Needs more boxing and less mumbling

Rating: 6/10 (13 April 2020)

I have tried so hard to love this movie over the years, hoping to connect to it in the same way that so many others seem to. Sadly, it always leaves me unmoved and a little bored.
My main problem with Rocky is that for a near 2-hour film about boxing, there is barely 15 minutes worth of actual fighting. The story crawls slowly and agonisingly towards the main event and then most of it is cut out and what we do see is unrealistic and completely devoid of strategy. The actual boxing choreography is a joke; there's no footwork, defence, feinting, blocking, jabbing, head or body movements. I am no boxing expert but based on the beatings he took, I'm pretty sure Rocky would have literally died had this fight been real.
The majority of the movie seems to involve Balboa engaging in rambled conversations, few of which help move the plot forward. Stallone is not strong enough as an actor and Balboa not interesting enough as a character to warrant this. Paulie is quite cliched and forgettable in this movie (although he does develop slowly through the series) and Mickey is a bit forced and melodramatic. Adrian is the only character with any real character development and Talia Shire's performance is comfortably the highlight of this movie.
I understand why people love this film so much but for me it is definitely a case of style over substance.