Cineworlders, we've got some exciting news. We're delighted to be showing all six of the original Rocky movies back on the big screen where they belong.
Re-experience plucky boxer Rocky Balboa's emotional journey from unlikely hero to heavyweight champion in your local Cineworld, and revel in the power of Sylvester Stallone's star-making performance.
As a little taster, we've rounded up our favourite Rocky scenes in a handy blog list. Scroll down, take a look and get pumped as Rocky makes his long-awaited return.
1. Rocky (1976) – 'Gonna Fly Now' montage
Try to hold in your excitement as Bill Conti's brassy and inspirational anthem resounds through the speakers. In what is possibly the quintessential Rocky moment, Stallone's underdog pugilist pounds the streets of Philadelphia, eventually ascending the steps in one of cinema's most famous shots.
2. Rocky (1976) – The final bout
The first Rocky movie encapsulates the philosophy, 'it's not the winning, it's the taking part that counts'. Ultimately, Rocky's ability to get in the ring and spar with Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) matters so much more than any amount of trophies. And it's all reflected in the joyous reaction from girlfriend (and soon to be wife) Adrian (Talia Shire).
3. Rocky II (1979) – Apollo Creed returns
The seeds of the later Creed movies are sown in the Rocky sequel. Carl Weathers' formidable heavyweight champion gives Rocky much pause for thought, and it's fascinating to go back and witness how they were initially enemies.
4. Rocky II (1979) – Rocky claims the heavyweight title
Against all the odds, Rocky defeats Creed in one of the franchise's most rousing moments. It's Rocky's first win in the series, and demands the big screen experience – all the better for showing off its inspirational qualities as Rocky becomes heavyweight champion of the world. Altogether now: "Yo Adrian, I did it!"
5. Rocky III (1982) – Creed trains Rocky
When faced with new nemesis Clubber Lang (Mr T.), Rocky has to seek help from an unexpected source. At this moment, the friendship between the two characters is forged – although, as we know, it doesn't last for long. Even so, it gives rise to a beach training montage that is pure testosterone.
6. Rocky III (1982) – Rocky vs. Clubber Lang
InRocky II, Apollo Creed's sheer exhaustion handed the title character the win. But in the third movie, he achieves a definitive victory over Clubber Lang, pummelling him onto the ropes to hold onto his heavyweight title. No matter how many times you've seen it, the scene is sure to have you punching the air with your fists.
7. Rocky IV (1985) – The Soviet training montage
The excess of the 1980s is on full display in the fourth Rocky movie, one of the most parodied in the series. It doesn't come more manly than the mid-movie training montage where Rocky has to decamp to Siberia and fell massive trees, all part of the prep to defeat Russian killing machine Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren, who would later return in Creed II).
8. Rocky IV (1985) – Rocky vs. Ivan Drago
For the first time in Rocky movie history, the final bout is personal, as Rocky tackles the imposing foe who killed his friend Apollo Creed. It's utterly ridiculous but still casts an irresistible spell, all the more so when witnessed on the big screen.
9. Rocky V (1990) – The street fight
Not a lot of people have the time for Rocky V. In fact, it was so badly received, it knocked the franchise unconscious for 16 years. Nevertheless, we love the smart tweak on the final fight formula, as Rocky takes his animosity with Tommy 'The Machine' Gunn (Tommy Robinson) out into the streets.
10. Rocky Balboa (2006) – "That's how winning is done!"
A decade and a half later, we pick up with the new Rocky movie, absent Talia Shire and Burgess Meredith's Mickey. It honours the relatively more gritty and grounded spirit of the original, bringing the emphasis back onto character development, particularly in the moving scene with Rocky and his now-grown-up son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia).
11. Rocky Balboa (2006) – Rocky climbs back into the ring
By this stage, the Rocky franchise has given up whatever plausibility it had in favour of crowd-pleasing magic. But what's wrong with that? The sight of the aged Balboa back in the ring where he belongs, defying the naysayers who said he couldn't do it, is the stuff that fairy tales are made of.
Will you be watching all the Rocky movies? Let us know @Cineworld.
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