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 ROCKY BALBOA |
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| Featuring: Sylvester Stallone, Milo Ventimiglia, Antonio Tarver, Burt Young |
| Director: Sylvester Stallone |
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Studio: Sony |
| DVD release: 20 March 2007 |
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Runtime: 102 minutes (1 disc) |
| Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, Blu-ray |
| DVD features: Audio tracks (PCM 5.1 Surround - English; Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French), Subtitles (English, French), 1080p/AVC MPEG-4, Deleted scenes & alternate ending, Boxing's bloopers, Skill vs. Will: The Making of Rocky Balboa, Reality in the Ring: Filming Rocky's Final Fight, Virtual Champion: Creating the Computer Fight, Audio commentary with Sylvester Stallone |
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Hard to believe the saga of Rocky Balboa started way back in 1976; boy, how time flies. The original spawned four sequels and turned Sylvester Stallone into a movie icon. Along the way, some of our favorite characters have passed on. In 1982, Rocky III was released, and it was trainer Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith) who was the first major character to go as Rocky duked it out with Clubber Lang (Mr. T). In 1985, Rocky made a fourth outing in Rocky IV . In this one, it was Apollo Creed's (Carl Weathers) ego/pride that got him back in the ring with the far superior Ivan Drago. That was Apollo's last fight, dying in the ring as he refused to let the towel be thrown in. In 1990, Rocky was back - again. This time the story was to come full circle as the theme of this Rocky was a riches to rags tale. It did moderate business at the box office but was lambasted by the critics. It looked like it was the end of Rocky for good.
The story had come full circle. There didn't seem to be a need for another Rocky, and there wasn't one until rumors started up about another Rocky movie. For sure it had to be just a rumor, because who would want to see a sixty-year-old Rocky in the ring? Well, by all accounts, Rocky Balboa proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that their was still life in the Rocky franchise. This one is almost all pure drama as Rocky can't shake the loss of his beloved Adrian. He is in mourning, and it's hard for him to let go. At the same time, his fully grown son, Robert (Milo Ventimiglia), is having a hard time trying to be his own person while living in the shadow of his legendary father. Rocky's relationship with Paulie is as tenuous as ever. But everything comes around as Rocky works through his demons with one last exhibition fight against Mason "The Line" Dixon (Antonio Tarver).
With the infamous theme song, the last trip up those stairs, and all that has happened to him, how could you not root for Rocky? Of course, we do. Everything works in the film; there is just enough sentimentality to tug at your heart strings, but not too much. Stallone's direction and script are excellent. The use of old footage in Rocky's memories is used to perfection to create the mood of loss and longing that really reattaches you to the Rocky character. The boxing match is ancillary to the emotional arc he takes. There are some training sequences that build excitement, but it's not about the fight. It's about coming to terms with a new stage in life.
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