Eye of the tiger!
A nostalgic look back at the Rocky series. Are we ready for a new era?
Sylvester Stallone was just another down on his luck actor when he came up with his most iconic character, Rocky Balboa. He knew he had something after inspiration hit and he locked himself in his home for three days to write Rocky. When shopping the script, he refused to sell it unless he also starred, doubling down on himself. This gamble would pay off by not only launch his career, but by winning three Oscars and spawn six sequels.
The first two films in the franchise told an underdog story. Rocky Balboa was not nothing more than a debt collector and club fighter when an opportunity of a lifetime came by not once, but twice. The next two focused on beating the best, the eye of the tiger. The fifth and sixth entries dealt with life outside of the ring. It wasn’t about how hard you hit, it was how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. Now the latest, Creed, is geared towards continuing a legacy.
While the series pulled in money at the box office, they have been far from critical darlings. They rely on very little plot and great boxing cinematography. After Rocky whimpered out in Rocky V, Stallone felt compelled to bring him out of retirement 16 years later. Rocky Balboa would put a better ending on the legacy, as even Stallone thought he was done portraying Rocky after 2006.
Creed doesn’t so much face a legacy of being a great film compared to the others in the series. The biggest challenge is if the audience will care about a boxer other than Rocky. The son of Apollo comes with a pedigree of greatness, though he struggles to capitalize on it. Is the compelling enough to usher in a new era of Rocky films? To celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the most iconic movie characters of all time, we’re going to find out.
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