Sylvester Stallone on the set of Rocky II

Every 'Rocky' movie, ranked

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July 13, 2022
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Every 'Rocky' movie, ranked

Since 1976, the story of Philadelphia underdog boxer Rocky Balboa's (Sylvester Stallone) unlikely road to the world heavyweight championship has led to a sprawling boxing franchise spanning eight films. The first "Rocky" film got off to a particularly strong start, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year and taking home three Oscars.

From there, five Rocky-centric sequels followed and were met with varying degrees of acclaim鈥攍ooking at you, "Rocky V." However, the franchise got a shakeup with the advent of the "Creed" films. Michael B. Jordan stars as the son of Rocky's late rival, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), and the new protagonist turns to the original star for mentorship in the ring. The films have effectively revitalized the "Rocky" series, but how do all eight films compare to each other?

To find out, 麻豆原创 ranked every "Rocky" movie according to a 麻豆原创 score, which is weighted evenly between user rating (which measures popular reception) and (which measures critical reception). Any ties were broken by IMDb votes.

So sit back, queue up "Gonna Fly Now" or "Eye of the Tiger," and check out which entries in this beloved boxing franchise should jump to the top of your watchlist.

#8. Rocky V (1990)

- Director: John G. Avildsen
- 麻豆原创 score: 68.4
- IMDb user rating: 5.3
- Metascore: 55
- Runtime: 104 minutes

When 鈥淩ocky V鈥 opens, Rocky is now retired due to brain injuries and faces unexpected financial hardship. In hopes of turning things around, he takes charge of his late mentor Mickey Goldmill鈥檚 (Burgess Meredith) gym and begins training young boxing proteg茅 Tommy 鈥淭he Machine鈥 Gunn (Tommy Morrison). 鈥淩ocky V鈥 is the lowest-rated 鈥淩ocky鈥 film critically, with a . In 1999, Time magazine even included the movie on a list of the .

#7. Rocky IV (1985)

- Director: Sylvester Stallone
- 麻豆原创 score: 68.4
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 40
- Runtime: 91 minutes

In 鈥淩ocky IV,鈥 Rocky鈥檚 plans to retire from boxing are put on hold after his friend, Apollo, is beaten to death during a match against Russian newcomer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). Reeling from the news, Rocky heads to Russia to fight Drago and seeks vengeance. Stallone was  during filming after a particularly strong punch from Lundgren pushed his heart against his breastbone, . 鈥淩ocky IV鈥 has also faced controversy, with some arguing its negative portrayals of Russia fall under .

#6. Rocky III (1982)

- Director: Sylvester Stallone
- 麻豆原创 score: 79.1
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 57
- Runtime: 99 minutes

鈥淩ocky III鈥 finds Rocky facing off against a formidable new opponent named Clubber Lang (Mr. T). Aware he faces an uphill battle, the titular boxer turns to his former rival, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), for training. Apart from marking Mr. T鈥檚 breakthrough role, 鈥淩ocky III鈥 is perhaps best remembered for its theme song, 鈥淓ye of the Tiger鈥 by the rock band Survivor. The iconic track went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.

#5. Rocky II (1979)

- Director: Sylvester Stallone
- 麻豆原创 score: 84.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Metascore: 61
- Runtime: 119 minutes

鈥淩ocky II鈥 picks up shortly after the original film, as Rocky enjoys his newfound celebrity, despite narrowly losing to prolific boxer Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) at the world heavyweight championship. Meanwhile, Creed is embarrassed at nearly getting beaten by an underdog, and soon challenges his new rival to another match. Stallone began campaigning to direct 鈥淩ocky II鈥 after original 鈥淩ocky鈥 director John G. Avildsen , and he ultimately scored the gig.

#4. Rocky Balboa (2006)

- Director: Sylvester Stallone
- 麻豆原创 score: 84.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Metascore: 63
- Runtime: 102 minutes

Following the poor reception of "Rocky V," Stallone set out to rehabilitate the franchise's legacy with "Rocky Balboa." In the film, an aging Rocky is called out of retirement to compete in an exhibition fight against desperado boxer Mason "The Line" Dixon (Antonio Tarver). The film received , with Rotten Tomatoes' consensus noting that it "finds the champ in fighting form for the first time in years." Stallone also retconned Rocky's previous brain injuries, , "By today's standards, Rocky Balboa would be given a clean bill of health for fighters."

#3. Creed II (2018)

- Director: Steven Caple Jr.
- 麻豆原创 score: 86.7
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Metascore: 66
- Runtime: 130 minutes

In 鈥淐reed II,鈥 Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) becomes determined to compete in a highly personal match against Russian boxer Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu). As 鈥淩ocky IV鈥 viewers will remember, Viktor鈥檚 father, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), killed Adonis鈥 father, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), years earlier. Despite Rocky鈥檚 protests, Adonis soon becomes obsessed with achieving victory, as both men confront their families鈥 complicated legacies. RogerEbert.com鈥檚 Odie Henderson gave , writing that while the film 鈥渇alls victim to the sins of sequelitis,鈥 it 鈥渕anages to right itself by not losing focus on the humanity of its central characters.鈥

#2. Rocky (1976)

- Director: John G. Avildsen
- 麻豆原创 score: 95.6
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 70
- Runtime: 120 minutes

The original 鈥淩ocky鈥 serves as an origin story for Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), a working-class, little-known boxer from Philadelphia. When he鈥檚 unexpectedly chosen to compete against world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), Rocky trains with former boxing champ Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith) in hopes of achieving an underdog victory. The film was written by Stallone himself, who unless he was cast in the titular role. A runaway success, 鈥淩ocky鈥 went on to win three Oscars, including Best Picture.

#1. Creed (2015)

- Director: Ryan Coogler
- 麻豆原创 score: 100.
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 82
- Runtime: 133 minutes

Michael B. Jordan stars in 鈥淐reed,鈥 playing Adonis Johnson, the son of legendary 鈥淩ocky鈥 boxer Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). Determined to live up to his late father鈥檚 legacy, Adonis seeks out Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) for training and fights for his chance to secure a title. 鈥淐reed鈥 received widespread critical acclaim, and Stallone received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. IndieWire ranked the film鈥檚 screenplay 22nd in its list of , with Zach Sharf writing, 鈥淣ot only does the script manage to tell an authentic origin story of the young and determined Adonis Creed, but it also finds an authentic way to revive Sylvester Stallone鈥檚 Rocky and make him the emotional lynchpin of Adonis鈥 rise to champion boxer.鈥

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