Rocky II

Plot synopsis:
Picking up immediately after the events in the first Rocky movie, Rocky II begins with the events of 14th round of the Bicentennial New Years Day fight from the first movie. The fight lasts the entire 15 rounds with each fighter suffering many devastating injuries. After the fight, Rocky calls out for Adrian, who runs down to the ring. As Creed is announced the winner by split decision, Adrian and Rocky embrace, and Rocky tells her that he loves her.After their championship bout, Rocky (Sylvester Stalone) and Apollo (Carl Weathers) are taken by ambulance to Pennsylvania Hospital in Center City (a WCAU-TV Channel 10 news truck follows behind the ambulance), where they meet once again in the hospital lobby with a mob of reporters. Apollo Creed, who retained the championship on points, is furious at Rocky, the first man to go the distance with him, and starts clamoring for another chance to knock Rocky out. Rocky goes to Apollo's room that night and asks "Did you give me your best?" to which Apollo answers "Yeah." Rocky declines talk of a rematch and tells Apollo that he is quitting boxing. Rocky's decision to retire is strengthened when doctors tell him he needs surgery for a detached retina.Following his hospital stay, Rocky proposes to Adrian (Talie Shire) in front of the tiger exhibit at the Philadelphia Zoo, and they later get married in a private church ceremony. Rocky begins to enjoy the profits from his fight with Apollo. He buys his first brand new car which is a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am (even though it's still supposedly 1976), goes on a shopping spree (purchasing a black leather jacket with a tiger on the back for himself, a fur coat for Adrian, and some gold wristwatches, to name a few), and buys a two-story row house in another Philly neighborhood. He also convinces his previous employer, the loan shark Gazzo (Joe Spinell), to give Paulie (Burt Young) his old collecting job. Rocky then opts to earn money by appearing in television commercials. His new career, however, is quickly derailed by his sub-par reading skills, which leads to a clash with the director of his first commercial.Over the next few months, Rocky, unable to find white-collar work due to his lack of education beyond the 8th grade, and after being laid off (because of cutbacks) from the meat packing plant where Paulie previously worked, gets a job "helping out" as an assistant trainer at Mickey's gym. Adrian, now pregnant, returns to her old job at the pet store. Running short on money from his unwise spending spree, Rocky also hands over his new Trans Am car to Paulie, who agrees to take over the insurance payments.Meanwhile, Apollo Creed has been receiving hate mail about his split-decision win over Rocky and is filled with anger and frustration: the letters alternately accuse him of deliberately carrying "that chump" (Rocky) the distance or state outright that he should have lost and has no business calling himself the champ. Determined to prove himself and win back the respect of his fans, Apollo elects to try and pressure Rocky into another fight, despite protests from his trainer, Tony "Duke" Evers, to find a new contender to fight against (when asked by Apollo what Tony is afraid of, Tony replies "He's all wrong for us. I saw you beat that man like I ain't never seen no man get beat before. And the man kept coming after you."). Rocky himself begins to have second thoughts about the fight, but because of the pressure applied by Apollo, Rocky decides to accept the challenge for a rematch against Apollo on Thanksgiving 1976 and begins training once again.Mickey is unwilling to train Rocky at first, due to his bad eye. However, after seeing Apollo making fun of Rocky on public television, he becomes furious with Apollo and agrees to train Rocky. Mickey decides he wants the left-handed Rocky to learn to fight right-handed in order to better protect the eye, and to give him a surprise advantage by switching back to left-handed with the intention of throwing off Apollo's timing and confusing him. He also focuses on improving Rocky's speed by using an old training method from his own boxing days: he forces Rocky to chase a chicken around a vacant lot, stating, "If you can catch this thing you can catch greased lightning."However, Adrian's opposition saps Rocky's resolve and his training suffers. When Paulie confronts Adrian about her opinion, her angry reaction creates a serious medical condition that breaks her water prematurely. During the birth of their son, Adrian falls into a coma, and as a result of the premature birth, their son is placed into an incubator at the hospital ICU. Rocky breaks away from training to spend every waking moment either at her side or in the hospital chapel with Mickey, not even seeing his newborn son until several days later when she recovers. When Adrian emerges from the coma, she tells Rocky to "win" and he restarts training in