So here’s the thing: the Rocky
franchise sequels have a truly poor reputation, but revisiting the first
sequel, Rocky II, reveals a film that
is not so bad as might be remembered. If it were a standalone film, it would be
a moderately successful little boxing movie, probably largely forgotten by now,
but decent. As the sequel to the wildly popular and Best Picture Oscar-winning
first film, it had a lot to live up to.
Essentially, Rocky
II follows the formula of the first film almost to the letter. It exists
purely to have a rematch between Rocky and Apollo, a recreation of the sports
drama of the previous film. Like the first film, this one was written by
Sylvester Stallone. However, this time he took on directing duties in addition
and of course starred in the film. Carl Weathers returned as Apollo, as did all
the other principals: Talia Shire as Rocky’s love interest, Adrian; Burgess
Meredith as Mickey the trainer; and Burt Young as Adrian’s brother, Paulie.
