I watched Rocky today, and I had almost forgot how great it actually is. While I like most of the sequels, I feel that the first had a quality to it that was missing in the others.

I don't watch Rocky for boxing at all, it's the characters. Sylvester Stallone has made some pretty bad career decisions over the years, but this movie proves he has the chops.

When compared to the other movies which almost feel like superhero movies, this movie is fairly quiet. It's very character driven.

The film is so gritty, and has moments. It's hard to describe what is so good about this movie.

I think the sequels had good moments. Rocky II and Rocky Balboa are about as close to the quality of the original as you can get. Rocky III and IV were both enjoyable, but they don't have much to them.

In the end, we relate to Rocky the most in the first film. He's a nobody, whose shot at greatness is past him, or so we think.

5/5 cut eyes