I watched the movie Rocky directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Sylvester Stallone, who also played the leading role, Rocky Balboa. The film tells the story of a true underdog, Rocky Balboa, also known as the Italian Stallion, an Italian boxer from Philadelphia who goes from being a small-time fighter, to a true champion. After being faced with the challenge of fighting the best heavyweight fighter in the world Apollo Creed, he rises above and defies all. The film captures what it is like to achieve your goals, never give up, and how to be yourself and wear your heart on your sleeve until the very end.

 

I really enjoyed the progression of this film. It began at the very beginning of Rocky’s story, all taking place through his perspective. We see what life is like for him in Philadelphia, and the way he spends his time, which allows us to really explore who he is as our protagonist. What I loved most about Rocky was his personality. He is kind to all, determined and confident ;he knows who he is and doesn’t even think twice about quitting or giving up (in fact the pressure he is faced with drives him to do great things). I was also captured by the overall message of this film, which is truly important: Winning doesn’t matter. This touching message pertains to all aspects of life, and it allowed Rocky to train hard and do well, for he didn’t have a cause, only a reason. The cinematography in the film was notably one of the best aspects. The shots ranged from medium shots of Rocky walking down a well lit alleyway, to amazing stabilizer shots of Rocky punching a block of meat or going for a run while training. The most iconic shot of the film was Rocky running up the Art Museum steps, throwing his fist in the air. The camera followed Rocky up the steps, and it felt almost as if the audience was running with him, and triumphing alongside of Rocky. The lighting also matched the cinematography of the film. The lighting comprised of key lit shots, which created great dark shadows, spotlight lighting, and even many shots with no lighting at all, allowing there to be contrast. In some scenes, like the scene when Rocky is yelling at his Coach Mickey from the apartment window, the camera would hold for an almost excessive amount of time on the shot from the same wide angle. This created a sense of depth to the way the film was shot, and made the impact of the scene more noticeable. The soundtrack of the film brought it to life. With its theme song being “Gonna Fly Now”, the film had music ranging from pump-up feel good music, to softer and more downcast songs, which fit the mood perfectly. Rocky’s determination brought joy to the hearts of their audience and with Rocky’s infamous line "Ain't gonna be no rematch.. Ain't gonna be no rematch.", the movie remains to be the best in its genre. From a critical standpoint, I would say that the sound quality wasn’t the greatest, but this is only due to the kind of technology that existed in the late 70’s when this movie was made.

I highly recommend this movie to just about any category of people. The film isn’t too complicated or confusing, it is fully character driven rather than plot-driven and has stellar aspects ranging from action filled cinematography, charmingly brilliant screenplay, and a simplistic but powerful message, that will go down in history. I think the reason why this movie is so special is because of its uniqueness. The film was first released in 1976, and during this time there hadn’t been any movies that were focused around the true story of an underdog in sports. The way Rocky was able to take on what seemed to be impossible with the most uplifting attitude is why the movie is what it is. Sylvester Stallone molded his character, along with all of the other people in his life, into true hero's, who contributed to Rocky’s success. The acting was out of this world, and it all lies in the hands of the amazing story, which is what I liked most about this film. I would highly recommend Rocky.