earnest with Mickey for the rematch with Apollo. His condition improves dramatically with increased strength and speed.As with the first fight, Rocky's training includes his famous brisk run throughout the city of Philadelphia. This time, however, he is greeted with the cheers and encouragement of onlookers as he runs through the streets of South Philadelphia, having become a local celebrity following his narrow loss to Apollo. Along the way, children and pre-teens begin to follow him, their numbers increasing dramatically block by block. By the time he reaches the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Center City, hundreds of young people have joined in. Ultimately, they follow Rocky to the top of the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, enthusiastically chanting his name as he lifts his arms in a victory pose.Rocky and Apollo once again fight an intense battle in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the Philadelphia Spectrum. Paulie and a still-recovering Adrian stay home to watch the match on their TV set. Gazzo personally attends the match with a front-row seat as in the first film. Unlike the first match, Apollo gets off to a fast start, flooring Rocky twice in the first two rounds and building a huge lead on the scorecards as the fight goes on. But throughout the fight, Rocky pounds away at Apollo on and off, turning the fight into a brutal battle.At the start of the 15th and final round, Apollo's trainer begs him not to try to go for a knockout, as he can win simply by avoiding Rocky. Apollo, desperately wanting to prove he can knock out Rocky and very frustrated that he keeps coming back, disregards the advice. Mickey tells Rocky to switch back to boxing left-handed now, and although Rocky initially refuses, he switches back, landing several crashing lefts. Rocky hits Apollo with a final punch that knocks him down, but from sheer exhaustion, Rocky also goes down to the canvas. The referee starts the final ten-count as the fighters struggle to their feet.At the count of 9, Apollo, finally realizing all but too late that the last fight was not fixed, collapses while reaching for the top rope, while Rocky picks himself up and is declared the WBA's new Heavyweight Champion of the World. In his post-match speech, he thanks Apollo for another hard-fought battle, Mickey for training him, and God. Rocky states "Except for my kid being born, this is the greatest night in the history of my life, and I just want to say one thing to my wife who's home: Yo, Adrian! I did it!"

Tags: violence, revenge, cult, romantic, flashback

Review:
I like them; they entertain me, and I think they all serve their purpose.What's particularly interesting about 'Rocky II' is that apart from repeating the central theme of fighting Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), Rocky (Stallone) goes through a character arc here that many sequels totally ignore  we see the after-effects of his fight, and him struggling to adapt to the 'New Life.' Rocky is not a smart person.
After winning a small fortune from his famous fight with Creed, he goes out on an impulsive shopping spree, buying a cool car, a new leather jacket (with a tiger  the beast with the 'eye' that Rocky re-captures in 'Part III'  printed on the back), and a new luxurious apartment for him and his wife Adrienne (Talia Shire).The problem is that Rocky soon runs out of money.
Rocky decides that he must fight again, which upsets Adrian due to the health risks he may face.This film succeeds mainly due to the fact that it does a great job continuing the Rocky saga.
And when Adrian is first to go down for the count, it puts it all in jeopardy.It's not until his wife is ready to accept him as he is, for what he is, that he can continue his quest, one more fight, for his family, for himself.The story arc feels so similar to the first movie that this one is often tossed to the side, yet it truly is amazing how Stallone managed to re-imagine all the magic of the first movie and, better still, give us a second helping of it that's just as sweet.
At times it goes a bit far and may look a bit like ego-massaging by Stallone, eg the scene where he is out on his training run and is followed by hundreds of supportive children!Stallone is good in all his roles, the playing of Rocky as a working class bum made good is bang on.
Carl Weathers is good as Apollo Creed and this is one of his best roles.Overall this isn't a classic but by repeating the basic formula of the first movie and taking Rocky back to the gutter, this remains an entertaining soap that is driven by mushy, if formulaic, emotion..
Unfortunately, his post-boxing career has not flourished which sees him going back to dead end jobs such as working at the meat packing company with his best friend and brother in law Paulie (Burt Young) to keep his head above financial dire straits and his newly wedded wife Adrian (Talia Shire) vows to stay loyal to him.
