Rocky (1977) (CLASSIC FILM REVIEW)

Blog Update:

I’ve recently been given the opportunity to create content on the radio station, ‘YYFM’. Every week or two, I’ll be reviewing all things retro. Whether that’s film and tv celebrating its ‘so and so’ anniversary, or a monumental band or artist’s impressive milestone. This isn’t only exciting for me as a new content creator for YYFM, but it’s also amazing help for my ongoing University ‘work experience’ module. I intend to add my content to this blog in its very own folder! I’m excited to get stuck in and review all the greats I’ve simply ignored due to my age; and from this day henceforth, ignoring the iconic eras of the 20^th century shall be no more! If you’re interested in reading my take on all the classics, then tune in every Friday! This week ‘Rocky (1977)’ is taking the limelight. 

 

Rocky (1977) Review 

Rocky, released in January 1977 is now celebrating its 45th anniversary. Written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, it’s one of the first monumental American sports drama films ever made. 
 
I watched rocky for the first time last week because I’m trying to broaden my horizons and expand my film knowledge. What better way than to kick back and get to know the classics that influenced the movies we’re watching in 2022. Rocky is my first review victim as I watched ‘Creed’ -the 2016 Rocky spin-off starring Michael B Jordan as Adonis creed recently and fell in love with Rocky Balboas’ character there. What I didn’t realise, was how different his character was 39 years before. 
 
I might break hearts here, but I have a love-hate relationship with 1977 Rocky. I have a funny feeling the film is one you hate to love and love to hate. Here’s why: The pixelated quality is something so foreign to me in 2022 and now that I’m venturing into classic films, I’m trying to adapt and forget what I know. As a 21-year-old who thinks she’s got the world on her shoulders, I often forget just how different life was the time Rocky first hit the big screens. CGI was brand new, and the fighting scenes Rocky brought must’ve looked so great and realistic, but to me watching today? Not so much. What I loved was the built-up excitement throughout the movie. Spoiler alert! If you’ve not seen it yet, close your eyes and ears! The anticipation of watching Rocky run through the streets training for his big fight at 4 am was exciting. Seeing him climb those steps that must’ve felt like a mountain, is not like any film I’d see today. I really did think Sylvester Stallone was a big macho boxer for a second there. 1977 quality aside, it’s a really great movie. It may be a slow burner for me, but it’s definitely ‘a great’. I even asked friends on Twitter how they felt about it. The graphics weren’t outstanding, but they could handle it! Is it classed as ‘a great’? yes of course it is! Is it the best movie in the whole ‘Rocky/ creed’ series? Now that’s up for debate, I’ve heard myself, through the grapevine that Rocky 4 is the best. I suppose that’s down to the viewer, isn’t it? 
 
In some instances, I found Rocky’s relationship with Adrian questionable. If you’re a Rocky lover I bet you’re super confused- They’re in love, they’re soulmates and they’re best friends. I’m excited to see how their relationship develops as I progress through the series, but if we remember rightly, Adrian was extremely reserved and a bit frightened by Rocky’s forwardness. His overbearing character gave me reason to believe she was often uncomfortable and when they shared their first kiss, it made me a bit queasy, she didn’t seem very keen on it. For that reason, it was a bit of a shock factor to see how joint at the hip they were throughout the rest of the movie. I don’t think that would have happened if Rocky was made in 2022, but it wasn’t, so I’m open to different possibilities and ideas.
 
I’ve entered a new territory watching these greats. When your favourite movie is the animated ‘Shrek 2’ starring Mike Myers, it’s often hard to sit still for an hour and a half and watch a 1970’s boxing movie that your dad grew up loving. When I think of Rocky, I picture a 50/60-year-old man with a can of lager watching in a chair in the living room that was put there just for him to watch his telly of an evening. Kids have gone to bed, and this is his version of ‘me’ time. He doesn’t need to scroll the sky channels to find it, as he’s had the whole box set since his teens. As you can imagine, this isn’t how watching Rocky went for me. I struggled to find it on Netflix and Sky but eventually did. I led in my bed eating a packet of fizzy laces trying to get to grips with the plot of the movie- which by the way is so unrealistic! Imagine my surprise finding out that the great Rocky Balboa, the boxer everyone wants to be, became a famous boxer because his opponent liked the sound of his name, ‘the Italian stallion’. It's farfetched, but it’s funny, and I can't wait to watch rocky 2, 3, 4 and 5 plus the spin-offs! 
 
I’m gonna be reviewing everyone’s old fashioned favourites every week and am happy to take recommendations! I will warn you, I can get brutal with my ratings and sarcastic humour, but it’s all in good fun, so no uppercuts and jabs to the face are welcomed from me if your movie gets a 2/5!