The Rocky movies have a much darker message than I ever realized

The Rocky Saga is remembered as a feel-good underdog story, but as the sequels went on, the franchise gradually became darker and darker – and I never realized it at the time. Rocky Balboa is a character that audiences around the world look up to. When we first meet him in the original Rocky In the film, he is a love fighter who has to work as a debt collector for a loan shark to get by. Over the course of the sequels, Rocky becomes a world champion with fame and fortune beyond his wildest dreams.

On the surface, Rocky might seem like an inspiring story about how anyone can become great; An average working-class Joe can become a world-famous celebrity at the top of his field. But if you take a closer look, you will see that The Rocky Sage is actually a cautionary tale about the dangers of putting your passion for your work above everything else. I never noticed it before, but after Rocky’s dreams come true, his problems are just beginning. This is really a story about the foibles of fame and fortune.

Rocky Rutin chose boxing over his wife and son

Rocky puts boxing ahead of everything else (and it costs him dearly)

throughout the series, Rocky consistently put boxing above everything else, including his family. The first Rocky Movie is more of a love story than a boxing story. It focuses on Rocky’s relationship with Adrian, and in the climactic match, when he loses to Apollo Creed, all he cares about is that Adrian is there to support him. But a few sequels in, it became clear that boxing is his true love. Adrian didn’t want Rocky to fight Clubber for long Rocky IIIBut Rocky ignores her and fights him anyway.

in Rocky IVAdrian asked Rocky not to go to Russia to fight Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago because she didn’t think he could win. But to prove her wrong, he didn’t just go to Russia to fight Drago; He went to the Russian desert to bear, which means he left her for months. in Rocky VAdrian wants Rocky to retire, but since he is on the verge of bankruptcy, he refuses to give up his boxing career, despite the negative effects it has on his health. He constantly chose boxing over Adrian’s wishes.

When they had a son, Robert, Jr., I expected Rocky to finally put his family first and leave his boxing career behind. But he still put boxing first. When Robert was bullied at school and needed his father the most, Rocky abandoned him In favor of training his new protégé, Tommy Gunn. This made Robert fall in with a bad crowd and move away from his family. Rocky was faced with many opportunities to prioritize his family, but he prioritized boxing every time.

Rocky’s health showed a steady decline throughout the series because of boxing

Rocky’s doctor advised retirement, but Rocky kept fighting

When Rocky wanted to get back in the boxing ring to make back the money he lost in Rocky VAdrian asked him to see a doctor first. Rocky reluctantly pays a visit to his doctor, Presley Jensen, Who diagnosed him with a serious condition called Cavum septi pellucidi. This is a type of brain damage caused by repeated blows to the head and is implied to be a result of Rocky’s brutal bout with Drago in Rocky IV. According to the doctor, the effects of this condition are permanent and irreversible.

This condition makes it impossible for Rocky to continue his boxing career in any way, shape or form. At the urging of both Adrian and the doctor, Rocky agrees that it is time to retire. That should have been it, but Rocky just couldn’t stay down for the count. Towards the end of the movie, he would get into a vicious street brawl with Tommy. And in the following movie, Rocky BalboaRocky agrees to an exhibition fight with hot-tempered young fighter Mason Dixon. All Rocky had to do was stop fighting, but he couldn’t do it.

Rocky’s retirement was filled with brain damage and bankruptcy

Rocky’s story was ultimately a sad one

Rocky’s personal problems have a knock-on effect throughout the series. He abandoned his family to pursue his boxing career, which led to brain damage and other health issues. But he also lost all his money, which pushed him to the brink of bankruptcy, which forced him to keep boxing to recoup his losses, which made his health issues even worse – Rocky’s terrible decision-making forced him into an endless cycle of terrible realities. Rocky It was initially a story about the glory of boxing, but it ended up focusing on all the devastating consequences of a boxer’s life.