Rocky II (1979)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Sylvester Stallone

Writer:

Sylvester Stallone (written by)

Release Date:

15 June 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sport

Tagline:

He was one punch away from the heavyweight championship of the world. Now he's one heartbeat away from losing the woman he loves.

Plot:

Rocky struggles in family life after his bout with Apollo Creed, while the embarrassed champ insistently goads him to accept a challenge for a rematch.

Plot Keywords:

Fight | Rematch | Boxer | Coma | Commercial

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Sylvester Stallone	...	Rocky Balboa
Talia Shire	...	Adrian
Burt Young	...	Paulie
Carl Weathers	...	Apollo Creed
Burgess Meredith	...	Mickey Goldmill
Tony Burton	...	Duke (Apollo's Trainer)
Joe Spinell	...	Tony Gazzo
Leonard Gaines	...	Agent
Sylvia Meals	...	Mary Anne Creed
Frank McRae	...	Meat Foreman
Al Silvani	...	Cutter
John Pleshette	...	Director
Stu Nahan	...	Announcer
Bill Baldwin	...	Commentator
Jerry Ziesmer	...	Salesman

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Alberta) (re-rating) (1999) | Iceland:12 | Canada:14A (Ontario - 2006) | Mexico:A | South Korea:12 | Brazil:12 | Peru:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

1818 East Tusculum Street, Kensington, North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Chartoff-Winkler Productions

Trivia:

The book that Rocky reads to Adrian is Edgar Rice Burroughs' "The Deputy Sheriff of Comanche County" which was originally published in 1940.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the "Gonna Fly Now" training scene. Rocky is running through the city. He makes a left turn down a very crowded street. As he turns there is a golden coloured Gremlin parked on the opposite side of the road. In a subsequent front-on shot he is shown running much further down the road but he passes the same Gremlin once again.

Quotes:

Ring Announcer: Ladies and Gentlemen! In a stunning upset, scoring the win by a knockout, the new Heavyweight Champion of the World...
Rocky Balboa: You're great.
Ring Announcer: ROCKY BALBOA!
[Cheering grows louder]
Apollo: Good luck.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Spaceballs (1987)

Soundtrack:

STREET SCAT

Excellent sequel

"Rocky II" is one of those sequels that is just as good as the original, if not better in some aspects. I can't say it's better than the original because you can't have the second film without the first one. Meaning that this film does not stand on it's own, you need the first film to understand the characters and back-stories of everything in this film. But all in all, I think "Rocky II" is slightly more enjoyable than the original "Rocky".

In all honesty, I think this film is better directed than the first film. The story seems to flow quite nicely and is slightly faster paced than the original. Not only that, but the main fight in the film is much more exciting and longer.

The acting in "Rocky II" is better as well, or at least I thought so. Sylvester Stallone does a fantastic job with his role of Rocky Balboa and really struts his stuff here. Talia Shire and Burt Young also pull off nice performances. Carl Weathers plays the character of Apollo Creed to a "T". And of course, Burgess Meredith does a fantastic job as Mickey.

This is one of those sequels that truly has the same feel as the original. Granted, it isn't as fresh as the original...but it's a re-match that can't be missed. If you liked the original "Rocky", then you definitely ought to check this one out, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I hope you like the film as much as I do. Thanks for reading,

-LebowskiT1000