Sylvester Stallone has starred in more than 80 feature films over a career spanning five decades. Sure, many—if not a near majority—of them were subpar, but you can’t hate on an artist who has somehow managed to stay very active in the industry, delivering hit after hit for more than 50 years.
That said, Seth Rogen is not impressed.
During a recent episode of the Funny You Ask podcast with Ike Barinholtz, Rogen openly dismissed Stallone’s filmography. He argued that Stallone has made only about four truly good films over the course of his entire career.
“Demolition Man.” “Tango and Cash” is enjoyable, but it’s not a good movie. I don’t give a s*** about any ‘Rocky’ movies.
The conversation then veered into Stallone’s inevitable rivalry with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and according to Rogen, it’s not even a contest.
Stallone is maybe not as good as Schwarzenegger. Not even close. “Predator” alone is better than anything Stallone has made.
There’s no disputing most of what he’s saying, but to say that Stallone has made only four good films? That’s a debate we can have here. I’m only a fan of a handful of his movies. Some would say—certainly not me—that the first four ‘Rocky’ movies were good, with the first one being a bona fide classic. Then you have an assortment of titles that are generally well regarded, such as “First Blood,” “Nighthawks,” “Cliffhanger,” “Demolition Man,” and “Cop Land.”
The thing with Stallone is that for every successful franchise he’s built, which is three, an impressive count, or classic he’s been in, his filmography is littered with stinkers, way too many to name all at once here. Some of them include, “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot,” “Rhinestone” “Over the Top,” “Cobra,” “Judge Dredd,” “Driven,” “Judge Dredd,” “Oscar,” “Assassins,” and “Daylight.”
No criticism will ever stop Stallone, who turns 80 next month. He is still making movies and can currently be seen in the immensely popular Paramount+ series Tulsa King, which will soon enter its fourth season. In fact, the show is yet another major hit for an actor who — despite being consistently criticized over the decades — should never be counted out.