A sports classic that would spawn the career of a legendary movie icon.

Rating: 9/10 (24 June 2017)

Ah, Rocky. What else is there to talk about that hasn't already been said? The movie that put Sylvester Stallone on the map and won the Oscar for Best Picture back in '77. As a movie goer, I wanted to explore the Rocky films, as I got the Blu-ray collection of the original 6 movies. It was a truly great experience watching these films and made me a fan of the series. But with that being said, how does the original hold up compared to the sequels? Well, the answer may be obvious, but let's just start anyway, shall we?
Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is a broken boxer, who is looked upon as a "bum" because of his habits in the streets of Philadelphia. He is later seen being competed against Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), giving Rock a one to million shot on New Year's Eve 1975. He decides to accept the fight, as well as dealing with his relationship to his friend Paulie's (Burt Young) sister Adrian (Talia Shire), and having his old trainer Mickey (Burgess Meredith) come to help him prepare for the battle.
One strong aspect of this movie is how believable the characters are due to its solid casting. Take the title character himself for example; he may seem like some bad cause to the locals, but all he is is just a lonely guy who's hoping something good will happen to him. And even though Stallone may have been repeating words over in his sentences ("You know" being a prime example of this), it was in his early times, so it's understandable.
Another thing this movie has to offer is the score done by Bill Conti and the cinematography (most notably the training scene and the final fight between Balboa and Creed). The music just gets you invested and the camera shots are excellent, like the iconic "running up the steps" scene with the amazing "Gonna Fly Now" tune. It just makes you so excited it gives you goosebumps each time you see it.
However, if there is one thing to criticize here is that it can get rather slow at times. The first act is just Rocky trying to live his normal life. This is even worse when sequels like Rocky III and IV would come along and make the series more enjoyable to watch because of their nonstop action sequences. But that's not to say it ruins the whole movie, in fact by doing so, it makes it feel a lot more subtle in addition to the grainy atmosphere that makes the movie feel so realistic and down-to-earth.
To many people, Rocky is a film that teaches us that it isn't necessarily winning that matters, but how much you try that counts. Thus, it doesn't feel like your typical sports drama, where the protagonist has to win the game to succeed their goal. Unfortunately, many of the sequels do rely on the goal of winning, which in a way, kills the original's meaning. But if you can get past that, this message is motivational enough to become a timeless piece of advice whenever you're feeling negative about yourself.
With believable acting, a fantastic soundtrack, memorable characters, well-structured plot, and a great message, the first Rocky movie is really a 1970's classic you wouldn't wanna miss out on. Chances are, though, you've already seen it, but if not, do give it a watch. It is essentially the film a lot of people should see for its realistic morals and how we tend to fail plenty in life and need to learn to get better. The best of the Rocky franchise, and probably Sly Stallone's best next to First Blood, I give this movie an 8.5 out of 10, closer to a 9.