Review of Rocky II (1979) by Danny O — 28 Feb 2015

With the first Rocky being such an inspirational sports classic, Rocky II was surely a film that demanded viewing.

Unlike most sequels, Rocky II is not unnecesarry and nor is it a rehash of the first film. As Rocky ends with the fight between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed being a tie, the fate is somewhat ambiguous. Rocky II continues straight from there, and with another strong screenplay from Sylvester Stallone it easily succeeds. Rocky II reminds us of Rocky Balboa's imperfections which prevent him from progressing in the world that just sees him as a great boxer. We see him try to settle his life down with a basic job, just so that he can sustain a marriage and family. This plays on the human side of the film, reminding us that Rocky Balboa is a human and not a machine. He cares too much about his wife to risk his life in the ring, but when it comes to his financial needs and his pride he is left with no other choice. Although the supporting characters aren't explored all that much as all the focus is around Rocky himself, Rocky II pays tribute to the man by showing exactly why his determination to box is not about a career, it is about survival. The grit is all there all over again because we see Rocky Balboa falling victim to the harsh nature of the world as it is before going back to face the immortalized tiebreaker match of the first film. As a sequel, Rocky II is the perfect resolution for the Academy Award winning classic due to its treatment of the main character and the way that it honours him with a worthy story which continues on with the edge of the original film, adding new plot points to the narrative. And ensuring that the script itself is fully embraced, Sylvester Stallone himself takes over the directorail duties of Rocky II. Proving that his brilliant understanding of the material, Sylvester Stallone's sequel has the exact same feel as its predecessor which goes to show that he is nearly as good a director as John G. Avildsen whose work on Rocky won him an Academy Award. He nails the story and he gives the tale its perfect sense of style, capturing the strong scenery and impeccably choreographed fight scenes of Rocky II. To put it simply, Rocky II contains enough of the powerful elements in the first Rocky to be a worthy sequel while maintaining enough of its own creative plot points to stand alone as a good film of its own right. It doesn't have the same refreshing originality or character depth as the first Rocky, but it works to continue the legacy of the film appropriately and leave open enough room to keep the series going.

Though the musical score of Rocky II is essentially the same as the first film, it does not feel stale at all. The music is cleverly implemented into the film in the perfect moments, emphasizing the emotional elements of the character driven moments and the inspiration of the energetic training sequences.

And with new material, the cast are set up to face new challenges. But none of them have any problem facing them.

Sylvester Stallone returns to his iconic role for another winning perfomance as the legendary boxer. With the same incredible skill for throwing a punch every which way but loose, Sylvester Stallone steps back into the ring incredibly well. The same goes for the training sequences due to his incredible strenth as a human being. But again, he does not play it shallow. Sylvester Stallone puts the humanity into Rocky Balboa once again by making viewers feel even more sympathy for him due to his inability to adjust to the real world after his one true moment of career success. Seeing Rocky go from a sports icon straight back to a working class man struggling in the world headlines the fact that no matter what, he is always going to be the Italian Stallion, and his gradual realization of that which the story makes him confront is done very well. Sylvester Stallone remains as emotionally invested as ever in his iconic role, implementing in both a sense of reluctance and passion without ever losing sight of his humble humanity, really managing to remind us of the touching depth that elevated the first film beyond some of its predictabilities. Sylvester Stallone works as writer and director of Rocky II perfectly, adding more to it with his skillful performance.

Carl Weathers really steps up his game for Rocky II. Being so much more key to the story this time around, Carl Weathers is given more screen time and a lot more material to work with. This time, the egotism of his character clashes with his damaged pride as a result of the plot points of the first film, really intensifying his emotions and unleasing a sense of anger. Carl Weathers pushes his character's egotism in Rocky II, not so much to a cocky demeanour but predominantly to an agressive result. Carl Weathers really makes his character a strong one in Rocky II by justifying his quantity of screen time with remarkable charisma and passion for tje part. Carl Weather's tackles his character as well as he tackles the fight scenes, grasping the emotional state of his role as well as the physical challenge of fighting the Italian stallion. Carl Weathers improves over his performance in the first film when he plays Apollo Creed in Rocky II, showing how he has developed as an actor and just what he can do with an extended role, nailing his line delivery as well as he nails his punches.

And returning cast members Talia Shire and Burt Young stay as strong as ever as their characters, but it is once again Burgress Meredith who really lights up the screen by shooting his agressive passion for Mickey Goldman at Rocky and at audiences. His energy is unstoppable.

So although Rocky II is not as revolutionary as Rocky, it is a thoroughly worthy sequel which is inspiring, touching and gritty like the first film with a perfect cast and another strong script from Sylvester Stallone.