As I had mentioned in an earlier post, I would describe
myself as a creature of habit.
When it comes to movies I will gladly re-watch a film I have seen 20
times then venture out to test my luck with a new movie. I’ve been disappointed by so many
movies in the past that re-watching an old film guarantees my
satisfaction. Of course this
sounds boring and unadventurous, but it makes me happy.
Recently
I revisited one of my all time “go to” films, 1976’s Rocky. I can’t
pinpoint the time or place when I first saw the movie, but it has somehow
always been a huge part of my life.
I’m sure that everyone has that one movie that makes you stop whatever
you are doing any time it comes on television. This is my movie.
Unfortunately, Rocky seems to
have gotten the short end of the stick in movie history. Standing alone the film is
fantastic. It contains the most
universally relatable idea of human perseverance and success on your own
terms. But, we all know that this
classic underdog story is completely overshadowed by the franchise that was
created around the movie. As the
series continued the opponents became more ridiculous (come on, Hulk Hogan and
Mr. T?) as Sylvester Stallone clearly stepped up his steroid treatments. The series ended as a joke, an insult
to fans. Let’s just make an
educated guess that everything after Rocky
II was created as an attempt to cash in on a guaranteed movie
audience. Now, the series has this
tarnished reputation that Rocky does
not deserve. Somehow over the
years I have taken this issue on as my own personal crusade, trying to convince
my family and friends that Rocky is
still one of the greatest films I have ever seen. How could we forget that it won the Academy Award for Best
Picture?!
So
for fans like me, is there no hope to revive the good name of the Rocky franchise? How can the contemporary movie audience
be convinced to honor Rocky as one of
the greats? In 2006, my prayers
seemed to be answered in the form of Rocky
Balboa. As the 6th
installment of the series, Rocky Balboa reintroduces the audience to a senior
citizen version of Rocky (something I thought the insanely vain Sylvester
Stallone would never go for), widowed
and still living in his beloved South Philadelphia. The story follows the aging Rocky train for an exhibition
match after several television sports casters predict that Rocky could beat any
modern day competitor if he were still in his prime. The film follows the same direction as the original, placing
Rocky in the underdog role, almost forcing the audience to take an emotional
stake in the character. Rocky Balboa stands as a love letter to its
predecessor. It pays homage to its
origins the best way it can, by reminding viewers what movie audiences loved
about this story back in 1976. If
you haven’t seen this movie, please do.
See it just to learn the right way to end a film franchise. Who knows the next time Sylvester
Stallone makes a quality movie? And
come on, who wouldn’t love hearing that Rocky
score one last time?
Unfortunately, I have never seen a Rocky film. Not one. I was never exposed to the first two that, as you suggest, were the strongest of the series and was, instead, left with the impression that the latter films gave of a cheap, overdone franchise. I do like the idea your addressing here of the dangers of sequels though. Sometimes it’s too much of a good thing. Who hasn’t seen something ruined through excess? My mind immediately goes to the Transformers franchise. While the first in the series wasn’t a masterpiece, I did find it entertaining, but only in moderation. The sequels, which I hear has yet another addition on the way, were not necessary. But what is ever necessary in Hollywood?
ReplyDeleteA franchise that I relate to more closely, however, is Jurassic Park. You mentioned how you believe that everyone has a movie they’ll drop everything to watch. Jurassic Park is my movie. There have been several sequels that I feel never had enough substance to be comparable to the original. The final installment, in particular, hurts just a bit to watch. Jurassic Park was originally a book and the final film contained all the elements that were omitted from the first film giving it a cheap, do-it-for-the-money kind of feel, which is not the way I would’ve liked to see the franchise end. I can only hope for the kind of redemption that Rocky received with its 2006 installment for Jurassic Park.