I saw an article introducing "Creed" two days ago, and my mind was immediately drawn to Stallone's classic series "Rocky"! Rereading this work again, although the feeling is not as strong as before, the initial touch has never changed.
Speaking of "Rocky", this classic "Gonna Fly Now" is definitely the first impression that comes to mind. This music that sounded when Rocky was running was like a march. The passionate melody instantly ignited the blood and hope in his heart!
Even though 40 years have passed, when I watch "Rocky" now, I still feel that this inspirational film is so well made! ! There are no scenes of loud sermons, no forced feeding of chicken soup, and the protagonist Rocky is not the kind of person who wins with the halo of the protagonist. On the contrary, the whole story starts off on a negative note. Rocky is just a gangster who plays in amateur boxing matches and collects debts for loan sharks. Although he has certain abilities, he has no chance. By chance, Apollo, the boxing champion at the time, was going to hold a boxing match in Philadelphia, but his opponent was suddenly unable to fight. Apollo just wanted to find a private boxer and let it be an exhibition match. As for choosing Rocky, it’s just because Rocky’s nickname is too high-profile—Italian Stallion, which translates into Chinese as “Italian Stallion.”
Faced with the sudden opportunity, Rocky's first feeling was incredible. At the same time, he also felt that it was impossible for him to compete with a world champion. Of course, Rocky still chose the challenge, and the subsequent training was the most inspiring part of the entire movie. But after training hard, Rocky got cold feet the night before, or in other words, calmed down. He knew that the gap between his own strength and that of his opponent meant that he could not win. This description is really true and innovative at the same time. In ordinary inspirational films, by this time, people will definitely believe that they can succeed no matter what... Of course, Rocky is not resigned to his fate. He feels that as long as he can fight to the last moment, If he can still stand on the stage at the end of the game, then he has succeeded!
The final battle unfolded just as Rocky himself expected. Rocky, who was desperate, was indeed not as strong as Apollo, but he had outstanding performances from time to time. Apollo was very uncomfortable with the left-handed Rocky. The long-term practice of hitting frozen beef makes its blow to the opponent's torso particularly sharp. After 15 rounds, Rocky still stood firmly on the stage. He achieved his goal! …………Of course, the result was that Rocky lost.
The end of the movie was also very sudden. During the interview after the game, his girlfriend rushed to the stage and gave Rocky a deep hug and then ended suddenly. It's a bit sudden, but also neat and straightforward. The processing here is also very interesting. In general, inspirational movies will definitely have a period of chicken soup or touching time after the climax, but when it ends suddenly like "Rocky", it feels pleasant and does not require those lengthy The rest of the plot is left to us, the audience, to decide on our own.
"Rocky II" - the sequel to the legend, the beginning of the routine
Once you look back, you will be out of control! ! The success of the first "Rocky" also led Stallone to make a sequel - "Rocky II".
I have to say that after watching two "Rocky" movies, I felt that the soundtracks of these two movies were really good! Matching the appropriate music with the appropriate scene can enhance the excitement of the movie. The soundtrack of this movie, especially the theme music, is very exciting, and an unyielding fighting spirit can be heard in the melody. The soundtrack really adds a lot to this movie! ! ! !
As a sequel, "Rocky II" still follows the plot of the first part. After Rocky's fight with Apollo, doctors advised him to retire from boxing due to a serious injury to his left eye. Apollo, on the other hand, was upset because the scene of his victory was too ugly and was influenced by public opinion from all sides. He tried his best to force Rocky to fight with him again. This episode describes more about Rocky's life after retiring from boxing. From the beginning when I had money, I spent money casually on everything like getting married, buying a house, a car, and a watch; then I became embarrassed when I ran out of money, sold my car, worked as a coolie and was fired, and returned to the boxing gym to do odd jobs. Rocky discovered that he was not good at communicating with others and did not have many skills. In fact, in the end, he could only box, and he could only box.
