Review of Rocky Balboa (2006) by Rachelle C — 07 Sep 2010

I remember walking into the theater and saying to myself "if it's just okay then I'll be a happy camper". I love going into things with low expectations and something comes out of nowhere and just completely shocks you.

The plot for the sixth Rocky is essentially the same exact plot as the first. Rocky is now in his 50's and alone. Robert has moved on to a good job and left his old man behind. Paulie stays busy at the meat packing plant and stays in good contact with Rocko. Adrian passed away from cancer sometime between the fifth and sixth films.

So here's the Stallion. He's still pretty broke, punchy and lonely. Since Adrian's death Rocky visits the sites where he and Adrian had their best times. Their old house, the fish store, the gym and skating rink. Rock even opened a restaurant and named it Adrian's after his late wife.

After a CGI boxing match between Rocky Balboa and current heavyweight champion Mason "The Line" Dixon (Antonio Tarver), Rocko again starts to feel the stuff in the basement. He knows the fire still blazes and he must get rid of the beast. Dixon's management offers Rocky the exhibition and we're in store for the epic comeback!

Stallone has said he and Tarver actually hit each other back and forth while filming the fight scene. No wonder why it had such a realistic feel to it. It doesn't look staged or unreal. It looks like a real heavyweight boxing fight and that's exactly what Sly was going for. The black and white camera shots with the red blood dripping down the fighter's faces was awesome too.

The great thing I've noticed about Stallone is he's very willing to change with the times. In this one he's got a very 2000's approach to the boxing world in which they admit is a dying sport, not a thriving sport. They admit this may be a fight boxing needs because they have nothing else. It's a wonderful story and an absolutely perfect way to end the Rocky saga.

The training montage is of course fucking awesome! Duke Evers is once again Rocky's head trainer and trains him yet again in a different way other than Rocky III and IV. Rocky is on the wrong side of 50, he's got bad knees, back and neck, he's got weak joints and he's too slow. So what Duke and Rocky focus on is building his strength and punching power instead of speed and footwork.

Rocky Balboa is one of the greatest movies I've ever seen and we finally have a fitting final chapter to this epic underdog tale.