What makes a great film? Engaging characters, immersive story line, brilliant editing, fantastic music, an experience you can revisit again and again. Rocky has all of this and more. When it comes to performance I honestly do not know where Rocky starts and Sylvester Stallone ends. Stallone did not just play this character he conceived, created and crafted it. This is not method acting this goes way beyond that. What is this film about? Loneliness, love, self-respect, poverty, heartache, shyness, chance, pride, friendship, boxing? It is about life! Rocky is a downtrodden character, in the words of Mickey (Burgess Meredith) Rocky is a bum, a loser, he had talent but never applied it. Rocky does not see this, he lives his life, he has some boxing skills which he puts to use in the occasional low-key cash fights and working as a money collector for the local crime lord. Rocky has the physical attributes for the debt collecting job but deep down he has a soft heart. He is not the smartest guy but ultimately he is a good guy. Rocky is friends with Paulie (Burt Young) who is a deeply flawed character. Unlike Rocky he has a chip on his shoulder at life and the cards he has been dealt. Paulie has a sister Adrian (Talia Shire) that has not had an easy life either. She is painfully shy and introverted. Adrian works at the local pet shop which Rocky visits often. Rocky tries to make conversation and get to know her. The courtship between Adrian and Rocky is awkward at times but has a reality and sweetness that is undeniable. Rocky and Adrian eventually date. Rocky's life is on a nowhere trajectory until out the blue his name is selected by Apollo Creed (Carl weathers) the heavy weight champion of the world as a publicity stunt. Apollo Creed wants to stage a boxing event where a lowly ranked amateur boxer gets a chance to fight for the title, "The American dream". Initially stunned and unwilling to take on this challenge, Rocky does not feel he is worthy or capable of this. Mickey eventually persuades Rocky to take this once in a lifetime chance. And so begins the rest of the film. Cue training montage. Rocky works on many levels, that is why bit is such a fantastic film. The characters have a human naivety and poignancy that resonates. The editing and music are sublime in parts. It is a film I will watch again and again and appreciate more each time.

The fight scenes are pathetic and the acting is laughable. Rubbish

Rocky is a true masterpiece of writing, acting, directing and music. The implausibility that this film was even made, and the choice to cast (then) unknown lead actor/writer Sylvester Stallone is worthy of an Oscar in and of itself.The story of Rocky Balboa cuts to the heart of anyone who's ever been beaten down, cast aside, or given up on. Rocky is the story of a million to one shot underdog given a chance of lifetime and a shot at something more, and an opportunity to find worth and respect. The films beautifully unfolds the arc of a man who ultimately finds his worth and finds someone worthy to fight for, love for and live for. Rocky finds the balance between the brutality of boxing and the beauty of love and romance. Featuring young actor/writer Sylvester Stallone in his first and perhaps signature role. Sylvester Stallone captures the heart of Rocky Balboa, a two bit club fighter just existing. Finding his only passion being that of his best friend Paulie's (Burt Young) shy sister, Adrian, who works at the corner pet store. The romance between Rocky and Adrian blossoms as the shy intellectual (Adrian) finds value and worth in the brash boxer (Rocky). We find the current World Heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed played masterfully by first time actor (former NFL Linebacker) Carl Weathers. Creed is unable to locate a worthy opponent for his November championship fight. That is until Rocky is pulled from obscurity and given the change of a lifetime.The film also introduces us to Rocky's somewhat bitter, angry, and antagonistic manager played flawlessly by Academy Award Nominee, and veteran stage and screen actor, Burgess Meredith. Rocky is more than just a simply film about boxing. It is a true love story. It is a movie about finding one's worth, going the distance, finding love and never giving up. This is as close to a perfect film as you will ever find.

I chose do do a movie about a movie series starting off with the first movie, Rocky. I personally selected this movie because it not only portrays a exquisite storyline, but also portrays numerous themes of perseverance and character development. The movie Rocky is about a regular guy named Rocky Balboa, and he does boxing as a hobby to make a little cash. He likes a woman named Adrian who is his friend's sister. However, he knows this trainer named Micky and he's mad at him because Rocky has the potential to be a great boxer but he doesn't use his talent to make himself better. Apollo creed, the heavy weight champion of the world, offered Rocky a shot for the title to prove to the world that anyone can have an opportunity to be great. Rocky took this opportunity and trained with Micky. At the end of the movie, which is the fight between Rocky and Apollo, it was supposed to be one sided for Creed. However, Rocky fights his heart out, knocking down Apollo Creed, giving him a very tough match. At the end, however, Rocky loses and the second movie is the rematch. This movie series has a total of 5 movies highlighting Rocky's boxing career and is still continued to this very day when Rocky is old and training Apollo Creed's son, Adonis Creed. To me, this movie is worth watching because it is knows for being one of the most inspiring movies of all time. It motivated me to start working harder and to believe that anything can be done if you truly put your heart and soul into it. Because of watching Rocky's hard training, it pushed me to start working out harder and even pushing me to be a better person and a stronger student in school. It teaches you how to build yourself up from nothing and no never give up. Rocky once said, "It's not about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth, than go out and get what you're worth but you gotta be willing to take this hits and stop pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him or her or anybody, cowards do that." I remember his exact words because I was deeply inspired by what he said and I probably will never forget what he said. Overall, I highly recommend this movie for anyone of all ages. There were many reviews all of them ranging from 2-10 stars. The majority of the reviews for Rocky was 10/10 with a few 9/10 and 8/10. However, I did see a review that rated the movie a 2/10 and it said, "World's biggest let down? Yes" I believe the reason for that is because Rocky was defeated at the end of the first movie, but I am positive that if that user were to watch the rest of the movie series, he or she would be incredibly happy to see that Rocky was victorious at the end. This demonstrates the many individuals who treasure the original movie and it's artistry to portray self development and determination. Although there may be a few people out there who do not like the movie a Rocky, starring Sylvester Stallone, I truly do believe that this is the greatest movie to ever exist. Like my mother said, Rocky isn't just a boxer, he is an inspiration and a great role model to all. Encouraging individuals to never give up and to chase their dreams proves to be a great way to inspire others. Not only that, Rocky is a clean person as well. He treats Adrian and his friends so well that it makes me want to be like that to other people. The way he never gives up in his fight makes me a stronger person, wanting to be just like him and never give up when life seems to be getting too hard. Rocky had a broken nose, broken ribs, one eye swollen shut, out of breath and border line dying but yet he still found the will power to push through all that adversity. Overall, I highly recommend this movie as is has won numerous rewards and nominees and is still known till this very day as one of the greatest movies to ever exist.