In terms of plot development, "Rocky II" obviously incorporates many more classic routines than the first one. Especially the incident in which Rocky's wife was overworked during pregnancy, leading to premature delivery with massive bleeding and coma. Similar scenes would appear in many subsequent movies. When the protagonist is confused, the people around him do not support him, but he suddenly collapses. After waking up, his relatives understand that they cannot stop the protagonist from pursuing his ideals, so they encourage the protagonist to do it; then the protagonist starts to train hard, and finally explodes... This routine No matter how you look at it, you are familiar with it. Nowadays, movies are not only inspirational, but also other dramas.
In addition, when watching "Rocky II", a quite classic scene appeared, which was almost copied in later movies. Rocky's classic morning run scene. In the first movie, Rocky was just running alone. But this time, as he was running, some children began to join him, and later he ran all the way to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. , a large group of people were already following behind. This scene was almost copied in "Forrest Gump", and it can be regarded as a tribute to "Rocky II".
Of course, the most unmissable thing is naturally the final battle between Rocky and Apollo. In "Rocky II", the final battle was shot in much more detail than in the first film, and the number of fighting scenes also increased a lot. Moreover, the movie was made more than 30 years ago, and now it seems that the fighting part is very exciting and fascinating. The sense of impact, coupled with the exciting soundtrack, I held my breath while watching, for fear of missing a scene. .
After the battle, this film, like the previous one, reaches its climax again, the moment the awards are awarded, the movie ends! I like the ending of the first part of this inheritance very much. It ends when the atmosphere reaches its peak, which gives me a happy feeling!
"Rocky III" - The legend is broken, and there are more tricks
Once it seems, it is uncontrollable! ! After watching "Rocky III", the biggest feeling is that there are more routines and the soundtrack is still awesome! ! !
Eye of the Tiger music cover
The "Rocky" series has really produced a lot of great soundtracks. "Gonna Fly Now" has been watched for three of them so far, and every one of them will definitely be a hit. I heard that there will be slight adjustments according to the different plots of each film; as for "Rocky III", the above song "Eye of the Tiger", which is also very classic, has been added to "Rocky III", so that many movies now use this song. Part of the melody of the song.
"Rocky III" is the third part of the series, and the main theme of the plot has changed. After experiencing the rise to fame in the first film and reaching the peak of his strength in the second film, the third film inevitably mentions Rocky's decline.
In "Rocky III", Rocky won the heavyweight championship gold belt after defeating Apollo, and then defended the title ten times in a row, becoming a famous boxing champion in Philadelphia and even the country. At this time, Rocky was living a prosperous life, and he had already mastered the advertising shooting that once troubled him so much. He could be said to have gained both fame and fortune, and a harmonious family. In the boxing world, a rookie named Klauber began to rise. His consecutive powerful K.O. opponents made him famous, and he openly wanted to challenge Rocky on a TV show. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Rocky's statue in Philadelphia, Clawber challenged Rocky face-to-face, and Rocky accepted the fight. It's a pity that Rocky's affluent life has worn away his will to win, and he was K.O. by Klauber in two rounds. At the same time, Rocky's manager and coach Mick died of a heart attack, leaving Rocky psychologically severely damaged and unable to recover. The former boxing champion Apollo couldn't bear to see Rocky so depressed, so he personally motivated Rocky, and with the help of friends and relatives, Rocky regained his confidence and fighting spirit. Rocky then challenges Crouber again to prove himself.
As a movie with a boxing theme, "Rocky III" has three matches described. In the first, Rocky competed with a wrestler to raise money for charity. This cross-project battle actually shows that Rocky has gradually lost his fighting spirit to win. During the game, the wrestler Thunder Kiss was killing everyone, and he held Rocky down and beat him up, but Rocky always felt that it was just an exhibition match. Admittedly, it was just an exhibition match, but the fighting spirit in Rocky's heart had also been lost.
He was beaten so badly
In the second game, Rocky faced Crouber, and was directly K.O. by Crouber in two rounds. Among the first three movies, Rocky For the first time, he was completely knocked down by his opponent and lost his fighting spirit.
