It balanced out very well...

Rating: 8/10 (26 May 2007)

The reason I vote this film 9 out of 10, as I did with "Rocky", is that this film balances out incredibly well. The balance of these films is the reason I vote them so high. Allow me to explain.
The first hour or so of "Rocky Two" was very painful to watch. Not because of the actors or direction, but the story line. I frowned when Rocky and Adrian are just buying on impulse, wasting a lot of money, but the part that really hurt was when Rocky is dressed as a caveman and is doing commercials. That part was humiliating to the character, and it shows how famous people making commercials can turn into something absolutely stupid.
However, the rest of the film was very well done. Sly is the obviously ideal Rocky, Talia is in her element, and the supporting characters are all good. Carl Weathers was on the fence in my opinion, because I didn't like the way he talked of himself in the first person. In my opinion, he was much better in "Rocky 3".
The movie was at its best up to when Adrian wakes up from her coma and tells Rocky to fight Apollo Creed again. The training scenes are always my favourite parts of the "Rocky" movies, as are the final fights. The music is amazing, the training believable, and they completely balance out the films.
"Rocky Two" is a great movie to watch, as are the first and third of the series. Indeed, I think this saga will always stand with such series as "The Godfather", "Lord of the Rings", "Batman", and those other series that will forever be watched by generations to come.