Movie #15 of 2026: Creed III (2023) Can you make a Rocky movie without Rocky Balboa? This latest release in the saga proves that you can, although his absence in the final act is rather conspicuous. Before that, our newer hero Adonis Creed spends most of the picture in retirement, rendering it more plausible that …
Tag Archives: Rocky
Movie Review: Creed II (2018)
Movie #14 of 2026: Creed II (2018) Rocky IV (1985) was the low point of the original Rocky movies, but it ended up representing an important piece of the backstory for the spinoff Creed (2015). As such, I suppose it’s fitting that this next installment in the saga continues to draw from that source, this …
Movie Review: Creed (2015)
Movie #12 of 2026: Creed (2015) An unexpected franchise spinoff that swiftly establishes its own unique vision around a different protagonist played by an outstanding Michael B. Jordan. The Rocky movies ended for the natural reason of the titular character’s advancing age, and it was already silly in 2006, thirty years after his debut, to …
Movie Review: Rocky Balboa (2006)
Movie #10 of 2026: Rocky Balboa (2006) Any story that restarts a dormant franchise carries an additional burden of justification that immediate sequels lack. The first five Rocky movies had their ups and downs, but together they formed a cohesive unit about the life and career of a Philadelphia boxer from roughly 1976 to 1990. …
Movie Review: Rocky V (1990)
Movie #9 of 2026: Rocky V (1990) This fifth Rocky movie has a reputation as a franchise-killer, performing poorly at the box office compared to its predecessors and likewise receiving worse marks from critics. (It didn’t wind up ending the series entirely, but another 16 years would have to pass before the next installment was …
Movie Review: Rocky IV (1985)
Movie #8 of 2026: Rocky IV (1985) There’s the seed of a good idea in this movie when Apollo Creed, by now close friends with his former rival Rocky, is killed in the ring while boxing against their latest opponent. (It is, notably, the thread that filmmaker Ryan Coogler would later pick up for his …
Movie Review: Rocky III (1982)
Movie #7 of 2026: Rocky III (1982) “Eye of the Tiger” is a great song, but I’m not sure in the final analysis if Rocky III is a great movie or not. Length isn’t always a determination of that, but this one shaves about 20 minutes off the runtime of its predecessors, resulting in a …
Movie Review: Rocky II (1979)
Movie #6 of 2026: Rocky II (1979) Rocky (1976) was a genuine cultural sensation that deservedly launched its writer and lead actor Sylvester Stallone into Hollywood stardom. Expectations would thus have been pretty high for this sequel, in which he returns to those roles while also picking up directing duties, but in my opinion, it …
Movie Review: Rocky (1976)
Movie #5 of 2026: Rocky (1976) The original Rocky film is one of those neat pieces of media where the on-screen plot aligns nicely with the behind-the-scenes story. Viewers get to see a poor boxer plucked from obscurity to fight the heavyweight champion in a nationally-televised bout, going further than anyone thought possible thanks to …
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