Rocky VI: Rocky Balboa

Exactly the same as any other Rocky movie, although not as dull as the fifth or ridiculously homo-erotic as the fourth. This one is more in keeping with the original, and if you have a thing for pumped up middle-aged men (who doesn't?) then you'll find this has everything you need.

Poor ol' Stallone must have been laughed at when he pitched this idea to the executives. Clearly his slight stint in the world of contemporary boxing got the better of him when he was enveloped with his TV Series "The Contender"; he must have been literally slavvering at the mouth seeing those young, toned, up-and-comers fight it out to get the million dollar prize back in 2005. And thus, we the audience, have Rocky Balboa to contend with as a direct result of Stallone wanting the halcyon days of 1976 all over again. To be fair, as silly and portentious as the title sounds, it's actually not a bad idea and semi-decently realised onscreen. Stallone clearly ain't no fool; he's edging 60 and looking every bit as rotund and aged as that over-half centenary may suggest. Sly wisely opts to go down the self-depricating route, fully aware that he's an old codger; but an old codger worthy of one last fight. This is brought up to date when telecasters fantasy-pitch two reknowned boxers; one Rocky, and the other a tough lil' up-and-comer. The film is executed as deftly as one would expect given the circumstances, but there's an underlying sweet-natured and root-worthy charm to the cause. Yes, Rocky Balboa was worth rooting for in the original and every continual faded sequel thereafter, but with this installment, the magic clearly refuses to die. Even when the inevitable boxing match in the last act occurs - and with not-so inevitable consquences, I might add - you still find yourself rooting for Balboa with the same giddy delight. secret-pent-up steel and determination as you may have done when you were younger. The original Rocky was a milestone in the underdog storyline - cheapened, sadly, by perhaps (read; definitely) one-too-many sequels. Happily, Rock Balboa is not the outright, pants-dropping, embarrassing mess it could well have been. Sly's been here before, and so have we - and both sides of the spectrum bring to it exactly what you would expect: a solid little action drama with very few surprises. Even Sly himself manages to turn in a few heart-rendering moments, particularly when he's refused a licence to box; without doubt the best moment the film has to offer. The £12.99 asking price may be too much for newcomers to celluloid and those lacking the respect of anything older than, say, 2 Fast 2 Furious - both for those completists among you, you'll no doubt take pride in this addition to yuor Rocky Anthology boxset - although my heartfelt sympathies do go out to those who will be somewhat perturbed by the fact that the set isn't 'complete' (i.e. one boxset). My inclination would be to wait till they bring out the 1-6 boxset (if they haven't already, I dunno, i haven't checked). And for the rest of you who are "umm" and "ahhh"ing over this late addition to the Rocky franchise, my advice is this: see it, and enjoy it for what it is. "It Ain't Over till it's Over" screams the film's tagline. As far as the Rocky franchise goes, let's hope that this time it truly *is* over. And let's hope Rambo IV next year gets the same loving craft and attention Rocky Balboa did. (Although how a self-depricating, borderline wheel-chair using ex-militant trying to outsmart a group of terrorists will go down in these post 9/11 times is a bit beyond my comprehension!).

Rocky Balboa, when it was first spoke of people laughed at the concept and thought it was a shameless attempt to cash in on a sucessful franchise. As a believer in Sly Stallone (hell apart from one minor blip in 5 he has made each Rocky fresh, original and highly entertaining each with a bad guy with his own terrific persona) it was in my opinion a win win situation. Stallone would undoubtedly win back his fans and the fans would get back the only character who will have his name chanted in a packed cinema! ROCKY ROCKY ROCKY!!!
When looking at the film I feel it presents an emotional story whilst also including elements any Rocky fan would want to see. The fight delivers tremendously and puts any other boxing movie to shame (even the other 5 Rocky films) and the training although short packs in a realistic montage. The highlight of the film for me is 'The Duke' with his power speech of

"You know all there is to know about fighting, so there's no sense us going down that same old road again. To beat this guy, you need speed - you don't have it. And your knees can't take the pounding, so hard running is out. And you got arthritis in your neck, and you've got calcium deposits on most of your joints, so sparring is out. So, what we'll be calling on is good ol' fashion blunt force trauma. Horsepower. Heavy-duty, cast-iron, piledriving punches that will have to hurt so much they'll rattle his ancestors. Every time you hit him with a shot, it's gotta feel like he tried kissing the express train. Yeah! Let's start building some hurtin' bombs!"

Balboa also establishes a feeling of a series which comes full circle with a beginning, a middle with his ups and downs as champion and loss of loved ones; culminating in 'Rocky Balboa' with his redemption and last hurrah.

Rocky Balboa should be viewed as a triumph on many levels. It breathed fresh air into an old dog and my did that dog go out with a fight. 'Yo Sly you did it!'

stallone has tried but not really succeded, seeing an old man working isnt my cup of tea but if your a rocky fan you might like it. i found the film overall quite boring until the finale fight but that was the only really exciting bit about it. stallone has done well for his age but lets hope theres no more to come.

It's been over thirty years now since Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa became the people's champion in the Oscar winning original, before losing his grasp on reality in a slew of entertaining but ever more outlandish sequels, each trying to outdo it's predecessor at the expense of it's credibility.

Rocky Balboa, I am glad to say, is a welcome return to the flavour and conviction of the first movie. No Steroid-induced Russian supervillains (IV) or members of the A-Team talking 80's jive here (III), just a good old back to basics tale of a man going toe to toe with his dreams. Blood, sweat, tears and a down to earth approach make this the truest sequel to the original outing since Rocky II proved that the franchise was no one-hit wonder.

A truly exhilerating and well grounded final round for the Italian Stallion.