As far as movie franchises go, Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky is widely considered one of the greatest sports series in Hollywood. Over 6 films spanning from 1976 to 2006, The Italian Stallion’s intense tale of underdog glory inspired audiences worldwide.
Being the creative brain behind the story, the Rocky series was Stallone’s baby that grew and blossomed over the years. Despite the fact that choosing between one’s children is probably one of the most impossible tasks that any parent can have, the action star still managed to rate the films from best to worst.
Which Is Sylvester Stallone’s Least Preferred Rocky Film?
Sylvester Stallone’s superstardom in Hollywood can be mainly attributed to his iconic Rocky films that cemented his place as one of the greatest action stars of his generation. The first film which was an inspirational underdog saga, became a cultural phenomenon that expanded further into 4 sequels spanning 15 years.
With Stallone invested in the series not just as an actor, but as the creator of the story and script, it goes without saying that Rocky became a family member to him. The Expendables star though, was still able to isolate himself from his emotions and critically observe the pros and cons of each film. In an appearance on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (via YouTube), Stallone rated the films and revealed his least preferred one.
” Five? Oh, Zero. It was that bad. It was goose egg. I was definitely not there.”
The Cliffhanger actor stated that the failure of Rocky 5 ignited his desire to do another film as he did not want to end the franchise with the thought that he had made a bad film. Years later, Stallone’s wish was fulfilled when he went on to do Rocky Balboa.
The Boxer Who Inspired Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky
Sylvester Stallone’s iconic character Rocky, is still considered a cult figure despite being a fictional character. Stallone, who wrote the script for the first film, was inspired by real-life events that led to the creation of the evergreen hero. While audiences are aware that the star used boxing legend Muhammed Ali’s fight as the foundation, it was Ali’s opponent Chuck Wepner’s tenacity that planted the seed for the story.
Wepner, who was no match for the great Ali, was getting hammered in the fight, but never gave up and even had moments of brilliance in which he challenged the legend, which led to him unbelievably rendering Ali a knockout blow. This never-say-die attitude gave Stallone his eureka moment to flesh out his character. Speaking to GQ, he said,
“From nowhere, Wepner knocked down the immortal Ali. It was like a bolt of lightning from some Greek god in the sky, and, almost instantly, Wepner became the crowd favorite — in a matter of seconds. Suddenly, he went from being a complete joke to being somebody whom everybody watching could identify with—because everybody’s thinking, ‘Yes, I’d like to do that!’”
Chuck Wepner’s tenacity became the inspirational underdog fairytale that Sylvester Stallone was looking for. The rest, as they say, is history, with Rocky becoming one of the greatest sports dramas of all time.
