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Movie Thoughts/Review: Rocky Balboa (2006)
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I finally got to see “Rocky Balboa” on DVD last tonight. I have no idea why it took me so long to sit down and watch it..shame on me I know, but all I could say is that the movie was really well done. At least to me.
I always wanted to see this movie, but feared that maybe it wouldn’t have the same impact on me that all the other parts had. Well, Im glad to say that it did. I enjoyed it and still got emotional watching Rocky. I guess Im just a softy when I watch Stallone in this role. I don’t know why.
Once again Rocky plays the underdog part well. This movie didn’t have the same type of really hardcore training that the other parts had, but it still had a good training sequence none the less. We still got to hear the classic Rocky music and watch Stallone run up the famous Rocky steps.
Only this time with his new dog “Punchy” who was named by a old friend’s son who Stallone seemed to get closer and known from the old neighborhood too.
I also thought that the movie had a great message. "It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward...how much you can take and keep moving forward." Those were the words that Rocky told his son who was played by Milo Ventimiglia aka. Peter on the TV show “Heroes”. Nicely said and Amen to that. Those are good words to live by in real life. Rocky plays a retired old timer in this movie. Adrian is now dead and he just doesn’t seem to know where his life is heading. He feels more alone and lost in a world that seems like it has changed to him. Every place he grew up in no longer seems the same. The kids in the neighborhood all seem different. Everyone around him still loves him, but most boxing experts feel he is no more and nothing more then a old dinosaur. Being that Rocky still has boxing in his blood or as he said his basement which meant the pit of his stomach, he tries to get a license to box again.
Antonio Tarver who plays Mason ‘The Line’ Dixon is the heavyweight champion in the movie. If you know Antonio Tarver in from watching him in real life boxing you know that he is a good trash talker. Therefore, I thought he would have trashed Stallone more upon having their big fight and even before it, but this movie seemed to not have that much trash talk. It was more about Rocky and showing how life for him has changed now that Adrian is gone and how he is determined to move forward in the end even if it takes getting a serious beat down from a much more larger, quicker and younger opponent. Its also about how he is not as close to his son because he grew up and wanted to be on his own and how his son doesn’t enjoy being around his dad because he feels like he is on his shadow. The movie also added some humor and in a way tried to take itself abit more lightly then past others with abit more realism in my opinion. Paulie is also still a drunk that hasn’t changed.
The fighting scene in the end seemed more live then the other parts. Not sure if its because the way it was shot, but the color itself seemed more like a live PPV. Of course this movie is filmed in a day where we have better cameras, so that could be the reason alone, still…it was good. Rocky took punches that should have still stopped any normal fighter, but at the same time he didn’t take a blow like Mr. T or The Russian gave him where you seen his face disappear from the camera because the blow was so hard. For that alone it seemed more realistic to me. Plus you had the actual HBO announcers and boxing analysis along with Michael Buffer at the start of the match and the fight being taken place in Las Vegas etc. It just had more of a boxing feel to it. I thought the ending was good too. I could live with how they finished the movie. I must admit that when Michael Buffer was mentioning the final results I thought we were going to get a “Sopranos” type of ending where the screen fades to black and not know who won the fight since Stallone was seen walking away from the ring and waving thanks and bye to all his fans for the good memories and support all his life and career. Truth is, we didn’t need to know who won the fight. Rocky went out like a champ. He proved to the world that he still had heart and he still has enough to keep going in his every day life. He fulfilled something he believed in and didn’t let anyone stop him from doing it. Fans love him and gave him a standing ovation and at the same time the current champ Mason ‘The Line’ Dixon got a fight that current boxing fans in the movie could at least give him abit more respect for lasting in the ring all full 12 rounds. It was like a win win situation for both boxers, so it was good.
The ending credits ended with what seemed like real life Boxing fans running up the famous Rocky Stairs and that was cool too. I guess that’s about it. I enjoyed it though. Im actually glad this movie was created because this was a nice tribute and way to end the movie franchise. I think some people had doubts about how Rocky 5 ended the franchise, well I think this movie should put that to rest. Stallone did a great job. Rocky will always live in our hearts for ever! Its more then just a movie it gives us all inspiration. Especially when we get older in life or hell even when we don’t get older. It may sound silly that a movie does this, but it’s the truth. |
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