy. Undeterred, I petitioned my friend Ray to tape it for me the first night it aired on Pay-Per-View (a very new concept back in early 1986). I was relentless, reminding him of it constantly, praying he would be able to (he wasn’t exactly in control of his family’s media center). He came through for me, and it became without doubt, my most watched tape ever. (The fact I’m not devoting much ink to II and III shouldn’t imply I feel they are lesser entries-I love them both).
Five years later, Rocky V was released, and while I was thrilled, the anticipation was not as great (read: I had a girlfriend) and the film unfortunately landed with a thud. It was a back-to-basics “Rocky loses it all” story that felt (and was) inauthentic. it is the nadir of the series. Did I watch it scores of times? Sure I did. Rocky is Rocky. The story was weak, but he was still my guy. However, there was no doubt in my mind that we’d seen the last of him.
Stallone’s fortunes rose and fell over the next decade and a half, and by 2005 his career was on the skids. I began hearing talk of a new Rocky film, but no one would give him the time of day, and the very thought of another Rocky brought the naysayers and hecklers out in droves. Thanks to some regime changes at MGM, the right executive took the meeting and greenlit Rocky Balboa, the film Stallone had wished Rocky V was.
This was the true riches to rags story because Stallone had lived it. He had become the joke of Hollywood, starring in straight to video garbage, guest starring on TV (anathema to movie stars back then), and even getting involved with reality television.
He proved everyone wrong with Rocky Balboa, which turned out to be a wonderful bookend to the original. You could watch only the first film and this one, and glean all you needed to know about the character. Stallone made the daring (and wise) decision to kill Adrian, thus bringing Rocky to his knees. Bereft of almost everything, he feels the need one last time to stand up and be counted.
Rocky Balboa contains my favorite line in the entire series. Rocky berates his son who feels as though living in his father’s shadow has prevented him from attaining his life goals, which does not sit well with the elder Balboa. He tells him, “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.” I love that line. I think of it often.
I loved Rocky Balboa. It was a perfect end to the series. It was the way the series was meant to end. It’s a love letter from Stallone to the fans, executed brilliantly with the just the right blend of nostalgia and warmth. It feels real. It has a wonderful message.
So when Creed came along, I was stunned. It’s been almost ten years. Stallone said he had finished Rocky’s story. However, this story is not his creation. Young director Ryan Coogler, fresh off the success of Fruitvale Station, brought his idea to Stallone, who was initially very skeptical.
However, he became convinced that another chapter had yet to be written. Rocky had something left to say, even if his words were written by someone else.
I was going to wait to post this until I actually see Creed, so I could add an authentic reaction, but who are we kidding? It wouldn’t take much for me to love it, just hitting all the right beats would’ve been enough, but the reviews have been nothing short of stellar, and I am dumbfounded at the notion that the seventh film in any franchise is generating Oscar buzz. (I’ll probably weigh in at some point after I see it).
I have loved fictional characters before, but none of them were “regular people.” All my heroes could fly, smash through walls, spin webs, teleport, captain a starship, or wield a light saber. They were often the strongest guy in the room.
Rocky is the only one whose greatest strength was simply his will, and a desire to move the needle forward. I feel like he’s been speaking to me almost my entire life. I’ve been watching and rewatching these films for more than 30 years, and I never tire of them. They are the ultimate pick me up, a source of unending inspiration and motivation.
At the end of the day, Rocky is just like the rest of us. In fact, he is all of us: edging his way through life, hoping to achieve something better, wanting to love and be loved. The odds are often stacked against him. He faces obstacles. He endures crushing loss. He gets knocked down, often.
So, why do I love him so much?
Easy.
He gets right back up.
So how was Creed????
Creed was everything I hoped it would be. While it certainly honored its Rocky DNA, it's not a Rocky film. It transcends a Rocky film. Rocky is a supporting character, a crucial, integral supporting character, but one nonetheless. Michael B. Jordan is the real deal. He's A-list all the way and his bright future is assured. Stallone gives perhaps the most subtle, heartrending performance of his much maligned career. All the Rocky beats are there, all the callbacks to earlier films are there. Nothing is ignored. The past is fleshed out in a way it never was in any prior installment, The fight choreography is incredible.
If this is the end of the line I'm ok with it, but I can't help but feel this will beget a new franchise, which I'm also ok with. It is hands down the best since the original. If you're going to hate on this film, do me a favor and hate on it AFTER you've seen it. If not, then do me a favor and keep quiet.
And by the way, Apollo won.
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Rocky Speaks To His Son About Life
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