Stallone dedicates time to character development and quirky humor (the scene where he attempts to star in commercials is really funny), making the movie more suitable for viewers who prefer dialogue over action - although the actual fight is more dynamic than the one in the original..
It's the rematch of the century as Rocky Balboa takes on Apollo Creed in this powerful follow up to one of the most acclaimed movies in film history.
The ring beckons once more for the "Italian Stallion" and he must prepare once more for the fight of his life.This film starred Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers & Burgess Meredith In my opinion this was not as good as the first film but it is still a really good movie and like I said in my summary Rocky 2 is a winner****/***** very good.
****SPOILERS**** After the spectacular 15 round World Championship fight against heavyweight champ Appollo Creed, Carl Weathers, that he lost in a unpopular, to almost everyone watching, split decision club fighter Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Stallone, decides to hang up his gloves before he ends up either getting blind or killed in the ring.
Finally marrying his sweetheart the former Adrian Pennino, Talia Shire, Rocky tries to use his new found fame, in going the distance with the heavyweight champ, to make a decent living for him and his future, Adrian at the time was expecting, family.As things turned out nothing went right for the Balbo's, Rocky & Adrian, financially with Rocky unable to get a good paying job and Adrian having to get her old job back at the local pet shop that barley paid the couples rent.
That motivated Rocky who was half hearted in his training program to go all out in getting himself in shape for the big rematch between the two on Thanksgiving Day at the Philadelphia Spectrum: The very place their first fight took place!Every bit as good as the original "Rocky" with the fight scenes where Rocky finally learned, with his trainer's Mickey's help, to fight defensively as well as slugging it out with Appollo Creed that are even better then in he first Rocky movie.
The movie recreates the heart thumping and stirring scene of Rocky seriously training for the big fight ending with him sprinting to the finish line, after a five mile run, at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the music of "Gonna Fly Now".
But unlike in the first "Rocky" movie this time he's not alone but with what looked like the entire city of Philadelphia tagging or running along with him!***SPOILERS****The highlight of the film the fight between Rocky and Appollo Creed even outdid the original with Rocky not a bit intimidated by Creed and after getting belted around taking the fight to him before the bell ending the first round, where Creed decked Rocky, sounded.
Picking up right where the first film left off, Rocky II follows Rocky Balboa as he starts to adapt to family life after barely losing his match to Apollo Creed and then marrying his girlfriend Adrian.
If you liked the first film then I would definitely recommend watching the sequel, as it's just more great Rocky Balboa action, and a pleasant continuation of the story.
The 2nd chapter follows the first very much but it is good at its place too!!!it is directed by Stallone and the acting was good the boxing was also good and well presented.It somewhat falls short from the Original but its good.As a Stallone Fan I liked it Rocky Finally beats Apollo Creed in this one and it made me proud.I cheered at the film's end Rocky Balboa!!!
but doesn't add much to the appreciation of the film anyway.Another weakness is in the pacing, too slow and not as rich in characterization and content as the first, basically, it's all about Rocky losing the money he won, trying to find a job, becoming a bum again, teased by Apollo for the rematch, facing Adrian's refusal, and then Adrian's coma leading to a whole sequence where we're waiting for her to wake up and give her blessing.
The problem is that nothing can ever catch us by surprise, the viewer is inevitably ahead of the characters, we know Rocky will play (and certainly win) the fight, it's just a matter of time; we know he'll endure all the humiliations, from Apollo or Mickey, before becoming a hero again.
Here, we're 100% sure that he will become the Worldwide Heavy Weight Champion.So, inferior to the first film, "Rocky II" is, but it's so superior to the following sequels, that nonetheless, the movie works on an emotional level.
Whatever you say about "Rocky II", it's a very good film that remains faithful to the spirit of the first one, it sins by being a little over the top sometimes, but overall, it's a great work from Stallone, and as the first film I saw from the series, it'll always have a special place in my heart  I remember how I wished I could be among those schoolchildren who ran with Rocky through Philadelphia.Now, I'm more skeptical toward that running scene, which is too 'cinematic' to be fully appreciated on a realistic level ...