Being completely beaten and unable to fight back
In the last game, Rocky, who regained his confidence, finally K.O. Crouber.
Watching this last scene was also exciting. Rocky not only used his skills to overwhelm him, but also mentally attacked Crouber. He kept using words to stimulate his opponent and make him make mistakes. This was also the case in the previous two movies. Not mentioned. ,
In addition to the exciting fighting scenes, "Rocky III" also added a lot of emotional scenes. Mick cared for Rocky and put a lot of effort into Rocky's reputation behind the scenes. In the scene when Mick fell ill and died, Stallone was very natural in his crying scenes and emotional expressions. When Apollo took Rocky to California for training, the emotional scene between Rocky and his wife on the beach was also full of the style of a family ethics TV series.
As for the routines, "Rocky III" has both inheritance and changes. First of all, the beginning of the movie must be followed by the final battle scene of the previous game, this has not changed; and the editing scenes during the training period must be accompanied by the music "Gonna Fly Now", which has not changed, but this game lacks long-distance running scenes. In addition, the first two games ended suddenly after the final battle, but this game abandoned this ending method that I found very satisfying. Finally, a scene of Rocky and Apollo having a private fist fight was added, but this ending This is very classic.
In addition, the details of this drama are also very particular. In the first two "Rocky" films, Rocky was still in a rough-and-tumble state, walking relatively frivolously, and occasionally taking out a ball to throw and catch; in "Rocky III", after maturing and living a prosperous life, Rocky became more stable and dressed more appropriately. Also in suits and leather shoes. In addition, I particularly like the translation of "fighting spirit" in it. In English, "hungry" is directly used to express the strong desire to fight and win.
"Rocky IV" - Subverting the series, excessive doping
"Rocky IV" made me extremely disappointed. Compared with the first three parts, the fourth part It simply does not deserve to be included in this series. After watching it, I almost didn't even have the urge to write a review. But since I want to make this series, I'd better think about what I can write...
"Rocky IV" is the fourth part of the series, and the fourth part has completely broken away from the theme of "inspirational" . "Rocky IV", released in 1985, contains a large amount of American imperialism's propaganda of its doctrine to the outside world, and the political meaning is slightly obvious. It was the late period of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, and the United States began to carry out some soft penetration, especially in the cultural field, and "Rocky IV" should also be one of them.
The story of "Rocky IV" is very simple and direct. It is about Ivan, an invincible boxer created by the Soviet Union. He goes to the United States to compete in a competition with the intention of expressing some milder and positive diplomatic intentions. But at the same time, Ivan's team also wanted to challenge Rocky by name. At this time, Apollo, the former boxing champion who did not know Rocky, decided to have an exhibition match with Ivan because Apollo always believed that he could still fight. He feels that the arena is the most suitable place for his survival. However, the battle ended in tragedy. Apollo was directly beaten to death by Ivan in the ring. In order to make up for the regret in Apollo's heart and driven by his indomitable fighting spirit, Rocky chose to go to the Soviet Union for a duel with Ivan.
Burning Heart
One of the things that annoys me the most about this movie is that the person in charge of the movie’s soundtrack has changed, and it’s not Bill Conti! ! The soundtracks of the first three games are simply great, and there is no doubt that they are a plus for the movies. The soundtrack of "Rocky IV" is actually pretty good, but it's really not as good as Bill Conti's, and you can't hear the classic "Gonna Fly Now" in this game, but the classic "Eye of the tiger" from the previous game is. retained.
In terms of fighting scenes, this game is not as exciting as the previous two games. The gap between Apollo and Ivan's battle is too big. Basically, Apollo is being beaten, and then he is completely beaten by Ivan's absolute power. rout.
