Well, I had thought the genres at least were different. Rocky the First was realism, not fantasy, grounded in specific, particular, exact details like the historical city of Philadelphia and those famous steps at the art gallery. (
Celuien, I wouldn't call that figure a statue. I'd agree it is a prop, and a form of Stallone's self-promotion.
) At least, it operated in the realm of realism which most American movies imply. Except for
Alien, those top movie heroes operate in the literary genre of realism. (Interestingly, more of the villains come from non-realism--The Wizard of Oz, The Exorcist, Snow White.)
LotR is fairie, is fantasy, is it not? It has its eucatastrophe. I don't think Rocky does because the outcome (at least as I can remember the first movie) was ever seriously in doubt, just made tense and dramatic.
Does this difference of genre change our concept of hero?