"I've never seen so many Italians in my whole life!"

Rating: 7/10 (6 July 2015)

Following up a classic is hard to do. Rocky was a perfect film that, if we're to be honest, didn't need a sequel. But the nature of the business is what it is so sequels to box office successes are inevitable. This is the first sequel in the Rocky series, all of which are less inspired than the original but still entertaining in their way. The story in this one has Rocky marrying Adrian and trying to step away from boxing. Meanwhile Apollo Creed has trouble dealing with how the first fight went down. So he challenges Rocky to a rematch, leading Rocky to once again train with Mickey for the big fight.
The cast from the first film returns and all are excellent. Stallone not only acts and writes again but this time steps into the director's seat. There are some great moments in this one, and it is certainly a very good movie, but it stands in the shadow of the first film more so than the later movies in the series. In part because it's the first sequel but also because it's the only one that looks and feels similar to the first Rocky. But that's also part of what's so good about it. It's an enjoyable, albeit unnecessary, continuation of the story from that film.