The fight's not as well done as in the original film, for most of the time you may find yourself wondering why Rocky, from start to finish, doesn't block Apollo's punches at ALL, but it is no less exciting.
Rocky II is a good continuation of the characters so strongly portrayed in the earlier film.Stallone seems completely at ease with his character to the point where its hard to imagine he's any different in real life.The cast all the return for this sequel and once again their strong performances lift the film above what should be its level.The main crux of the story is that Carl Weathers' Apollo Creed is out to regain his damaged pride and sets out to beat Rocky in a rematch in more style thus taking things more seriously this time round.Its hard not to root for old "Rocko" during the fight scenes and Rocky II cements the character as one of cinemas most lovable and endearing.The Rocky films that followed in the 80's and 90's steadily decreased in quality but Stallones interpretation of the character was always spot on.Rocky II is in my opinion, the 3rd best Rocky film behind Rocky Balboa (2006) and Rocky (1975).
Rated PG for Violence and Some Language.Rocky II is the sequel to the highly successful "Rocky".I think this one is the third best in the series.Rocky 1 and 3 were better in my opinion but this film is still great.It has more humor than the first one but it still has the emotion that the first film had.The film takes place after the events of Rocky 1.Apollo Creed wants to fight Rocky again in a rematch so Rocky trains once more and tries to beat him.At first his wife Adrian does not want him to fight but after she falls into a coma.She wants Rocky to "win".This motivates Rocky even more.Rocky II was a good sequel to the first film..
All the main characters return from the Oscar winning original and Stallone wrote this one too, plus he also DIRECTS it, and does a stunning job too, especially in the actual fight at the end.
Rocky 2 is a great movie with a good and well developed storyline from Sylvester Stallone and a strong cast.I like how the movie takes place right where the first Rocky left off,but at times it kind of felt like a complete copy of the first one,he's training once again to fight Apollo Creed,but it didn't bother me too much because the main thing that I thought made the movie enjoyable was the development in Rocky and Adrian's relationship and his intense training.It made not be as good as the first Rocky but the cast still put all their heart in their performances.Fans of the first Rocky will be disappointed but will still enjoy Rocky 2 very much.Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone),the boxing underdog,is challenged to a rematch by the world heavyweight champion,Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers)..
It was as good as the first Rocky!So let compare the two movies because they are a bit similar: same characters, same antagonist, similar story lines...I start with Stallone aka Rocky.
Mickey and Apollo Creed are as good as in the first movie.The chemistry between Rocky and Adrian is a little bit better than in the first movie, but still bad.
LOVE all the Rocky Films except Rocky V (5) This is my favourite as it recaps the classic ending to the first & then proceeds to show us the build up to the rematch which Creed's entourage do not want.Bill Conti's Music is Incredible & Epic & Stirring (I JUST CAN'T IMAGINE THE ROCKY FILMS WITHOUT THIS MUSIC) The first movie is superb & is more of a drama film than this and the subsequent films but this remains my favourite although who doesn't like Rocky 3 (Clubber Lang) or Rocky 4 (Drago from Russia) & how Sylvester Stallone managed to make his last outing of Rocky as good as he did is a miracle after so long away...he returned it to a more drama based film with plenty of heart.If it ends here then the guy did good.I LOVE THESE FILMS & I LOVE STALLONE...ENTERTAINMENT with a Captial E.Rocketeer rating of 9/10.
the best thing about the rocky movies are the fact that you can always watch the fight scenes and get into the mood to actually box yourself.
The second instalment in the Rocky series, Rocky II follows the aftermath of the events that transpired in the first picture and follows Rocky Balboa who, after his loss to Creed, retires from boxing and gets busy enjoying his new found fame but after failing in multiple facets of life, he returns to the boxing arena to face Creed, who's been consistently goading Balboa for a rematch.Written & directed by Sylvester Stallone, Rocky II stays faithful to the spirit of the original but is highly erratic with its theme & characters.