One-sided abuse
As for the second battle, there was no sense of tension like the first three games. To a certain extent, the opponent Ivan in this game may be the strongest enemy or the weakest enemy. The strongest is because it has the most powerful physical attack power and resistance to fighting with the help of various machines and medicine; the weakest is because it has no fighting experience at all and only relies on brute force to attack. In the final battle, there was a feeling of too much contrast. In the first half, Rocky was the bully, but then he suddenly entered a stalemate. Then in the last round, he K.O. Ivan, a reversal of the protagonist's halo that had never appeared in the previous three games. , I instantly felt like I was reading a Japanese hot-blooded comic...
I was directly abused in the early stage
In the last round, I directly counterattacked with a strong force
Then I complained about it The formula that the "Rocky" series should have been used to. "Rocky IV" still retains the tradition of starting with the last battle scene of the previous game; however, the running scene in this game has changed, because it was training in the ice and snow of Russia, and then Rocky ran directly to the mountains. , although the scene looks much grander and more spectacular, it is less touching.
Also, after the last fight scene, this game did not end directly and cleanly. Rocky actually drank some chicken soup while still on the scene... I really fell drunk to the ground.
Is this also an expression of expectations for both sides of the Cold War at that time?
Finally, I have to say that Lundgren, who plays the Soviet boxer Ivan in "Rocky IV", is so handsome!
When I saw his appearance, the first thing I thought of was Gulie from Street Fighter...The second thing I thought of was the AK47 that worked hard in the NBA - Andrei Kirilenko . He is really a model of a tough guy. Of course, I won’t say that he has become disabled now that he is older...
(P.S. Longgren was really suitable for starring in philosophical works when he was young...)
"Rocky V" - the end of the legend, the undefeated boxing champion
The "Rocky" series has seen the fifth part all the way, although it was later released in 2006 "Rocky VI". However, there is a 16-year gap between the fifth and sixth films, and there is a clear sense of ending in "Rocky V". Perhaps it is not a bad idea to regard "Rocky V" as the end.
Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky)
In "Rocky V", I also heard this song "Gonna Fly Now" that has accompanied a generation or is still familiar to this day. Now》! As a descendant of me, now that I am watching each of them one after another, I already like this piece so much. As you can imagine, at that time, there were 14 years of intermission between the five movies, and this song has been used for 14 years, but it doesn't feel outdated at all.
Even if I listen to this song now, it is still so exciting!
"Rocky V" also follows the plot of the previous one. After Rocky defeated Ivan of the Soviet Union with difficulty, he found that his body had begun to have problems, and he knew that it was finally time to retire completely. After returning to China, Rocky's financial problems arose, causing Rocky to almost go bankrupt. After selling a large amount of property, he and his family returned to live on the old streets. At this time, a businessman named Duke tempted Rocky to come back to boxing again, but Rocky understood that the other person was just a businessman who was only interested in profit and would not consider the actual conditions and development of the boxers, so he repeatedly refused. And a young man named Tommy came to learn boxing from Rocky. Rocky sensed the great possibility in Tommy, so he devoted all his efforts to train Tommy. However, Tommy couldn't stand the temptation and was poached by Duke. Rocky was shocked and found that the most important thing to him was his family after all. In the end, Rocky defended his dignity and restored the love of his family with his fists.
In "Rocky V", Rocky has completely left the ring and no longer participates in the competition. Therefore, the fighting scenes were completely reduced, and there were more scenes of Tommy competing in the ring.
The character of Tommy is as strong as a bear.
However, Rocky's fighting scene only included a street fight in the last part. At first I thought it was ridiculous for a boxing-themed movie to have the protagonist fight in the street throughout the whole movie, but it also showed that Rocky had indeed retired in the story, and his final move was just In desperation, he took action to protect his friends and defend his dignity.
