Is it better than 3 and 5?

Is it nowhere near as good as 1 and 4?

Well, it lacks the slickness and true underdog spirit of the original, and the action packed cheese, and tongue-in-cheekness of the movies that followed it. They knew they couldn't deliver the punch that the first one had. Rocky 2 tried to match it. And it finds itself on the canvas somewhere in between.

Rocky 2 is probably the least effective sequel.

BUT..

Stallone is rather incredible here, and the way that the story transforms Rocky back into that underdog status for that PHENOMENAL final fight, and training montage is rather exceptional.

Potentially, the strongest half hour in the entire Rocky Series.

So Rocky 2 is the least effective, but probably the best sequel.

Glad i cleared that up.

Rocky, meet formula. The training montage in this is boss though. And the ending, works like magic again.

While it doesn't carry the emotional punch (pun intended) of the first film, it still packs one hell of an impressive punch.

Not quite packing the same emotional punch (sorry!) as the first film, Rocky II is still magnificent entertainment. The first act does drag a little as we follow Rocky trying to live a normal, everyday life despite his fame, but once those training montages start and that music swells all the familiar mechanisms kick in and the adrenaline starts to pump.

Sly Stallone and Carl Weathers are brilliant as the two fighters both with something to prove, the main fight is still as exciting as it was thirty years ago and overall this film has probably aged the best out of the whole series.

Wow! I had no idea that this would be as good as it was. I am a huge fan of the original Rocky and thought that it really didn't need a sequel, but this does justice to the original while adding to it and delivering in every way.
I love Stallone and I think he can be a genuinely good actor, and this is another performance I can use when trying to defend him.

This is the only Rocky movie I'd seen before, and I didn't remember a hell of a lot about it. I suppose that one critique of this sequel could be that it's fairly similar to it's predecessor, but that didn't bother me at all. The most important thing is that, however similar the plot may have been to the first Rocky, it made sense. The rematch was the perfect story to follow up the last film.

The only thing that I don't buy is how back-and-forth Apollo was emotionally. He seemed like the nicest guy in the world one minute and like a complete dick the next. Outside of that, Rocky's marriage, the birth of his son, Adrian's coma...it all fit perfectly into the world of the film and I enjoyed it ALMOST as much as the first one.

My favorite character in Rocky II is clearly Butkus, Rocky's dog. People forget about this one I think. 1 is the original, 3 has Mr T, 4 has communism, but 2... 2 has Butkus.

I think I can guess in which direction the other four movies are going.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHZV5tezI84

Great sequel

While Rocky II retreads some of the same ground as the first, it’s still its own film. Where it is the same, though, is that it’s also a great film. It’s always entertaining, even when Rocky is just ambling along looking for work or spending money like it’s water, there’s a charming aspect to the film that keeps the “lovable loser” aspect of Rocky working for it. And it still makes the audience want to cheer, not just at the end, but at several points throughout. Read full review.

Considering the amount of goofy contrivances (a coma, really?) and awkward writing (Rocky's aw-shucks attitude feels a little canned this time) that comprise the first 2/3 of Rocky II, it's almost impressive that the end is as rousing as it is. Viewed on paper, it's as cheap as sequels get, but somehow Stallone makes it kinda work.

I was certain I'd seen this movie as a kid but it was not at all familiar. Still a killer sequel, ostensibly the first film but with new problems for Rocky and Adrian and a different character path for Rocky having to overcome his own hubris and yet deal with the crippling self doubt and love of his new wife. He really is a far more interesting character than most people give him credit for.

Is it better than 3 and 5?

Is it nowhere near as good as 1 and 4?

Well, it lacks the slickness and true underdog spirit of the original, and the action packed cheese, and tongue-in-cheekness of the movies that followed it. They knew they couldn't deliver the punch that the first one had. Rocky 2 tried to match it. And it finds itself on the canvas somewhere in between.

Rocky 2 is probably the least effective sequel.

BUT..

Stallone is rather incredible here, and the way that the story transforms Rocky back into that underdog status for that PHENOMENAL final fight, and training montage is rather exceptional.

Potentially, the strongest half hour in the entire Rocky Series.

So Rocky 2 is the least effective, but probably the best sequel.

Glad i cleared that up.

The beauty of the second film is that it is about the 15 minutes of fame a person gets and rather than being a retread of the first one, it is his own different film about him wanting to not be known as just a boxer but rather as a working man who can work in an office and make his own rather than hauling things or doing physical labor. We also learn that Rocky can't read which makes sense with the way that he talks and the things that he says. I think the reason why he works so well as a character is that he is human and feels like a real character who exist in society. Creed really becomes a bad guy in this film and you understand that he lets his pride overtake him. This is almost as good as the first one.