10 Movies Way Better Than They Had Any Right To Be

Once one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood, the Rocky series seemingly ended on a whimper with 1990's fifth instalment, which turned out to be the worst movie yet from both a critical and commercial standpoint. Feeling he had unfinished business with the iconic character, eyebrows were raised when Sylvester Stallone resurrected the franchise sixteen years later in order to give Rocky the send-off he truly deserved.

To the surprise of virtually everyone, 2006's Rocky Balboa was a welcome return to form that served as an emotional and poignant final chapter in the thirty-year saga despite the ridiculous plot contrivances that get Rocky back in the ring, with Stallone reminding people that he could still deliver a great performance when the occasion called for it.

If that wasn't enough then Sly returned to the well again a decade later, lending support to talented up-and-coming director/star duo Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan in spin-off movie Creed, one of the best movies of 2015 that saw the veteran actor earn a well-deserved Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Both Rocky Balboa and Creed injected fresh life into a franchise everybody thought was dead, as well as delivering two of the best sports dramas of the 21st Century. Each one of Stallone's returns as the character greatly exceeded expectations, and more than proved that there was life in the old dog yet.