Throwback Thursday Review: 'Rocky'

This week I am reviewing two films for my Throwback Thursday Reviews Up and Rocky. This was my first time watching Rocky, although I'd seen some of the more iconic moments before, and I felt it really lived up to all that I had heard about the film. I'm reviewing Rocky because Creed, a spinoff/sequel to the Rocky franchise, comes out this week and I have eagerly anticipated Creed but wanted to watch at least one of the Rocky films and recently got all six Rocky films on Blu-Ray so I will certainly watch the others soon but I don't anticipate reviewing them any time soon as next week I will resume reviewing the Star Wars films next week for my Throwback Thursday reviews picking up with the Original Trilogy in preparation for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

'Rocky' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; John G. Avildsen, Best Actor; Sylvester Stallone, Best Actress; Talia Shire, Best Supporting Actor; Burgess Meredith; Burt Young, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Best Original Song "Gonna Fly Now" (written by Bill Conti, Carol Connors, and Ayn Robbins).
Won: Best Picture, Best Director; John G. Avildsen, and Best Film Editing.

Rocky is regarded as one of the best films of all time and I can certainly see why it clicked so well with audiences and critics alike. It tells the underdog story of Rocky Balboa who is given an opportunity to box against the world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. The film has heart and a sense of realism and may seem bit dated at times but it has such a feel good story that like the character Rocky is able to proves it's worth to the world. Rocky provides one of the greatest iconic training montages of all time that's accompanied by one of the most iconic scores of all time as well. Sylvester Stallone embodies the persona of Rocky and provides a terrific performance. Talia Shire is the perfect romantic interest for Rocky paralleling a Beauty and the Beast (1991) type relationship that works perfectly for the film. I can say that Rocky is now definitely among my favorite films and if you have never seen the film I highly suggest it.

Film Assessment: A+