The original Rocky is an amazing low-budget flick. Shot on a little more than a million dollar budget, written in three days, it was a case of life imitating art. Or rather, a movie’s success imitating the plot.
The new Rocky Balboa is a return to the original. That’s a good thing. I haven’t seen ALL the Rocky sequels but I’ve seen enough. By Rocky V, they’ve hit rock bottom.
It’s not only me saying it, listen to Sly himself (during a recent interview):
I was very disappointed with the last film (”Rocky V’) and I want to leave people with a good feeling. I missed the mark. It haunted me for years.
In a Rocky documentary, Sly explained that in his original script for Rocky V he dies at the end. The studio refused. Fans of the original have wanted him dead for the last two movies (at least).
True to the original Rocky story, the movie opens with a vulnerable Rocky. Way past his prime, Rocky is now an owner of a deli and people come to listen to his “war” stories. He and his son, Rocky Jr., have been growing apart. (FYI: Adrian died of cancer in an previous installment).
The inciting incident is a virtual boxing match (on ESPN) that mixes boxers from different generations. They pit the reigning champion, Mason ‘The Line’ Dixon (Antonio Tarver), against Rocky Balboa. Rocky wins the virtual fight which raises the question: “Can he win in real life, despite the 30-year age gap?”.
I like movies that start with a question instead of a statement. Watching the virtual fight, Rocky realizes he misses the sport and wants to go back and do small, local fights. He’s not in for the win but in order to be back to something he’s good at. The doctor is sceptical about Rocky’s shape, so he retorts:
The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very rough, mean place… and no matter how tough you think you are, it’ll always bring you to your knees and keep you there, permanently… if you let it. You or nobody ain’t never gonna hit as hard as life. But 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. If you know what you’re worth, go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit.
His registering for a license, however, puts him back into the spotlight and into a media storm. Pretty soon, Dixon’s people approach him for a recreating of the virtual fight. The build-up to the fight is predictable but I don’t mean it’s not fulfilling. The fight itself is more human than the fights in the sequels. In a way, it’s closer to the original Rocky.
At the end, Rocky dies. OK, I’m kiddin’. Rocky Balboa’s ending will remain firmly in the spoiler’s section. The best part about the ending is that according to Rocky’s production diary, they have shot not one, not two, but four endings. I’d love to get my hands on a collector’s DVD and see all four of them. Why not, Rambo came out with a collector’s DVD.
Hey retard, Adrian didn’t die in a previous installment, she died off screen between Rocky 5 & Rocky Balboa
I had to scan over the review and think I saw something I didn’t want to! Did you give the ending away of Rocky Balboa??? I hope not. If so, please say SPOILER next time. We’d appreciate it!
Small nitpicks: Rocky’s business is not a “deli,” but a mid-range, full-service restaurant, with a hostess providing seating and reservation services.
The speech you quote isn’t the one he gave in rsponse to a doctor–in fact, no scene shows a physician. The only time medicine is mentioned is during the hearing of the boxing commission, and the medical report is positive; the medical report quoted gives Rocky a green light to fight. As for the speech you quoted above regarding “taking the hit”…he gave that speech in response to his son’s complaint about the negative effect this exhibition match might have on the son.
I liked Rocky Balboa. Of all the crap in the local theater it was the best. It is very probable that if a man works hard all his life he will be fit at 60. Too much Ease and Comfort are what ages us. In a neighboring state of Mongolia two 80 year old men carried a grand piano over 60 miles for the king or local hetman. One of the things I liked in Rocky Balboa is that all of the actors spoke their lines clearly. Not like most films where female actors blend words in their lines and sound like a chipmonk. Even with my digital hearing aids I find some female actors hard to understand.
Does the person who wrote this know anything about these movies at all and did they watch Rocky Balboa?First off I have yet to meet a fan of the movies who doesn’t like IV.Yes we all hated V but thats it of course none of the sequels lived up to the gritty “real”movie feel of the original but the first three sequels are not without their individual charms.Rock never sees a doctor in the movie,the question is also never raised over whether he would beat Dixon at that time but whether he would have in his prime the fight is made not to see who would win but to increase Dixons popularity.Finally Adrian never died in any of the movies you tool.In future when reporting on movies that have such a cult following maybe it would be best to have someone who has a clue wrighting a reveiw.