thought was the soundtrack, as Mason Dixon Antonio Tarver entrance music to the fight is great, and of course the theme to Rocky is great, but other than that the soundtrack was not good at all. However as we all know we cannot judge a movie by its soundtrack. This is a must see!

disappointed. Don't think "Another 'Rocky' movie" and brush it off. This movie is well written, the acting is great, the characters seem like real people. Even though I have already seen it, I will be back on opening day to see it again. It is an instant classic. So keep an open mind and give this movie a chance, you will be glad that you did!

career has been in a slump lately, but this film would be a perfect resurrection for him. The acting is great and it has some of the best writing I've seen in years. Two very powerful scenes are when Rocky tries to get his license back and probably the best scene of the film is when he confronts his son.Any Stallone or Rocky fan will love this film. And I'm sure a lot of people who had doubts about this film 30 years later or even Stallone being 60 years old will be very surprised and pleased. And it does not hurt that Sylvester Stallone is in better shape at 60 then half of Hollywood under 30.I've already seen the movie but I plan to be there opening day to see it again.

movie compared to others in the series. If you're looking for a touching family movie with a powerful message, Rocky Balboa is definitely a movie to see. I think adults and children over the age of 10 will throughly enjoy this movie.

familiar, the characters have been thinned down to only the dependably irritating Paulie, the haunting memory of his beloved Adrian, his withdrawn and overshadowed son and a struggling acquaintance from his past. All the performances are fine, but this is about Stallone in full on Rocky mode. He exudes the melancholy of a life that has lost meaning, while not unpleasant, just not connected. His revelation that he wants to "like fight" doesn't seem weird or unnatural.Some of the film's conventions to get him back in the ring, with the current undefeated champ no less, are achieved quickly and stretch our believability, but once that "Rocky Theme" and as I sit here, I'm getting a goose bump or two blares out of the sound system, you are getting "READY TO RUMBLE!!!!" The fight sequences, which have always been cartoonishly brutal, mock the limits of human endurance and insanely exciting, deliver once again. But its the insight that Stallone brings to this script, his heartfelt "speeches" to the Licensing board, his son and of course, Paulie, that are the real knockouts in the film.I am so glad this turned out to be the fitting farewell that an icon like Rocky and Sylvester both deserve.

saw Rocky knocking Tommy Gunn into a Philadelphia city bus in 1990: he and Adrian started a restaurant in 1995, son Robert Jr. matriculated and went into the business world apparently with little to mixed success , and most sadly to the audience, at the beginning of the film we learn that Adrian, the heart and soul of Rocky's conscience, died on January 11, 2002.Almost five years later, Rocky seems to be going through the motions of his life - he runs the restaurant, he tells stories to the patrons about the good old days - the kind of thing you'd expect from any sports celebrity that takes a crack at being a restaurateur. But its evident that Rocky has pain bottled up inside him - pain from Adrian's death mostly, but pain from within as well.On the anniversary of Adrian's death, we see Rocky and Paulie played by Burt Young, who gets second billing this time around visiting the old haunts that Rocky shared with Adrian: the pet shop, which appears closed; the ice rink, that's now been felled by a wrecking ball. Rocky's living in the past, and while Rocky's memories of it are somewhat comforting to him, they are a source of pain to Paulie.Enter the reigning heavyweight champion of the world, Mason "The Line" Dixon, who despite his cartoonish name seems like a decent enough guy. Played by former Light Heavyweight kingpin Antonio Tarver, Dixon isn't so much an unpopular champion as he is dominant - his fights aren't bringing in the dollars because, like Roy Jones Jr. for most of his career, you pretty much knew the outcome, and didn't really care about the opponents.ESPN moves the storyline along by staging a computerized series of bouts between heavyweight champions in an effort to determine who was the best of all time. The network pairs Dixon and Balboa and, of course, Rocky wins by knockout. The fight has Rocky thinking that the way to get his inner demons out of his system is to fight again - just local, small fights - just to get through his anger and pain.Rocky gets his boxing license despite allegedly having brain damage in 'Rocky V' a departure from the canon that isn't explained in nearly enough detail , but before he does much else Dixon's promoters played by A.J. Benza and real-life promoter Lou DiBella visit Rocky at the restaurant, named "Adrian's": would he be willing to take on the champ in a 10-round exhibition? Rocky's no dummy. He's an aged warhorse, Dixon's a stallion. Rocky worries about "getting mangled," but after the promoters assuage his fears, he's on board. Meanwhile, Robert's not happy with Dad's decision, pleading with him not to go through with the fight Robert's a lot like his mother, apparently . Rocky tells his son that he's scared, but that in essence life isn't about your successes, but how you overcome adversities: "It ain't about how hard you can hit, but how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward." Robert doesn't get it initially, but eventually it sinks in that his old man is more wise than he gives credit for.I won't give away too many details about the fight itself, other than just one: you either think you know what's going to happen and are surprised, or you guess right and think to yourself, "interesting." Either way, this is no re-hash of 'Rocky III's' battles between Rocky Balboa and Clubber Lang.Also, credit to Sylvester Stallone for doing something in this film that he hadn't done in any of the previous five - aimed for realism. Now that sounds bizarre when you think that this is a movie about a guy in his 50's fighting the reigning heavyweight champion of the world, but the fight scene looks as if it were straight out of an HBO pay-per-view event. Another nice touch was to see Rocky's belts hanging on the wall at Adrian's - not "The Ring" belt worn by the Rock in 'Rocky III' or placed on Apollo Creed's coffin in 'Rocky IV,' but replicas of the current sanctioning body belts.As pessimistic as I was about the concept of 'Rocky Balboa,' I have to say this is the second best, if not the best, of the series. You don't leave the theater chanting 'Rocky! Rocky!', but if you were paying attention, you not only left with an uplifting feeling in your heart, but you might just have learned a thing or two to boot.

