Rocky has established a legacy unlike any other sports movie. Released in 1976 and despite a modest $1 million budget, the film would go on to capture the Oscar for Best Picture and launch Sylvester Stallone’s movie career. It spawned a series of films with the latest being 2018’s Creed II, and it’s also responsible for getting more people off their couch and exercising than any other flick.
Yet what makes it so great? Why is Rocky Balboa, a fictional character, in the actual Boxing Hall of Fame? To provide some answers, here are the reasons why the original Rocky is one of the all-time great sports movies.
It’s realistic
Rocky isn’t an unbeatable boxing superstar like his namesake, Rocky Marciano. He’s an underachieving journeyman slugger, fighting when he can in small venues and collecting a pittance for his troubles. He has to supplement his boxing income with a side job as a loan shark collector.
This is a common story for those who decide to box for a living. It’s a struggle for any pugilist who isn’t within the top 0.1% of the sport. Yet there’s always the chance an opportunity at the big time is around the corner.
That is the case with Chuck Wepner against Muhammad Ali, which served as the inspiration behind Stallone’s decision to create Rocky.
It has a compelling hero
Rocky Balboa is a luckless, working-class character who is faced with various difficulties in his life. He lives in the slums of Philadelphia, his uneducated and naïve nature is taken advantage of, his boxing trainer had no belief in his commitment.
The list goes on and on.
When these points are combined with his affable and likeable persona, it instantly gives viewers someone they want to root for. This feeling is only magnified when he’s up against the boisterous, overly confident, and unbeaten champion Apollo Creed. After all, according to Betway, everyone loves an underdog.
The action is dramatic and exciting
Even though boxing serves as the foundation, it’s fair to say Rocky is more than just a sports film. Yet when it comes to the actual fighting, it delivers the drama and action you’d expect from a boxing film. With knockdowns and injuries on either side aplenty, the twist and turns ensure the viewer is gripped in suspense until the final bell.
Aside from the main fight itself, the training montages – accompanied by an excellent score by Bill Conti – are also a fun watch that helpsto get the adrenaline pumping.
A triumphant ending
It’s true: Rocky doesn’t win in his unlikely title challenge against Creed. However, that isn’t the story. As Rocky states to his girlfriend Adrian beforehand, he only wants to go the distance against the champion – something which nobody had done previously.
Of course, he doesn’t just go the distance – he pushes Creed to his absolute limit. The ultimate underdog prevailed despite not walking away with the crown. That’d have to wait until the second movie.
