Rocky II
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After Rocky goes the distance with champ Apollo Creed, both try to put the fight behind them and move on. Rocky settles down with Adrian but can't put his life together outside the ring, while Creed seeks a rematch to restore his reputation. Soon enough, the "Master of Disaster" and the "Italian Stallion" are set on a collision course for a climactic battle that is brutal and unforgettable.
What critics thought
Rocky II lands somewhere between crowd-pleaser and pale imitation depending on who you ask. The training sequences and climactic fight drew genuine enthusiasm, with some critics finding it a worthy extension of the original's emotional logic — but others felt Stallone was essentially retracing his own footsteps, padding the runtime with soap opera diversions and never recapturing what made Rocky feel alive. The split is real and roughly even.
“Rocky II does not merely exploit the original, it extends it logically and grippingly, preserving all the traits of character (and of movie character) that made Rocky I work so well—those notions that ordinary people are worth knowing about, that love is the surpassing emotion in our lives and that some things are worth struggling hard for, even if there may only be the honor of the struggle to show in the end.”
Charles Champlin·Los Angeles Times
“What is most remarkable about Rocky II is that it recalls so many scenes from the original film, which is only three years old and was shown on national television last fall, and yet—amazingly—it all works. Almost every bit of it.”
Gene Siskel·Chicago Tribune
“In its boxing and training scenes Rocky II packs much of the punch the original did, complete with an exciting pugilistic finale that's even better than its predecessor. However, in an attempt to tell the new story—that of Rocky's adjustment to near-success and an attempt to live a non-boxing life—the plot tends to drag and the picture takes on a murky quality.”
Variety
“the film "has a waxy feeling, and it never comes to life the way its predecessor did.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
“slavishly repeats the plot of Rocky, achieving differentiation only in dubious forms: soap opera detours, delaying tactics and an ugly new mood of viciousness surrounding a rematch between the boxers.”
Gary Arnold·The Washington Post
Genres
Drama
Cast & Crew
Sylvester StalloneDirectorSylvester StalloneRobert 'Rocky' Balboa
Talia ShireAdrianna 'Adrian' Balboa
Burt YoungPaulie Pennino
Carl WeathersApollo Creed
Burgess MeredithMickey Goldmill
Tony BurtonTony 'Duke' Evers
Joe SpinellTony Gazzo
Leonard GainesAgent
Sylvia MealsMary Anne Creed
Frank McRaeMeat Foreman (uncredited)
Al SilvaniCutman (uncredited)
John PleshetteDirector (uncredited)
Bill ContiComposer
Wilmer ButlerCinematographyRocky II
After Rocky goes the distance with champ Apollo Creed, both try to put the fight behind them and move on. Rocky settles down with Adrian but can't put his life together outside the ring, while Creed seeks a rematch to restore his reputation. Soon enough, the "Master of Disaster" and the "Italian Stallion" are set on a collision course for a climactic battle that is brutal and unforgettable.
What critics thought
Rocky II lands somewhere between crowd-pleaser and pale imitation depending on who you ask. The training sequences and climactic fight drew genuine enthusiasm, with some critics finding it a worthy extension of the original's emotional logic — but others felt Stallone was essentially retracing his own footsteps, padding the runtime with soap opera diversions and never recapturing what made Rocky feel alive. The split is real and roughly even.
“Rocky II does not merely exploit the original, it extends it logically and grippingly, preserving all the traits of character (and of movie character) that made Rocky I work so well—those notions that ordinary people are worth knowing about, that love is the surpassing emotion in our lives and that some things are worth struggling hard for, even if there may only be the honor of the struggle to show in the end.”
Charles Champlin·Los Angeles Times
“What is most remarkable about Rocky II is that it recalls so many scenes from the original film, which is only three years old and was shown on national television last fall, and yet—amazingly—it all works. Almost every bit of it.”
Gene Siskel·Chicago Tribune
“In its boxing and training scenes Rocky II packs much of the punch the original did, complete with an exciting pugilistic finale that's even better than its predecessor. However, in an attempt to tell the new story—that of Rocky's adjustment to near-success and an attempt to live a non-boxing life—the plot tends to drag and the picture takes on a murky quality.”
Variety
“the film "has a waxy feeling, and it never comes to life the way its predecessor did.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
“slavishly repeats the plot of Rocky, achieving differentiation only in dubious forms: soap opera detours, delaying tactics and an ugly new mood of viciousness surrounding a rematch between the boxers.”
Gary Arnold·The Washington Post
Genres
Drama
Cast & Crew
Sylvester StalloneDirectorSylvester StalloneRobert 'Rocky' BalboaTalia ShireAdrianna 'Adrian' BalboaBurt YoungPaulie PenninoCarl WeathersApollo CreedBurgess MeredithMickey GoldmillTony BurtonTony 'Duke' EversJoe SpinellTony GazzoLeonard GainesAgentSylvia MealsMary Anne CreedFrank McRaeMeat Foreman (uncredited)Al SilvaniCutman (uncredited)John PleshetteDirector (uncredited)Bill ContiComposerWilmer ButlerCinematographyStream
Rent & Buy