Movie Review: Rocky Balboa
Published December 06, 2006
Rocky Balboa? Seriously? The world of boxing needed a warrior with great heart and determination, and this is all they could come up with? Or maybe someone in Hollywood needed a story for a film and they just couldn’t conjure up anything original. Either way, the Italian Stallion is back for one more round in Rocky Balboa, the sixth film in a series that started with glory and has since been knocked around a bit.
There is a strong likelihood that critics, and some fans, won’t give Balboa a fighting chance this Christmas, seeing as there will be plenty of other films out there to see. Plus, if you’ve seen the trailer for this flick, then you can pretty much guess how it goes down. Rocky mopes around Philadelphia, mourning the death of Adrian while the current heavyweight champion of the world, Mason Dixon, is loathed by fans due to a lack of competition. Leave it to ESPN to stir the pot a bit by showing a virtual fight between has-been Balboa and current champ Dixon in which Rocky wins. Throw in some sports agents keen on making that almighty dollar and all of the sudden a bout is born, and Rocky must once again find a way to get back up after being hit so hard for so long.
Now there are plenty of reasons not to see this film; the hokey story about a fight coming out of a video game simulation, the fact that Rocky would be well into his fifties by now and even the fact that Sylvester Stallone has chosen to write and direct. The last time Stallone wrote and directed a Rocky flick was Rocky IV. He won a Razzie for worst director that year. Needless to say, this film is instantly going to take jabs from every angle.
But if you do happen to take a chance on Rocky this holiday season, and you can bear the first two thirds of the film, you will be aptly rewarded. The film starts out very slowly, showing the bum that used to be Rocky –- a man that sits at his dead wife’s grave daily, takes a depressing tour each year of all of the historical places of his life and never gets to see the son that is trying to get out from underneath his shadow.
- Movie Review: Rocky Balboa
- Published: December 06, 2006
- Type: Review
- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Video: Drama, Video: Original Fiction, Video: Sports
- Writer: Neil Miller
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All of the Rocky movies were great. It never gets old, and now that its been so long, it feels a little contrived. Nevertheless, should make a good deal of new Rocky Fans.
This movie works. The reasons are too many to list. It's partly because of how the movie reminds us of our own mortality, the passing of our lives, an era, a feeling. It's partly because Stallone went back to his roots and recreated the lovable character we all came to adore. It's a good movie.
I actually enjoyed the movie. I cried. It was emotional. It was funny, and there was action. Rocky had alot of great words of wisdom. Its a must see movie.
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I was lucky enough to watch the sixth - and most likely - installment of the venerable Rocky franchise. The last Rocky was critically panned and suffered a clear decrease in viewership because the movie left our pugilist back to where his saga began, casting aside all progress his previous bouts earned him. 'Rocky Balboa' has the duty to set the Rocky franchise right again and does so, pulling no punches.
Like the first Rocky, it is an unabashed feel-good movie. It brings the Rocky saga full circle from many angles, from the appearances of old characters to the display of specific Philadelphia landmarks without relying on nostalgia to pique the viewer's interest. The acting is terrific. Sylvester Stallone delivers his best performance since Copland, commanding the screen and demanding your attention. Burt Young, who plays the irrepressible Paulie, nearly steals every scene he is in, and there are many. Even Antonio Tarver does a good job playing the antagonist Mason Dixon, but it's not much of a stretch for the real-life celebrated boxer.
I will refrain from typing out a lengthy synopsis of the movie (see Wikipedia) but at its heart, the movie is about a man who lost many people who he holds very dear to his heart and trying to regain a semblance of what it is to feel whole again. The man is a fighter and it is his reignited passion of the ring that draws the remaining people in his life to come back, forging tighter bonds. His life finds order from the apparent entropy that has dogged him for several years.
This movie is every bit as inspiring as the first Rocky and just as memorable. From the theme music, you will be hooked.