Supermallet

No, I'm getting them on DVD from Netflix, except VI, which I own on Blu-ray already. Funny coincidence, though.

MrSmearkase

Yeah, I didn't think that you were watching them chopped up on cable, but I wondered if either you or your roommate noticed that they were on, and that is what sparked the initial conversation.

Supermallet

What sparked the initial conversation is that I had just watched The Fighter, and thought it was okay, but didn't compare to something like Rocky. Then my roommate made a reference to Rocky IV, and that made me realize I'd only seen I and VI.

Solid Snake

growing up....II was the one for me. As an adult, I is the best. 2-4 are fun. 5 is horrible. 6 is good.

JANK

Watching Rocky III right now and enjoying it very much. The Hulk Hogan scene is great.

Rival11

I've always loved the Thunderlips character - makes me die laughing every time

"The ultimate male versus the ultimate meatball"

"Hold on meatball!! Here we go! lights out baby!!"

Good stuff.

whoopdido

I like the "There's No Easy Way Out" scene better. First off, I really like the song--80's cheese at it's best and I love how basically the entire series up to that point gets recapped all while Rocky is driving around in a sweet ass Lamborghini Countach.

I think most people would agree that the original Rocky is by far the best of the series (just a great movie) but for me Rocky IV is the most enjoyable to watch. Like somebody else said, any time it's on I'll stop to watch for at least a little bit. The training montage is the best. The music is great. The fight scenes are over the top and awesome. Stallone is all juiced up to the max. The "villain" is the best of them all in my opinion. I mean I love Apollo but he wasn't really a villain and by the third movie became a beloved character. Clubber wasn't really a villain either. He was just confident. Tommy Gunn just plain sucked and Mason Dixon certainly wasn't a villain, which is why they went ahead and gave him a broken hand so it was somewhat more believable that a 60 year old guy could hang with him for 10 rounds. There was no reason to root against that guy. Drago was like the epitome of evil--he killed Apollo for Christ's sakes, plus he was a Commie bastard, but of course he's redeemed at the end. To me Rocky IV is like the ultimate over the top, cheesy, fun, 80's movie. And, like I said, it ended the Cold War, so that's a good thing.

Charlie Goose

The original is one of my favorite movies. It's a little dated, but the story and acting still hold up.

I like the sequels to varying degrees, but Rocky Balboa is the only one to capture the feel of the first. The others are just rousing crowd-pleasers.

As preferred:
Rocky
Rocky Balboa
Rocky III
Rocky V
Rocky IV
Rocky II

whoopdido

Wow. I didn't realize anybody actually thought V was anything other than the worst of the series. I'm really surprised by your ranking.

Solid Snake

Yeah...Charlie Goose, could you tell us why?

JZ1276

Clubber WAS A VILLAIN! Probably just (if not as worse) as Drago. He hit on Adrian and belittled Rocky at the press conference! He pushed Mick which caused him to have a heart attack and die!
Everything else you said I agree with.

whoopdido

Meh he didn't try to hurt Mickey. It was just an unfortunate mishap. And he wasn't REALLY hitting on Adrian...he was just trying to goad Rocky into fighting him. Clubber thought Rocky was scared of him and was ducking him and not giving him the chance he felt he deserved so he wanted to try anything to get him into the ring. He even said that he didn't hate him. "No I don't hate Balboa, but I pity the fool."

He wasn't a very likable guy...basically a total asshole, but he was just a competitive athlete that wanted the title.

Charlie Goose

Well, depending on my mood I guess V could slip below IV. I know V is not a good movie, but I liked Tommy Morrison as the foe. Plus, instead of another in-ring triumph, we get a good old fashioned street brawl.

The actual boxing of any Rocky movie is the weak part. No boxer could absorb that kind of damage, and no referee would allow those matches to continue.

Ash Ketchum

I cheered for Clubber during the final fight when I saw ROCKY III at an advance screening. My then-wife was with me and was appalled and told me to stop.

thematahara

Rocky
Rocky Balboa
Rocky 2
Rocky 4
Rocky 3
Rocky 5

It's really close between the original and Balboa for me. Love all of them except 5, but Balboa makes it really easy to pretend 5 doesnt exist.

Rob V

Rocky
Rocky IV
Rocky II
Rocky Balboa
Rocky III


Rocky V

whoopdido

I'd go with:

Rocky
Rocky 4
Rocky Balboa
Rocky 3
Rocky 2
Rocky 5

There's a big gap between 2 and 5 for me, but I've always found 2 to be kind of boring.

Hulkabrgr

Back in May of 2000, The Arrowhead Harkins opened in Az, and the first week they played nothing but classic movies for free. I took a friend to see Rocky there that week, who had never seen it before. All he knew of Rocky was the sequels, and I was trying to tell him that the original is different, that it is one of the great films. After watching it, he told me that it was one of the best films that he had seen, and that he had no idea that Stallone was ever capable of making such a film.

Alvis

Rocky I
Rocky Balboa
Rocky II
Rocky III
Rocky IV

Never seen Rocky V.

I thought Mr. T did a very good job as Clubber Lang in III.

hasslein

Yeah, I absolutely hated V when I saw it in the theater, never watched it again until after seeing Balboa, and I like it now... maybe for the same reason.

Sonic

Rocky (A classic that can never be remade)
Rocky II
Rocky III
Rocky IV (The soundtrack is AMAZING)

Rocky V (Don't care for)
Rocky VI (Don't really care for)

My favorite of them all is Rocky and Rocky III

brainee

It also surprises people that Stallone wrote Rocky as well. I guess because he plays inarticulate meatheads so much they think he's that way in real life.

After Rocky, my favorite is III. So much fun. Great villain. Great 80s music. I loved Creed coming back as a "good guy" and teaming with Rocky. It has a good mix of action, drama, and humor. It helps that it came out when I was probably the perfect age to enjoy it (early teens).

Supermallet

I think it's the fact that Stallone wrote Rocky that allowed him to write and direct Rocky Balboa and Rambo so well.

islandclaws

I love the "Rocky" series. Caught II the other night on AMC and couldn't stop watching it. It's just so goddamn inspirational; the ending always gets me teary-eyed. I think I-IV all have good, solid stories with a great overall arc for Balboa.

Dr. DVD

I have to say, the original Rocky is something that is best viewed as either a standalone, or the start of a marathon that takes you all the way to Balboa.

I like all of the betweeners (V being left out most of the time), but I have to say I feel the original impact felt when the original was released has been lost due to all of the sequels. When I watched the original for the first time, I had already seen II and III several times each, so at the end I knew Rocky would end up winning in the long run. The end exchange of "Ain't gonna be no re-match," "Don't want one" has an entirely different meaning if it's true, and it's more powerful IMO.