Rocky Balboa (2006)

Rocky Balboa, much like the titular character, throws tired punches within the constraints of its clichéd boxing ring. Thirty years since Rocky, the underdog from Philadelphia, graciously climbed into the ring and gave Apollo Creed a run for his money. Then a sequel was commissioned. And another one. And another. Until the negligently produced ‘Rocky V’ was released with its disappointing conclusion, leaving fans underwhelmed. Stallone too, discontent with the final product. Thus, the sixth title in the series was conceived, with Stallone starring, writing and directing the feature. Throughout the sequels, many tropes were repeatedly utilised to capitalise on the resounding success of the original instalment, after all it received the Best Picture award of ‘76. The training montage to “Gonna Fly Now”, the awkward conversational exchanges between Rocky and a potential love interest, the old optimistic monologue and Stallone attempting to demonstrate he isn’t just a masterpiece wax work by shedding one tear. All culminating into an emotional boxing match where it doesn’t matter who wins, “it’s about how many hits you can take, and still keep moving forward”.

The narrative difference in all these thirty years? Rocky is older now. Fine, that was somewhat harsh. Stallone implements some note-worthy additions to the linear storytelling. The brooding aura of melancholy that envelops Rocky and Philadelphia, struggling to move on from the passing of his wife Adrian. This sorrowful force restraining Balboa to a mere relic within the sport that he fought so viciously in. Guests visiting his restaurant (aptly names “Adrian’s”) to intently listen to his tales, as if a museum piece for all to reminisce. Struggling to retain his symbolic status within boxing.

The problem is, Stallone never progresses the plot. In fact, he maintained the narrative to be a simple yet dull nostalgia trip that relied heavily on sentimentality. A wearisome derivative of the original that, unfortunately, felt fatigued in terms of homaging certain plot points. The entire first act was Balboa moping around, despite Adrian passing years ago, embodying remorse. Stallone, as Rocky, nailed the consistency of his character. From the awkward dialogue to his emphatic mannerisms, he constantly reminded us that he is the only actor available to play this legendary cinematic character. Whilst Stallone’s performance was commendable, others not so much.

There’s an underlying issue with insufficient chemistry between the actors. Stallone and Hughes, reprising the character of Marie, were decent if undercooked. Stallone and Ventimiglia on the other hand, who portrays his son, had nothing. All dialogue exchanges between them felt forced and lacked emotionality, particularly when Ventimiglia was “supporting” his father outside the ring. Young was passable as Paulie, although acting talent has diminished considerably over the years with his constant shouting.

The third act boxing match was filmed concisely, with Stallone taking a distant approach in order to exploit the energy within the room. The corny punching sound effects were removed, with Stallone and Tarver actually throwing real punches. It certainly exhumed realism, if a tad pedestrian. However, Stallone then opted to embed unusual visualised effects within the fight to indicate Rocky’s thought process as he remembers past fights in search for vigour. Far too cheesy and cumbersome, breaking up the flow of the match with unnecessary slow motion. Rocky’s opponent Mason Dixon was severely underdeveloped, lacking strength within his motives as he yearns to be taken seriously as a heavyweight champion.

Rocky Balboa will entertain fans of the franchise. It encompasses several vital narrative elements that many have learned to adore. However, for the casual audience who are neither here nor there regarding the series, it’s a drained formulaic story that depends too heavily on paying homage to its predecessors. Ultimately exhausting itself before the penultimate fight commences.

You know this was the story that SHOULD have been told in Rocky V, or at least this is the kind of story that should have been told.

Unfortunately it is a story told sans Talia Shire, who along with Burt Young and Carl Weathers are Rocky staples... of course Creed was dead in the timeline, so his absence is excusable... but we all kind of wanted to see Adrian, and wanted another story that developed her especially since they kind of stopped developing her as of Rocky III and relegated her to the sidelines.

But, you got to see a typical Rocky story. You got to see Rocky dig in and be inspiring again... and that is why we all love Rocky stories isn't it? Rovky V lacked the inspiration, Rocky Balboa came back with full force and it has continued though Creed, and, hopefully, when I get around to watching it, it will be there in Creed II as well.

The magic is that it comes back to the Rocky I and II dynamic, where it's not just about boxing, it's about Rocky and his story. And that is what we all missed in III and IV, and was attempted but failed miserably in V.

It felt like an early Rocky film, it felt like both an end and a rebirth of the franchise, and it was a very satisfying film to watch... especially given didn't really pull the punch we were all dreading and hit us full force.

**_Rocky as a has-been and, maybe, still-is_**

It has been over 20 years since Rocky’s been in the ring. He runs his Italian restaurant in Philadelphia named after his wife while trying to get closer to his distant son, a corporate lawyer, and reacquainting with Marie (the troublesome girl he escorted home in the first movie). When the surprising opportunity arises to return to the limelight, the fading boxer must discover if he still has his fighting spirit despite his age.

"Rocky Balboa” (2006) was the sixth Rocky film, appearing sixteen years after the previous installment. Also known as “Rocky VI,” this is a fine way to end the proper series, although Sylvester Stallone says a seventh film, an epilogue, is being considered (and I hope materializes).

To be expected, this one sticks to the tried-and-true Rocky formula, effectively showing where the key characters are at three decades after the original flick, plus introducing a few new faces, including an old canine named Punchy. Sure, it’s predictable, but it’s entertaining as it continues Rocky’s story in his mid-50s.

Of course, the successful spin-off series, Creed, brought Rocky back in 2015 and 2018 with a third installment to be released this year.

The film runs 1 hour, 42 minutes, and, was shot in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

GRADE: B

Much like the previous two entries, Rocky Balboa has a lot going for it, but is held back in many key areas.

The entire process that fuels Rocky to fight again is great. It is incredibly heartbreaking to see Rocky so down in his life, coping with the loss of his wife and his estranged relationship with his son. He is broken and needs an outlet for his pent-up anger and to gain a connection with his past life. This part worked excellently, but the online simulated fight gimmick that sparked the bout was ridiculous. The main villain was very underbaked and generic, causing the final fight to have very limited stakes.

The final fight was pretty average as well. I felt as if they tried to replicate an actual boxing match in terms of presentation instead of delivering a true cinematic experience. This led to it being pretty difficult to watch with the bland presentation and terrible editing.

I think the addition of Marie was pointless. It was nice to give Rocky a character from his past to fill the void left by Adrian, but the script was written in such a way that it felt more like a pseudo-love story. This was really awkward because Rocky’s true love was Adrian, and his connection to Marie was filmed in a romantic light, which took me out of the film entirely. Not to mention the fact that it was a child that he used to look out for in the first film, which felt kind of predatory. In my opinion, Marie's screen time should have been replaced by his son, giving them more time together to develop and mend their relationship. It would have worked much better.

Overall, I think this film has one of the stronger plots since Rocky II, but I can’t help but feel it was wasted. The pacing was extremely slow, and some decisions that were made really limited my enjoyment of the film. I still think it is a decent entry, but one of my least favorites of the franchise.

Score: 56% |
Verdict: Decent