I hate how Rocky is all smart and sleek in this one and Talia Shire is confident and sexy.
The major appeal for me was their underdog/slightly retarded nature. I hate that he wears nikes now. As if he's too good for those crappy converses he used to wear.
In Rocky II, Balboa had no problem sweeping or emptying the spit bucket. Now he is a graceful particle physics professor. Ughh. Give me the the slow Rocky. That Rocky had a Holden Caulfield appeal to him. This one reminds me of Arturo Gatti.