Rocky II (1979)

Directed by Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Burgess Meredith, Carl Weathers, Sylvia Meals, Tony Burton, Joe Spinell, Paul J. Micale. [PG]

Sequel to the underdog hit doesn’t fool around with the recipe; Stallone scripted again, and he also stepped into the director’s chair, where he shows a perceptive eye for delivering exactly what the audience wants. Granted, the old tricks have grown a bit stale on just the second go-around, but the “newer” material is a mixed bag—Adrian’s pregnancy scare is pure soap, and the commercial shoot scenes are rather embarrassing for all participants, but there’s a harder edge to bumptious champ Apollo Creed, and Stallone refreshingly includes a scene rarely seen in these kinds of brutal sports pictures (the painful recovery at the hospital from all those damaging blows from the fight in the first film, speedily recapped at the beginning of this one). An unnecessary movie but an adequate one, well-equipped to deliver the occasional stand-up-and-cheer moment, and at least it takes itself more seriously than the next few outings. Rocky’s newborn son is played by Stallone’s real-life kid, Seargeoh.

64/100