The Rocky franchise is one of the most "all-American" and beloved movie series of all time, but how does Sylvester Stallone himself rank the classic first 5 of them? In 1976, the titular boxing drama thrust Stallone, who both wrote and starred in it, into the public eye and pop culture in general. This first installment introduces Rocky Balboa, a blue-collar Philadelphia man who's working as a leg-breaker for a local loan shark. His heart isn't in the violent occupation as he's a good person but, due to lack of education and overall means, he doesn't have many options.
He eventually takes on Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), the heavyweight boxing world champion, all while immersing himself in the sport he's passionate about, seeing what he's really made of, and falling in love with his romantic interest, Adrian (Talia Shire). The subsequent films after that continue to chronicle Rocky's life, both personally and professionally. In recent years, Rocky's character and the series' storyline have extended into Creed and Creed II, which center around Apollo's son, whom Rocky trains. So, with all of these different projects featuring the "Italian Stallion," how does Sylvester Stallone rank them, specifically the originals--Rocky 1 to Rocky 5? In a 2008 episode of Friday Night with Johnathan Ross, he explained.
When asked about the breakout hit Rocky, he gave a rating of 10/10. This score is more than fair, given it spawned the lovable main character who's become so close to everyone's hearts, not to mention one of the most memorable montage sequences in cinema. And, of course, there's the sweetness and purity of Rocky and Adrian's love, which transcends the screen to this day. For 1979's Rocky II, which Sylvester Stallone directed, he gave a 7.5 out of 10. After lasting until the last round with Apollo in the previous film, Rocky struggles financially in this one. Though happily married to Adrian, he has to take a job at a meatpacking company, and he wonders if he'll ever be able to make it in boxing. The pair have a son and Rocky wins his fight with Apollo. It was solid – not as good as the first, but none of them are. And it did leave the world with, "Yo Adrian, I did it!"
Stallone gave Rocky III a slightly-higher score of 9. Ranking the third installment higher than the second may be a bit of a stretch, but still, the third movie is great. It features Mr. T as the trash-talking antagonist Clubber Lang. It pulls at the heartstrings when Mick, crotchety but loyal and wise, dies suddenly. After beating Lang, the movie ends with the classic oil painting freeze-frame of Rocky and Apollo, now friendly opponents, both taking a swing at each other. When asked about Rocky IV, Stallone remarked about how Dolph Lundgren (who played Soviet boxer Ivan Drago) was "the hardest hitter." But, coupled with the fact that the film contained "a lot of montage," he gave it a 7.5 out of 10. Steeped in Cold War-era tension, the flick is certainly another one of substance. Apollo's death is an additional tragic character loss, but it illustrates the nasty side of hitting and being hit for a living; there's always a chance of serious injury or death. And, of course, this film featured Ivan Drago's dinner scene – infamous for Lundgren's deadpan delivery of the line that ends with, "If he dies... he dies."
Controversially, Stallone went on to score Rocky V with a zero. He said, "I was definitely not there. That's one of the reasons I wanted to do the last one," referring to 2006's Rocky Balboa. Though this installment gave another realistic portrayal of the physical ailments often induced by rough sports like boxing, it fell flat in comparison to the others. Even so, it was interesting to see Rocky become a sort of Mick-esque figure for Tommy "The Machine" Gunn. And, of course, Rocky V has the epic moment after Tommy sends Paulie to the ground with a nasty punch, and Rocky, with eyes ablaze, comes back with the passionate line, "You knocked him down, why don't you try knockin' me down now?" It's funny to think that even Stallone, with his intimate connection to the character and franchise, still has his preferences about each film.