Rocky 2 vs Rocky 3 which is better battle!

IntroductionIn this round, I will mainly introduce my own arguments for why Rocky II was better, and will not make it a point to refute my opponent's previous arguments. However, some refutations may come up as I compare Rocky II to Rocky III, so refutations are not off thw table, but they will only play a minor role. As my opponent did in this past round, I will take you through Rocky II, and show you why the film is better than Rocky IIThe BeginningRocky II begins with the final two rounds of the fight of the first Rocky, which sets up a lot of the context of the film, which begins immediately after this fight. Rocky and Apollo go to the hospital after the brutal beating, and it is here that we really see the first real trash talking of the series, with Apollo offering a rematch "Any place, any time." This hospital scene is a really big moment of excitement, because we get to finally see some character in Apollo Creed, which we only saw snippets of in the first Rocky. Also, we see cracks in Apollo's armor when Rocky confronts him alone in the night, that Apollo really did try his hardest in the last fight, contrary to what Apollo tells the press.Rocky's Short Rise and Long Fall from Grace A key theme of Rocky II is what happens after the 15 minutes of fame are up. What becomes of you? Rocky decides not to fight anymore, as his eye is badly damaged from the last fight. From the fight Rocky has a large supply of money. However, he blows through it, as he was a person who never saw that kind of money before, and just wanted to treat himself, Adrian, and Butkus right. He also decided against commercial endorsements, because he looked like a fool, was ridiculed, and he couldn't really read. His last resort is to get a job at the meat factory, in which he is laid off, and sadly, all he has left is to do small-time labor at Mick's boxing gym, like throwing out the spit cans. This realistic type of fall from grace is really realistic, and is a nice contrast to the first Rocky, which is him up and coming. However, this is a realistic Rocky, unlike the overpowered and God-like Rocky of the next two installments. Also, with Paulie making it through the ranks in the loan sharking business, we see him try to be generous to Rocky, which is the first redeeming character quality of Paulie we really see in the franchise.Apollo's CampaignMeanwhile, Apollo Creed hasn't been able to live down the fight against Rocky. Although he won the fight, and is still the heavyweight champion, nobody felt he really beat Rocky, and has been getting hate mail and losing legitimacy ever since. Aggrevated by no one really respecting him, Apollo goes out on the offensive against Rocky by calling him out and public, anf running an overall smear campaign against Rocky, to get him to come back to the ring in a rematch to prove to the world that the first match was a fluke. Something lost in talking about the Rocky series is just how good of a villain Apollo Creed is. Not only is he a trash talker, preceding Clubber Lang in Rocky III, but he is also a really smart schemer, as his efforts resulted in Rocky and Micky agreeing that Rocky has to face Apollo again, despite Micky saying that Rocky can't fight again earlier in the movie. Apollo's heated talk is shown in the first clip.Adrian and The ChapelIn the aftermath of the fight, Rocky and Adrian got married, showing really the final advance in their relationship until Adrian dies before the Rocky Balboa movie. Adrian is not supportive of Rocky getting back in the ring, as she fears that he will go blind from a beating from Apollo. She is also pregnant at the time, so she has a lot on her plate. Her nonsupportiveness really holds back Rocky, and it culminates with Adrian going into a coma as she gives birth to their baby. This is a large culmination of the family drama that had been developing since even the first Rocky, as Paulie scolding Adrian for not supporting Rocky sends her into the coma. Rocky had completely lost the will to fight at this point, and Micky visits him in the Chapel of the hospital. Here, we see Micky give an inspiring speech to Rocky, a desperate plea from him, which shows the range of his character, one we always saw as a kind of tough, hot-headed trainer. Without the character development in this movie, Micky's death in Rocky III doesn't mean as much. This part of the movie shows how compassionate Micky really is. We see him stay by Rocky's side as Rocky waits for Adrian to get out of the coma. We also see Paulie have redeeming qualities, showing how he did genuinely care for his sister. Once Adrian does wake up, she encourages Rocky, saying that what she wants him to, simply, "Win." Micky's reaction in this scene is a classic, and really kicks off the last half hour of the movie. The second clip shows this scene.Rocky's TrainingRocky's training sequence in this movie is one of sheer epicness. It is as classic as the first movie, and his run in this one is made even more epic by the children of Philadelphia running with him. This moment is epic, as well as symbolic, as this really shows that he has the entire city of Philadelphia behind him, as he faces Apollo Creed right there in Philadelphia. I have included this run as my third clip.The Greatest Fight in the FranchiseRocky II's fight scene is, in my opinion, the most epic and simply the greatest in the entire Rocky franchise. I believe it is the longest as well, eclipsing even Rocky IV. This fight is the culmination of the psychological drama that has been playing out in both fighters. Apollo is out there to knock Rocky right out, while Rocky is trying to get the right opportunity to trick Creed by changing his stance from Orthodox to Southpaw. My opponent claims that Rocky III's fight was the playout of psychological warfare, but I found it rather simplistic. It was just Clubber Lang throwing punches as hard as he could, and Rocky absorbing those punches to wear him down. This strategy was played out years before the events of Rocky III, in real life in Rumble in the Jungle, which was Muhammad Ali absorbing the punches of George Foreman to tire him out, and be able to knock Foreman out. This was known as the "Rope-a-dope". However, in Rocky II, what we see is the manifestation of both fighter's fears. If Rocky loses, he'll have dissapointed everyone, and will have put his sight, and maybe his life, on the line for nothing. If Apollo doesn't knock Rocky out, then no one will see him as the real champion of the world. This culminates in the 15th round of the fight. Apollo has the lead on the scorecard by a wide margin, and could simply win by staying away from Rocky. However, he decided to stay close to Rocky in order to get the chance to knock him out. Rocky switches stances on Apollo, and knocks him down, while falling down himself, due to balance. This leads to what is, in my opinion, the best moment in the Rocky movies, the double 10 count. Both fighters are on the ground, and if one gets up, they win. No one gets up, it's a draw, and Creed keeps the title. I have seen this moment before, and rewatching the movie again, it still gives me chills. Once Rocky wins, we see the closing of the movie, which was a really satisfying closing. Rocky's victory speech has to rank among the greatest of all time, with him truly being gracious of his victory. The real closer though is that line, that sticks with you, especially considering the context of the movie, with Adrian having just been in a coma, and the one thing she wanted Rocky to do was to win. That great line, delivered perfectly by Sylvester Stallone, is: "Yo Adrian, I did it!" This is the perfect ending to this movie, as the storylines have run their course, and we see Rocky reach his high point. There is no peak higher for Rocky to climn (Metaphorically, as we see that physical manifestation in Rocky IV). This is the culmination of his life's work. I have included this last fight as my final clip.Conclusion(For the round)Rocky II was a fantastic movie, filled with fantastic story lines, drama, and the greatest fight scene in the franchise. The only film that is in Rocky II's lead is the first Rocky movie, and they are both up there in greatness. I look forward to seeing this next round.http://www.youtube.com...http://www.youtube.com...http://www.youtube.com...http://www.youtube.com...