Every Rocky Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

3. Rocky Balboa

It would've been so easy for the sixth Rocky movie to be an embarrassing ego vehicle for Stallone, but by leaning into the 60-something actor's age (at the time), Rocky Balboa turned out a warmly nostalgic delight.

Free of the series' increasingly bloated budgets - it cost barely half of Rocky V's $42 million - the film takes a potentially absurd concept, of Rocky emerging from retirement to battle a far younger opponent, and pays it off far better than anyone could've expected.

Of course, Rocky winning would've tanked the film completely, so instead it's simply a victory lap for the character and indeed for Stallone himself, giving fans a welcome reunion with the icon while confirming that his time in the ring is definitely over.

Given the riskiness of the project, it will always be impressive for how well Stallone course-corrected Rocky V's horrendous "ending" for the character.