Rocky II is an incredibly worthy sequel to the 1976 hit.

The story picks up immediately after the conclusion of the first fight and follows Rocky as he tries to cope with his new-found fame and return to normalcy. I found this aspect to be incredibly impactful. He has very little to offer the white-collar world, forcing him to return to a life of menial labor with only one true dream: to fight again. The true conflict of the film is between the internal desire to fight and provide versus the external pressures to retire. It is in this fight that we dive deeper into the psyche of Rocky. He is a broken and unconfident man, wanting to be more and do more. But the only talent he has is fighting. The journey to this realization may be slow at times, but the payoff is totally worth it. Once the fight is set and Rocky is committed, the movie takes off and never lands. The final fight sequence was intense and invigorating—one of the best sports cinema experiences I have ever had.

The acting is much better in this film, which is bolstered by an improved script. Sylvester Stallone is excellent here, and his chemistry with Talia Shire is superb. The two really come into their own with these characters and step out as the true leads to the franchise. Even though the script is better with more digestible dialogue, the overall screenplay is slightly weaker. The story of the first film is perfect and nearly impossible to replicate.

Overall, this movie is excellent. It does everything a sequel needs to do and nearly surpasses its predecessor.

Score: 87% |
Verdict: Excellent