On the structure of Rocky movies

Rob Beschizza 5:47 am Mon Dec 9, 2013

Rocky Morphology breaks down the critical story components of each movie in the Rocky series: the opening fight, the training, the epic montage, and the final in-the-ring showdown. It's interesting how the massive 1980s-era sequels saw long mid-movie bouts and multiple montages, while the recent (and well-received) Rocky VI structurally resembles the original and its 1979 sequel. The sole 1990s entry, Rocky V, is the worst of the lot—so it's no surprise that it has the most jumbled set of essential boxing-movie scenes. Training immediately after a montage? What were they thinking?

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