Rocky Balboa

I remember being in university and hearing about this film. I went nuts. Seeing, the first trailer was an incredible moment. Having been raised on Rocky by my dad, this was a dream come true. It seems that this is the trend nowadays: taking a long past franchise and making yet another sequel. Other examples include “Toy Story” and “Indiana Jones”. My dad is not able to do movie marathons as much as he would like to but this time, it was different. Beginning on Christmas Day 2006, we started the Rocky marathon and we finished the 5th film on the day we were going to see the new film. Had it not been for "United 93", "Rocky Balboa" would have been my favorite film of that year. I love how this movie is very much after the manner of the first film and that is a huge component to its success. The filmmakers tried to do a similar thing with "Rocky V" but it didn't work all that well. We have beloved elements of the franchise modernized and reinvented lovingly. Contrast is utilized as is traditional with a Rocky movie and speaking of traditional, the film is very nostalgic. As that kind of a guy, this film was such great entertainment.

Rocky’s name being chanted during the opening credits is perfect. It is a similar opening to "Rocky III". It puts us back in that environment. It would have been cool to have “Rocky Balboa” start off by showing the street fight from “Rocky V” but at the same time, most fans don’t want that. Besides, that kind of thing is now too cliché even for Rocky. Mason Dixon is established as an antagonist like unto Apollo. Dixon is not a villain; what he needs is a challenger. Antonio Tarver, who at the time was the current Light Heavyweight Champion, plays Dixon. It is a great decision in that like the fifth film, Stallone casts an actual boxer and teaches him how to act. Tarver is young compared to others who portrayed opponents of Rocky’s and that is the kind of contrast that Stallone uses in the Rocky saga all the time. Rocky is old and Dixon is young. Is there a fighter out there that can give Dixon a contest? Yes. Cue “Take You Back” by Frank Stallone and the contemporary shots of the city of Philadelphia (Frank by the way appears in the film as a restaurant costumer). That classic song is a wonderful way to set up and show the opening credits. Because 16 years have past, we must be reintroduced to our favorite fighter. The character also needs to have new inner conflicts and hardships. They are depicted a lot better than the conflicts and issues in the previous Rocky movies. As mentioned, the filmmakers tried to hit the reset button in "Rocky V" and recreate the magic of the first film but it felt forced and not genuine. The only good thing about Rocky losing his wealth in the fifth film is that it allowed for another underdog story after that movie failed to click with fans. Another reason why this story works so well is because of the gap of 16 years. That alone allowed the magic of the original film to come back. Yet another reason for the success of this sixth instalment is that the story was metaphorical as it was in earlier Rocky movies. Stallone's career wasn't going well at all at the time and he wanted to send a message with this show. Rocky seems to be stuck in the past in "Rocky Balboa". He wears the same clothes as in past movies and has pet turtles. It is important that Adrian is dead at the very beginning because we can’t have Rocky lose her in the middle of the film with no way to get her back. It is better storytelling to have her absent from the start and have that be an emotional adversity for Rocky. This was a decision that Stallone and Talia Shire came to mutually. I like the fact though that Rocky is a successful businessman with his restaurant. It fills that loss we felt at the end of the fifth film. It is neat to see a 70’s and 80’s hero in the contemporary world. It is kind of weird but fun to see a celebrity walking in the city like a regular guy. He gets noticed by everyone and is singing autographs. This reflects the actual attitude of Philly when another Rocky movie was being filmed. Another weird but interesting element is how Rocky and Paulie are now like a couple of old bums instead of regular bums like in the first film. A lot of characters we never expected to see in this movie show up and that is something that should have been done in the fifth film. Instead of introducing too many new characters, Stallone reintroduces old characters. Spider Rico is my favorite. The boxer portraying him has never been in any other movies. I love how Rocky is nice to Spider by feeding him. Then humorously, Spider starts helping out at the restaurant because he feels guilty. To have him in Rocky’s corner is great. I love the idea of the character of little Marie being reprised. I like how Marie can’t remember saying, “Screw you creepo” despite Rocky insistence that she did. Jokingly speaking, I think the writer of that line would remember if she said that to him all those years ago. The brief montage of Steps looking at the sports memorabilia with the Italian music in the background is nicely done. Dixon has a nice scene with his old trainer, Martin. It shows that Dixon is human and wants something better. I like how he gets Martin back by the middle of the film. Rocky and his son Robert seem to have a good relationship but it seems like since Adrian’s death, they have been on parallel paths instead of on one path like at the end of the fifth film.