the holiday time. Its positive message of "Never give up" and that "you are never too old to achieve your dreams" will resonate with you long after you leave the theater. Stallone spoke after the movie and the first thing he said was how disappointed he was with "Rocky V" and that it hit him really hard at how bad it turned out. Thats why it took 16 years to bring Rocky back to the screen.I don't want to give anything more away but I will tell you that during and after the film, the crowd was cheering! A perfect way for the "Rocky"saga to come to an end. Way to go Sly!!

because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that!" - Rocky Balboa.For a guy with a single digit IQ and a chronic speech impediment, Rocky sure does speak a lot of sense. Part of the appeal of the first film was Rocky's "never give up" attitude. We loved watching an underdog succeed. The ring became a metaphor for life, and The Rock a metaphor for the unmovable human spirit. He weathered blow after blow, but kept on standing.Rocky Balboa, the last film in the series, is likewise a tale of triumph against the odds. It's a small story, akin to a gritty 1950's B movie, but it's filled with pathos, some nice character interactions and a couple memorable speeches. Though the final boxing match is pretty unmemorable and badly shot, the entire film has a sense of maturity which I found neat.What's great is that Stallone doesn't pander to audiences with unearned sentiment. He honestly believes in his story. He honestly believes in the inspirational element. As such, it's a fitting coda to the series, and a worthy re-translation of the first film.Of course Rocky 1 remains the best in the series. It's a low key Cinderella story filled with lots of iconic moments and a cute romance. Yes, it's an absolute rip off of Robert Wise's "Somebody up there likes me", but it's appealing and John G. Avildsen's direction was in some ways innovative and clicks with the audience. Especially young males.Rocky 2 is likewise very good, but suffers from a pointless story. It's essentially the same film on a bigger budget. From here on, the series would go down hill. Rocky 3 sees a complacent Rocky challenged by Clubber Lang, a hungry fighter. Thematically the film logically progresses from the first two. The Rock has weathered the beatings and risen to the top. But once there, he grows complacent. When the hits resume, he's not ready. He's lost his edge and his cracks are exploited by Lang. It's an entertaining film, but with Rocky 3 the series gradually begins to lose its realism.Rocky 4 degenerates further, taking things firmly into popcorn territory. It's basically a 90 minute music video in which The Rock has to fight Russians. All realism is gone and it's now all a silly cartoon. Still, I like the film in a guilty sort of way. The soundtrack, all those cheesy muscle shots, the montages...it's dumb fun.Rocky 5, however, is totally worthless. It's an embarrassment and the whole subplot with Rocky's son is pathetic. The film is a waste of time and it's incompetence is largely why Sly decided to revisit and salvage the series.Luckily with Rocky Balboa he does just that. __________________Rocky 1- 9/10 Rocky 2- 7.5/10 Rocky 3- 7.5/10 Rocky 4- 7/10 Rocky 5- 6/10Rocky Balboa- 8/10__________________The Rocky series has taken a lot of critical flak, but it's not as bad as people make it out to be. The first and last films in the series play like low-key B movies from the 1950's ie "Somebody Up There Likes Me", also about a boxer called Rocky , and have a nice sense of realism. The dialogue is witty and well written and Sly, despite his goofiness, is quite endearing. One can imagine a Robert Rossen or a young Robert Wise directing these 2 films in black and white.

story to tell with the new film. Talia Shire stars alongside Sly Stallone as the inimitable Adrian Balboa, a doting wife to her pugilistic partner - with a twist.Rocky Balboa is everyone and no one at the same time; he's the guy who took his one shot at glory, offered by Apollo Creed, and made it count. The character reflects the hopes of those who've fallen by the wayside and of those who've been trampled upon. Many people can relate to his emotional anguish and that's the sole reason why these films are hugely successful. 16 years after Rocky V and Sylvester Stallone and his alter-ego Rocky Balboa have officially stepped out of retirement. The stoic Italian actor, a legend in his own right, has announced his comeback with the same role that officially put him on the map in 1976. Rocky Balboa, the former heavyweight champion pits himself against a tough, hard-hitting champion in Mason "The Line" Dixon. That Stallone has reached the autumn of his years, didn't even factor into the equation. He is still one of the world's most-loved action heroes. According to Sly Stallone "Rocky Balboa is about everybody who feels they want to participate in the race of life, rather than be a bystander," Stallone announced "You're never too old to climb a mountain, if that's your desire."Rocky VI or simply Rocky Balboa, as it is known, was a film stuck in limbo for almost 5 years. Hollywood production houses and distributors were reluctant to give the film the green light, for fear that the Rocky franchise had long lost its shine. MGM; Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios have bankrolled the final chapter and it is toted to be among Stallone's best. It released in the United States on December 20th 2006. The rest of the world will have to wait until March 2007! Stallone certainly can't turn back the clock, but what he has cannot be imitated by any other man: He is Rocky Balboa; there will never be another actor to replace him. Stallone is not only the lead actor, but he also directs, produces and writes the screenplay for Rocky Balboa. This is officially the last in a series of Rocky films, spanning four decades on screen. Rocky is both loved and revered by hundreds of millions of people all over the world. He defies the myth, that only the privileged get a crack at hitting it big. Rocky Balboa, like Sylvester Stallone, tells the story of a man with vaulting ambition, guts and determination. This sixth film in the saga neatly ties up all the loose ends in the Italian Stallion's life. Rocky is managing a restaurant in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, where his patrons come in to listen to the stories of a living legend. After a computer-simulated game shows Rocky beating the reigning champion, Mason Dixon, Balboa decides to get relicensed as a fighter. Both boxing camps are eager to prove their fighters' worth and so it begins.