very intelligent and well-crafted and suitably complex. probably the second best in the franchise after the first film. the training montage undercut by depictions of chemotherapy was really funny and emotional and well done. a good example of the intelligence the filmmaker and script bring to the franchise, working within the formula but pushing its boundaries in order to deepen the emotional stakes (also helpful in distinguishing this film from the original Rocky, since the narrative arc is identical).
excellent performances all around, too. really impressed by this—we didn’t deserve a film this well made.