Despite his previous loss, Rocky Balboa and his dependable trainer Mickey (Burgess Meredith) are back for another fight against the confident Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in what is an excellent follow-up. The movie does a commendable job of expanding on the first film’s ideas and introducing some memorable personalities while once again illustrating how boxing represented a path away from poverty for many young peop…

Rocky II proves itself to be a really good continuation of the original film from 1976. The narrative begins right where the first movie ended, and we see Rocky struggling to adjust to his sudden celebrity and wanting to get back to an ordinary existence. I thought this part was especially powerful. He doesn’t fit into the world of white-collar jobs, so he's forced to go back to doing simple work, with only one re…

I also haven’t watched the Creed films, and that gives me pause because I wasn't even aware of them until after they came out. So I can’t really offer an opinion on all the Rocky movies at this point... However, I think Rocky II marks the spot where the series took a turn; it was the final truly great installment. That isn’t to say I dislike the subsequent films, but something changed for the franchise after that …

Following his title fight where he pushed champion Apollo Creed to his limit, Rocky Balboa steps away from boxing and enjoys a period of recognition as a courageous underdog. However, things don’t go quite as planned, and he ends up agreeing to another match with the increasingly frustrated Apollo Creed, much to Adrian's disappointment. Based on what I’ve seen online in terms of ratings and viewer opinions, it app…