There aren’t many movie series that are still going after nearly five decades, and fewer still that have never been completely rebooted. Yet, somehow not only is “Rocky” and its spinoff series “Creed” still going, it’s still going strong, with the latest installment “Creed III” scoring an impressive $50 million opening weekend. These films about underdog boxers aren’t about fights and they aren’t about sensationalism (okay, one is). They’re about characters who evolve naturally over the course of time, who prove they all have more than one great story to tell.
Below, we look back on the franchise as a whole — from Sylvester Stallone’s Oscar-winning original to Michael B. Jordan’s 2023 directorial debut — and rank every “Rocky” and “Creed” movie from worst to best.
10. “Rocky IV” (1985)
Okay, we said there are no bad “Rocky” movies but “Rocky IV” comes pretty close. The story of Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed getting caught up in political propaganda after a Russian behemoth named Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) gets hyped up as the world’s ultimate fighter makes sense in the midst of the Cold War, but Sylvester Stallone’s film has punishingly little to say about world affairs. It’s a cartoon movie, comprised of over the top theatrics, endless montages, and — no joke — a high tech robot butler. It’s still fun to watch, but compared to every other “Rocky” movie, even the less popular ones, it’s hard to take seriously.
9. “Rocky V” (1990)
John G. Avildsen returned to direct the fifth installment, an attempt to bring “Rocky” back to his roots after the last two films got bigger and broader. And while fans balked at the storyline — which found Rocky losing all his money, training a new fighter who turns against him, and climaxing in an epic street fight — as being an underwhelming final chapter, it’s not the final chapter anymore. Time has actually been kind to “Rocky V,” which may have a flimsy plot but offers strong character work from most of the cast and a meaningful point to make about why boxing shouldn’t be about fame and fortune. And since it sets up important storylines that pay off, spectacularly, in films like “Rocky Balboa” and “Creed,” the film now seems genuinely important to the legacy.
8. “Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago” (2021)
It’s amazing how little of “Rocky IV” is left after Sylvester Stallone cut most of the 1980s decadence, but — thanks in no small part to the retroactive improvements to Drago’s character made by “Creed II” — this director’s cut is unequivocally the superior film. It does, however, play less like a “Rocky” movie and more like a “Creed” prequel, since the emotional core of the film is Apollo Creed’s downfall and the second half — where Rocky travels to Russia to fight Ivan Drago — is mostly falling action as we watch Rocky tidy up the mess left afterwards.
7. “Rocky III” (1982)
It’s hard to tell an underdog story when your protagonist begins the film as a beloved celebrity and heavyweight champion of the world, but “Rocky III” does an admirable job of it. Rocky discovers that his trainer, Mickey (Burgess Meredith) has been denying the number one contender his title shot because Rocky has lost his edge and would get obliterated. So, Rocky gets obliterated, Mickey dies, and our hero has to reclaim his self-worth with his new trainer/old rival, Apollo (Carl Weathers). Efficient, effective, emotionally resonant, with a thrilling performance from Mister T as an embittered rival whose power comes not just from his punches, but from his ability to see through Rocky’s facade and highlight his real weaknesses.
6. “Creed II” (2018)
The first “Creed” sequel takes most of its cues, and a lot of its plot points, from “Rocky III.” Our hero, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), becomes the champion but life outside the ring becomes a distraction, and before long he’s unprepared for a truly difficult title bout against a dangerous contender. The difference is that his contender, Victor Drago (Florian Munteanu), is the son of Ivan Drago, whose story finally gets fleshed out after getting the short shrift in “Rocky IV.” In this film even the antagonists get meaningful storylines, and the climax of the final fight has just as much to do with Drago’s character development as it does with Adonis’s. Steven Caple Jr.’s film doesn’t repeat characters and storylines from the “Rocky” movies so much as it skillfully refines them.
5. “Creed III” (2023)
Michael B. Jordan follows in Stallone’s footsteps by taking over the series behind the camera and his debut is impressive, introducing a frightening new antagonist and finally confronting Adonis’s childhood trauma. Jonathan Majors co-stars as Damian Anderson, a childhood friend of Adonis’s who spent nearly two decades in prison and emotionally manipulates the retired boxing champ into getting a one-in-a-million title shot just like Rocky did in 1976. It all goes horribly wrong and Adonis has to confront his demons to take down his oldest friend. Majors is astounding, and the injection of psychological thriller elements into the series elevates the conflict to Herculean proportions.
4. “Rocky Balboa” (2006)
Sylvester Stallone stepped away from the “Rocky” series for nearly two decades after “Rocky V,” but when he returned, he returned with one of the best legacy sequels. Retired, lonely after the death of his wife and the estrangement of his now-grown son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia), Rocky comes to the conclusion that his life lacks purpose and decides to head back into the ring. But his modest dream of doing some local exhibitions gets transformed into an unexpected bout with the reigning heavyweight champ, a fight he can’t possibly win. If he pushes himself he might just be able to prove he’s still a contender, though. A somewhat forced set-up for the final fight notwithstanding, “Rocky Balboa” is one of the most grounded and inspirational films in the series.
3. “Rocky II” (1979)
The first “Rocky” sequel is almost as good as the original. Rocky proved himself by going the distance with the champ but he lost. He’s got a detached retina that makes fighting a dangerous occupation and now he’s got to figure out what to do next. He’s got some money, but he’s not good with it and endorsement deals are a bust because he’s still awkward on-camera. But he has his family, and he’s fully committed to making the most of his life, until a newly insecure Apollo Creed finally needles him into accepting a rematch. For a sequel to a beloved, influential classic, “Rocky II” does an exceptional job of asking what would happen next without resorting to repetition or hyperbole. It’s remarkable how genuine it is.
2. “Creed” (2015)
Ryan Coogler’s legacy sequel to a legacy sequel introduces Adonis Creed, the never-acknowledged son of Apollo Creed, as a young boxer eager to make his own name in the industry who teams up with Rocky Balboa to live up to his father’s legacy on his own terms. “Creed” is so exceptional from top to bottom — great drama, great fights, great everything — that it’s one of those rare sequels that passes the ultimate test: If this was the first film in the series, the series would still have been amazing. Stallone gives a supporting performance that ranks among his finest accomplishments as an actor, earning him an Oscar nomination for the seventh film in a series (a rare feat).
1. “Rocky” (1976)
Again, there are no bad “Rocky” movies, but “Rocky” still stands proudly above them all. Written by a young and hungry Sylvester Stallone, who stars as a down-on-his-luck boxer given a title shot out of the blue as a publicity gag, it’s a potent drama about people whose lives would have been quietly fascinating even if the plot never kicked in. But when it does it’s staggeringly inspirational and so exquisitely crafted that sports movies have been ripping off its underdog storytelling structure ever since. It’s one of the definitive motion pictures, a lodestone in the canon, and one of the best and most crowd-pleasing movies ever.