The “Looney Toon” fight is a nice use of technology, something that a Rocky film is not known for with the notable exception of the Steadicam. Stallone and Tarver were filmed by means of motion capture. They also got head casts and digital body/face scans for the creation of that simulated fight. Stu Naham was able to be a part of all the films in the Rocky franchise up to this point thanks to this because he is the commentator you hear during the simulated fight (he died a year after the film came out). Rocky watches the simulated fight and sees a return to the ring as a way to get rid of “the beast” or the issue he has been dealing with lately. Rocky suddenly breaking down about Adrian is very powerful and makes me cry every time. We really don’t see it coming either. Paulie wanted to get out of the meat house back in the original film and in this new film, he ends up being almost not able to go on without that job. I kind of wish that they had included the deleted scene where Paulie looses his job and breaks down in the alley with Rocky watching, saying that he misses Adrian too. Rocky doesn’t really know why he wants to fight, especially when he gets the chance to fight Dixon. Marie says that he needs to be himself and that means fighting Mason. I like how Steps is part of the press conference. It shows just how much fun he gets to have being Rocky’s new friend. Paulie is still trying to make money off Rocky’s fight with his connections and that is funny. Everybody that Rocky knows seems to gravitate towards the restaurant such as Marie, Paulie and Spider. The restaurant is also busier than at the start of the film but that is understandable with Rocky being in the news and all. Finally Robert comes and says how hard is life is being Rocky’s son. He is struggling with the same thing that Tommy did in “Rocky V”. The difference is that deep down Robert knows that he can’t separate himself from his dad and really doesn’t want to. He just wants to be his own man. Rocky is the one that gets him to realize that being his son is not a bad thing. Robert needs to do just what he longs for: be himself and embrace the “shadow” instead of blame it. He has to make his own decisions to be his own man. He will never be able to escape his father's shadow but he must accept that challenge and not let it get him down. It turns out that Robert would feel happier with his dad than at his job. I broke down when Robert showed up at the cemetery thanks to Bill Conti’s music (his themes and musical cues always get to me and they are edited into the film very well). Tony “Duke” is back in this film as well (him, Paulie and Rocky are the only major characters that appear in all of the first six films). Tony set up the beloved “Gonna Fly Now” very well. It is a great nostalgic montage full of meat punching, drinking eggs and the famous steps. I’ll bet everyone wanted to be on the set that day to film in the snowfall.

One might say that Rocky can’t fight because he has brain damage from in the fifth film. However, he never did go to a second doctor in that movie and since 1990, there have been advancements in the diagnosis of brain damage. Therefore, the inconsistency is resolved enough for this movie to be plausible. Also, remember that in “Rocky II”, he had complications that were forgotten by "III" and "IV". I love very much that Stallone decided to use HBO and HD to portray the final fight. It really "contemporarizes" the Rocky universe. Rocky is back to praying at the sink, this time with Spider reading scripture. Paulie’s words to Rocky before they enter the arena were well written and performed by the way. It wouldn’t be a Rocky film without a joke before the fight and Sinatra’s “High Hopes” does fine. It provides that important contrast. We don’t really see Stallone’s muscles until the end of the film and that is done to give him hope in the fight. He must look like he has a chance and that is impossible if we are used seeing Rocky’s body. Mike Tyson’s cameo is good as is Michael Buffer’s. “Let’s get ready to rumble” indeed. That line is another element that brings Rocky into the 21st Century. Max Kellerman is my voice in this film. He says he is such a fan and so am I. Also like him, I couldn’t wait for the fight to start because this was the first time I was seeing a Rocky fight on the big screen. Everyone, including the audience, expects the final fight to be nothing but novelty. But in all the fights, something happens that provides hope for Rocky. This time, it is quite realistic. Mason breaks his hand and Rocky has time to capitalize until Mason’s hand numbs up. I am glad that Rocky knocked Mason down at least once. The fight was choreographed in a very spontaneous way. A lot of it is improvised and that is something fresh. I love the final result. That last shot during the end credits is so heart touching. We see Rocky in the snowfall at the top of the steps, reminiscing. It is accompanied by the same music as the end of the first film. So cool.

It is very hard to take a long-running, tired franchise and try to go back to the beginning. The "Pirates" franchise failed to do that and even though I don't mind "Rocky V", that film also didn't appeal to the masses. Because of the fifth movie however, the stage was set for this show. “Rocky Balboa” takes beloved elements from the franchise and puts them in the modern world. The film is also amazing because it mirrors the first film very much. Thank you Stallone. Just as Rocky is portrayed thinking about his history, let us do so. The Guinness Book of World Records acknowledges the Rocky saga as the “most successful sports movie franchise”. The city of Philadelphia is famous for two things practically, the American Revolution and Rocky. One day, I hope to climb the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and raise my hands in gratitude. The sports genre was changed thanks to “Rocky” and it was amazing for me to see an old friend, this time on the big screen. It was a bittersweet evening at the local movie theater but I didn't even consider the idea of a spin-off back then. Thanks once again to a few years passing after "Rocky Balboa", we get a couple of equally inspiring movies in the form of "Creed" and "Creed II".

4.5 Stars