Review of Rocky II (1979) by Margarita S — 31 May 2016

After the massive success of the first film, Sly and the cast all return for the sequel that follows the re-match between Apollo and Rocky and feels like the logical continuation of the story. Rocky 2 is in my opinion, a true sequel, in that it picks up right after the events of the first film and actually takes our characters to different places as their lives have now been changed from the previous events.

Not being used to wealth and fame, Rocky becomes addicted to a lavish lifestyle that he can't control and before he knows what hit him, he's been taken advantage of and has to go back to working at the gym as he's lost everything.

Rocky's character is very selfish in this film and his arrogance comes to a head when his pregnant wife, Adrian, is forced to go back to work to support their losses and ultimately collapses into a coma due to the strain.

This dramatic punch hits you like a sledgehammer and the stakes of the film are forever raised. From here, Rocky has to come out of his proclaimed retirement and get back in shape for the rematch; problem is he's suffered a blinding injury to his eye and Mickey refuses to train him.

This is the first film in the franchise that Stallone also directed and you can feel his passion for the story as he knows the character better than anyone and deserves to helm the franchise. This film is a terrific companion-piece to the original classic and it adds new layers to the characters that some sequels wouldn't consider tackling; it falls into the formulaic tropes of the underdog sports film by the end, but the journey getting there is completely earned!