Thread:Rodangizzardcrusher3/@comment-26687285-20160822213306/@comment-26687285-20161107233129

I'm very glad you asked me that. When i first heard about it i was very much opposed to the idea. Rocky 6 was a magnificent tribute to the series and great note to end the story on. So i felt that any chapter beyond that point would only take away from that movie's excellence. While i hardly doubted Sly's respect for the character and passion for preserving the franchise's integrity, i still felt like this might be a sign of him not knowing when to stop. But as the film drew closer that feeling subsided and i became more optimistic about it. Given that the story no longer strictly focusses on Rocky himself but rather is to serve as a passing of the torch to a new generation, i decided to just accept it and see if it could still capture that same charm as the other films.

And well, my thoughts coming out of it were actually not that it failed, but rather that it could have been great...if it had gone just a little bit further. What do i mean by that?. Simple. You kill off Rocky!. I honestly think this movie could have reached the same level of quality as the first or sixth installment if they had simply followed through on the cancer sub-plot and actually given him a death scene at the end.

Imagine how satisfying it could have been to see this great cinematic hero depart at last and leave behind his legacy in the form of the new champion he has created to take his place and carry on his wisdom. This would have given the film a true sense of closure and accomplishment, and would have made it both a perfect end to Rocky Balboa's life story and removed any remaining burden by the Rocky name upon this (potantial) new series.

I honestly can't say if it was the studio or Stalone himself that decided not to embrace this idea or what their reasons were for not doing so (whether it was to potentialey squize another sequel out of this property or if it was never their intention to axe the character), but it has turned what could perhaps have been the perfect finale into one of the biggest missed opportunities i have seen in recent history.

Don't get me wrong, the film is still very solid. Michael B. Jordan is a fine actor who makes for a compelling leading man. The story stands very well on it's own and doesn't rely on the previous films to fill in any of the necessary information (like any proper continuation should). And it stays true to the essence of the series while skillfully updating the story for a modern generation.

Nevertheless, the fact that such a golden chance to finally, indefinitely give rest to this iconic character was ignored...well, it breaks my heart a little bit. :'(

P.S. That is why, even though i'm glad to have seen it, i do not plan on adding Creed to my DVD collection.