I rated it the best of the series for the following reasons. It could've been an absolute disaster with rocky making a comeback at 60. After 5 everyone thought he lost his direction for the series. It brings back the more indepth focus on character in a plot that didn't seem as tied down. What i mean by that is it didn't feel like a certain thing had to happen after another. Just like in 1 the plot seems free flowing. Its not like three where he had to fight the guy after being called out or the movie would fall apart. Instead of a short training clip before the first fight in three there's more story on rocky and the guy he's fighting just like in 1 and for the most part 2.