There came a time when the Old Gods died! The Brave died with the Cunning! The Noble perished locked in battle with unleashed Evil! It was the last day for them! An ancient era was passing in fiery holocaust!
That tracks:
That's at least a half-foot height differential between them in their physical primes during ROCKY IV.
Michael B Jordan, at 5'11", is maybe an inch taller than Sly was. Florian, at 6'4", is maybe an inch shorter than Dolph was. Not quite as big a gulf between the two, but more than enough to still look like a total mismatch:
Movie comes out here in the USA in less than 2 weeks? Anyone planning on seeing it in theaters opening weekend?
Michael B. Jordan is actually 6 foot even. Apparently someone on twitter accused him of being 5'9" (as well as being an anime lover and living at him with his parents) and he tweeted back to defend himself.
IMDB is notoriously incorrect (though not as much as say wiki), this is one of those times. Again, Michael B. Jordan himself has confirmed his height. He could be lying sure but I'd sooner take his words over whoever updates of his IMDB entry.
I'm not sure that was ever going to be the case regardless, but ok.Point being he's not your prototypical Supes/Bats/Cap/Thor superhero in terms of height and frame.
Which is good, because I have no interest in watching MBJ pound on a smaller dude in the ring.
Isn't this kind of like saying it's weird Thanos takes up so much poster space on Avengers: Infinity War poster? The bad guy takes up so much space because he represents conflict. He's the main focus of the move.
And men in general, but male actors especially, are notoriously given to inflate their height by a wee bit (usually an extra 0.5 inch to 1 full inch, aka their height with shoes on). Unless you believe Tom Cruise really is 5'10" like he says he is (and not 5'7" like he almost certainly really is).
The Rockyverse hero is primarily about the smaller guy beating down the bigger dude. "Primarily" b/c I never watched V or VI, so I'm not sure if Tommy Gunn or Mason Dixon were both goliaths or not.I'm not sure that was ever going to be the case regardless, but ok.
Actually ... sorta.
Difference is there was a public knowledge of the actor playing Thanos from his previous movies. Florian has no such resume. And, IMHO, his look is more generic and less striking than Dolph was in ROCKY IV, where ironically he looked like a wet-dream posterboy for that other extreme end of the political spectrum (Not Stalin, but Hitler).
Eh, Who knows? Maybe Florian will pull off a memorably villainous role like Dolph did over 30 years . Anything is possible at this point.
I would argue that notoriety has nothing to do with it. (Anecdotal reference: I know several people who have seen most or all of the Marvel movies, but when they saw Infinity War they had no idea Thanos had been in previous shows.)
The point is not that character is known. The point is that the character represents conflict...a force the protagonist needs to overcome. Of course that force is going to be exaggerated in the promotional materials, it ultimately makes the protagonist look better.
Cruise is an extreme counterexample, and one where no one takes him seriously (no one thinks he's that height). But if you want to believe a website about the man over the man himself can't stop you, have at it.
You might want to familiarize yourself with those movies, then. ALL of Rocky's opponents have been bigger than him. I'd argue that maybe Tommy Gunn was only bigger by a hair or two but he was still bigger and far more jacked compared to Stallone too.The Rockyverse hero is primarily about the smaller guy beating down the bigger dude. "Primarily" b/c I never watched V or VI, so I'm not sure if Tommy Gunn or Mason Dixon were both goliaths or not.
I'm seeing it in theaters...
...Though I think I'll add that the gulf between the hero and villain still seems comparable to me just because of how much beefier Viktor looks than even Lundreg circa the 80's; Lundgren and Stallone were going for "cut" physiques and sought to emphasize how much taller Lundgren was. Michael B. Jordan has damn impressive shoulders... But Florian's upper body almost looks disfigured; those shoulders are monstrous! There's more beef on Drago 2.0.
Like action, adventure, rogues, and outlaws? Like anti-heroes, femme fatales, mysteries and thrillers?
I wrote a book with them. Outlaw’s Shadow: A Sherwood Noir. Robin Hood’s evil counterpart, Guy of Gisbourne, is the main character. Feel free to give it a look: https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asi...E2PKBNJFH76GQP
Even if you want to say Gunn wasn’t that much bigger, the point was that Rocky was knocked out of the fight game and had no business fightingnsmf he was squaring up against the Heavyweight Champion.
He’s meant to be the underdog.
Dude who fights in smoke filled halls vs the world class heavyweight champion. Coasting fighter who lost his edge vs the hungry monster whose thrashing anything in his path. Older nearly retired fighter whose facing a super human. Etc
VI is one of the better sequels. V has its moments, but you can tell Stallone's heart wasn't in it (studio interference didn't help either.) If you can track it down, watch the workman print of V. It veers more toward what Avildsen intended. Even rough, it is miles above the theatrical release in some areas.
Anyway, all the opponents faced in the Rocky movies were bigger than Stallone. Either in height, weight, or a combination of both. By the time we get to VI, not only is Dixon taller and slightly more athletic, he is also much younger than Rocky (25 vs 59/60.) Stallone explained that he purposely cast actors who were imposing when compared to Balboa. Because they are the physical representation of the challenge he faces. The obstacle he must overcome. Same deal with Adonis and Viktor.
There is a blooper/behind the scenes video doing the rounds and it features a few surprises and confirms a few others. So if you want to go in clean, try to avoid YouTube etc. But if you don't mind the odd spoiler, toggle down below.
spoilers:end of spoilers
we see a scene being filmed in the reception area of a hospital. It is a heated scene between Ivan and Rocky that results in Ivan shoving Rocky and getting a few hits in. Rocky comes back at Ivan with some heavy blows that sends Ivan reeling before they are broken up by the security guards.
In the same scene, before shoving Rocky Ivan say, "At least this Creed is still alive." So it must be set post Adonis's first fight with Drago. We pretty much guessed there was going to be two bouts between them. So this seems to confirm that.
There is a dinner party being thrown for Viktor where he is presented with his trunks. Ludmilla enters the room and everybody (apart from Ivan and Viktor) stand for her. Ludmilla takes her spot next to another man opposite Ivan.
The desert training is a secluded spot for fighters who have lost their way and need to find themselves again. Rocky and Adonis arrive and meet Little Duke who is already there waiting for them.
The training shows Adonis working on a punching bag cover with/made of tyres. Pulling heavy truck/tractor tyres on the hood of a car being used as a makeshift sled. Rocky pounding on adonis with medicine balls. Adonis using a sledgehammer to pound into the desert sands.
There is a clip that depicts Adonis as he wins the title (from earlier in the film) he stands on the ropes and addresses the crowd who are chanting his name. So it would seem that he travels down the same road Rocky did after he won his title against Apollo.
Last edited by Somecrazyaussie; 11-13-2018 at 03:54 AM.