This time there are more emotional scenes, and the emotional scenes between Rocky and his son have increased a lot. There are also a lot of routines here. The son is a little uncomfortable due to the change in living environment. At the same time, Rocky pays too much attention to Tommy and ignores his son's feelings. The son's rebellious mentality leads to tension in the relationship between the two parties. This plot is basically a must-have routine for many father-son emotional dramas. But from the five "Rocky" movies, we can see that Rocky, played by Stallone, is very good both as a husband and a father. Although Rocky was unclear in his speech and not a particularly quick-thinking person, he was sincere in his feelings. He pursued his wife and often maintained a very romantic married life after getting married. In the fifth part, the son's education is also quite open. There is a scene in the movie where Rocky saw his son painting, and there was a picture of a female nude painted by his son in the work. However, Rocky did not say anything about his son's thoughts and just passed them by easily. On the contrary, I, the audience, was quite interested in what the French teacher his son drew looked like, even though he did not appear in the whole play.
This part is generally dull, but it can be regarded as a more satisfactory summary of Rocky's life, and basically brings an end to this series. As a series, "Rocky" doesn't have any big scenes or too complicated storylines, but what I saw is that Stallone desperately tried to make "Rocky" a deep and full person in this series, making him A fictional character becomes a embodied image.
"Rocky VI" - the unyielding veteran, the eternal boxing champion
As the classic "Gonna Fly Now" ends, the last scene of "Rocky VI" Stop at the picture above. Under the gloomy sky, Rocky stood on the class where he had run countless times, looking at the place where he had lived all his life.
I mentioned in the last article that "Rocky V" has come to a relatively satisfactory ending. After watching "Rocky VI", I still feel the same way, but "Rocky VI" can be viewed as a great continuation.
After watching the series, I have always been moved and completely impressed by the character of Rocky, but I did not shed any tears. But while watching "Rocky VI", I shed tears in two places. One is at the beginning, when Rocky went to the place where he once lived with his wife and remembered all the good times in the past; the other is after the movie ended, listening to the long-lasting song "Gonna Fly Now".
Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky)
Although Rocky was first inspired by Stallone’s inspiration after watching the game between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner. Create it. But gradually, I felt that Stallone portrayed himself or his inner self on Rocky, and Rocky and Stallone were no longer distinguishable.
There is a gap of 16 years between "Rocky VI" and the previous one. In 2006, Stallone was already 60 years old. Looking at Rocky in the movie, he has obviously gained a lot of weight and his steps have begun to falter. . In "Rocky VI", after the death of his wife Adrian, the relationship with his son Robert became tense. Rocky's life in his later years was somewhat lonely and lonely. In order to commemorate his wife, Rocky opened a restaurant named after her. Every day, he told some regular or new customers stories about past competitions and visited his wife's grave from time to time. The once brilliant boxing champion lived a dull life as he grew older.
But in Rocky's heart, he could never calm down or settle down.
This "beast" in my heart, I have been unable to accurately describe and understand after watching the whole movie. Maybe it was the death of his wife Adrian that caused Rocky to be unable to talk about some of his troubles; maybe it was his son's He was troubled by the poor relationship; or he was unwilling to contend with his love for boxing and his tired and old body in reality. Of course, it's more likely that the combination of all these things caused Rocky to nearly collapse.
So... Rocky, 60 years old, became a boxer again, pursuing a way to completely release the "beast" in his heart.
Naturally, Rocky agreed to the invitation of the current heavyweight champion Mason Dixon to play an exhibition match in Las Vegas.
The old Rocky started training again. Those trainings that were once simple and easy to persist were like mountains. It took Rocky longer and more courage and effort. to overcome.
The unyielding Rocky, even though his body was no longer what it used to be, could not stop his burning ambition at that moment. The old man is brave and ambitious, and his ambition is thousands of miles.
To be honest, the final battle was not too outstanding. His opponent Mason Dixon underestimated the opponent at the beginning, or did not regard this game as a regular game, and After watching six movies, I have to say that this Mason is the weakest portrayed among all the antagonists. If it was really Rocky at his peak, he would probably be able to K.O. him within a few rounds. In the end, the two sides were tied, but Mason won by points, but everyone knows that a current boxing champion and a former boxing champion are tied, and one can imagine who is better.