Much of the picture feels like plodding for we already know what awaits in the end and can't wait for that final battle, which fortunately is as impressive as it was in the previous chapter.The set pieces do benefit from a bigger budget, Stallone's direction isn't very good but it's still passable for the most part, Camera-work is best during the training & boxing segments, Its 119 minutes of runtime is excessive for the story it packs in, Bill Conti delivers another sensational soundtrack that's in tune with the last feature while the performances from its entire cast is a step down when compared to their input in Rocky, although it isn't a major departure.On an overall scale, Rocky II heads into the right direction and tackles the right themes but due to Stallone's inexperience as a director, it isn't able to address & execute them properly and is certainly no match to its groundbreaking predecessor.
this is also not so much a sequel but more of a continuation of rocky's life which starts exactly where the first film ended.After being forced into the re-match with Apollo Creed, rocky is faced with the prospect of losing his wife after she slips into a coma after giving birth to their son.
While this is by no means as effective a movie as the first one, this is however a worthy sequel and entertaining as hell.You all know the story; Rocky, a media sensation after the fight with Appollo Creed agrees to fight the champion one more time.
Stallone, director here as well as the writer, does a good job in every department, making Rocky II an entertaining (if a bit overlong) sequel that's sure to delight everyone who liked the first film.
Spurred on by this and with help by Mickey, his trainer and Adrian's brother, Paulie, Rocky gets back into shape and once more enters the ring for the fight of his life a second time!This movie is a great follow up to the original.
The story is about a boxer named Rocky Balboa.Who fights the heavy weight champion of the world Apollo Creed.Both boxer fall at the same time.They are sent to hospital.Rocky gets brain damage from the fight.After he heals he retires from boxing.Apollo seeks revenge to beat Rocky Balboa in another boxing match.Well Rocky gets married.And he is rich so.His wife becomes pregnant with a baby boy.Rocky gets a job at a meat warehouse.His life is going well until the warehouse is closed.And he and his wife are forced to get jobs.He goes to his friend and old trainer Mickey.To work at his gym.Apollo is so desperate to destroy Balboa he tries everything.Until a news interview with Apollo Creed.He bad mouths Rocky.Mickey and Rocky Are ready to get there revenge on Apollo Creed.But during the training Rocky`s Son is born.And his wife goes into a coma from stress.rocky heart was broken.Mickey calms him down.A couple of weeks later his wife wakes up and tells him to be a boxer and beat Apollo Creed.In the end Rocky beats Apollo.The movie is a classic it`s great!A good drama movie for everybody..
The love story between Rocky and Adrian is hands down the best part of the film, as a matter of fact, I find myself growing bored near the climatic ending fight.
Stallone continues the legend of Balboa enough good as the first and with a few things that work better than the 1976 movie.But the second part didn't change the plot a lot so we see some twists that looks familiar and the first movie had for sure more iconic scenes in it.But the Rocky II is for sure a very good film has some better technically tricks and the final fight is a bit better than the first movie..
This movie begins essentially where the first film left off with both "Rocky Balboa" (Sylvester Stallone) and "Apollo Creed" (Carl Weathers) being taken to the hospital following their brutal match.
But Apollo Creed, feeling Rocky winning was a fluke,wants a rematch and Adrian is pregnant, Rocky has to make the decision to retain his greatest accomplishment-his pride.A excellent sequel to the first, Rocky II stands strong to the original and tells a fresh new story.
This movie is set right after the fight between Apollo and Rocky and leads all the way to their rematch.
The best 45 seconds, give or take a couple, is at the end of the movie, during the fight, where Rocky and Apollo both hit each other at the same time and fall down simultaneously...
The second part of Rocky falls in originality because you know exactly what will happen.Rocky,who wants the retire,gets a new opportunity to fight against Apollo Creed,but he is not as good as the past to fighting with him so he begins to train with his all life coach (Great Role by Burgess Meredith)and the final of the film you can imagine it and probably you are right.Rocky II is a film for watching but if you have better things to do or to watch look at another film..
Sylvester Stallone and Talia Shire give a great performance and I can't believe Rocky II isn't on the top 250 best films.