But for Rocky, winning or losing is not important. What is important is that he released the beast in his heart. Maybe that beast is the flame that he has never completely extinguished, and it is his passion for boxing. Love and desire are an unyielding fighting spirit.
In "Rocky VI", there is a scene of a conversation between Rocky and his son. This dialogue can be said to be Rocky's entire life, so much so that it can be said that Stallone included some of his own thoughts in it.
As an inspirational film series, "Rocky" actually contains very little obvious preaching and chicken soup. Even though this plot is relatively obvious, what I feel is Stallone's full self-feeling and sincerity in it. Only after watching a series and getting to know Stallone as a person will you not find anything strange about what he said.
A few final words about the "Rocky" series
I have read the six "Rocky" films in a row and was deeply moved by this series. It took thirty years for Stallone to write the first Rocky script inspired by the deeds of Chuck Wepner, and then gradually devote himself to the role of "Rocky". Over the past thirty years, the character "Rocky" has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and Stallone has also gone from fame to fame to fame in this series of movies.
When I write a movie review, I am always unable to fully express some of my feelings. After all, my writing skills are limited, and I am also very verbose. If I write too much, the screen will be filled with text, and I guess many people will not be able to read it. Go down. Therefore, when I read a movie and write an article, I feel that I can roughly write out what I want to write, so I just give it up. But the "Rocky" series is a classic that continues for six parts, and each part is exciting enough, so I really want to talk about it again.
Before that, another reason for writing this article is that today I watched a movie that can be said to be the successor to the Rocky series, "Creed" which was released last year. The movie starts the story with the son of Apollo, Rocky's lifelong rival, as the protagonist. In the story, the protagonist Creed also asks Rocky to train himself. It's a pity that after watching "Creed", I didn't feel the slightest bit moved or excited at all. I saw it online and called it "Rocky 7". I really feel that "Creed" cannot compete with the "Rocky" series. Compare. Apart from anything else, I couldn't tell the sincerity of the director and screenwriter from "Creed", and the leading actor also showed no sincerity at all and seemed completely unmoved. It is precisely because of this that I want to talk more about "Rocky".
When I wrote a review of the "Rocky" series before, I didn't talk in detail about another important supporting role in the film, Paulie. This character, who is both Rocky's friend and brother-in-law, has a lot of scenes in the six "Rocky" movies. The character creation of Paulie is actually very successful. He is short-sighted and often complains about others. He expects help from others instead of working hard himself, and he also creates a lot of mistakes. But even so, Rocky still helped Paulie and regarded him as his best friend. In fact, Paulie is not without merit. He is very real, very direct, and often more willing to look forward. He also has strong communication skills, which makes up for Rocky's shortcomings of being poor at words.
There is also an important role that I seldom mention, Rocky’s wife Adrian. Adrian is not a particularly outstanding woman, her appearance is not outstanding, and her personality is very introverted, but for Rocky, she cares and values ??her family very much. Rocky's life has gone through many ups and downs, from poverty to luxurious life to bankruptcy and then to ordinary life. Adrian has always supported Rocky and stayed by Rocky's side.
Rocky also had a deep affection for Adrian. In "Rocky VI", Rocky was very excited when Adrian's death was mentioned.
Although Adrian has passed away, she has always lived deeply in Rocky's heart. The "Rocky" series actually doesn't have many descriptions of love, but the descriptions are very successful. Although Rocky is not good at words, he is a romantic and affectionate man. Compared with many hypocritical love-themed movies, the simple, ordinary and lasting love in "Rocky" is more exciting and exciting.
As for the "Rocky" series, what I praise most is naturally its soundtrack. Each of the six movies has a corresponding soundtrack CD released. Later, "Rocky VI" was released, and an album "Rocky Balboa: The Best of Rocky" was released, which can be regarded as a collection of all the famous songs in the "Rocky" series. It can be found on NetEase Cloud, Xiami, Douban, etc. It is very A classic album.