“Nothings over til it’s over.”
Swift shot: Good flick, worth the wait, pacing was good, like the original Rocky. You won’t be constantly enamored with the characters and story, because it isn’t extreme or fast paced. The acting is very good, especially by Paulie (Burt Young). I was surprised to see he was still kicking actually. This film brings a modern twist on the classic computer bout of the 60s, Ali vs. Marciano. That was back when computers were the size of small apartments too. The Wang, or super Wang or whatever the hell they had back then, said Marciano took it. Rocky Balboa tries to show what that fight might have really been like – with some good, warm moral lessons and doing what is right, because sometimes ya just gotta – ya know?
We’ve all seen the comedies set in the future where the billboard says Rocky XXXV or something similar, thus disparaging the quality and effectiveness of the legacy – but, hold on a second, when you consider that there have been 22 James Bond films it doesn’t sound quite so crazy after all. Rocky Balboa will not disappoint die-hard fans, and may even gain a few new ones.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with Rocky Balboa, but I was hoping to be transported back to my youth, back to Rocky III, where I was jumping up and down and rough-housing with my friends before we all packed into the mom-mobile . . . we were all charged up with adrenaline and excitement. This modern Rocky didn’t have that same effect on me, but it touched me on a much deeper level.
Messages abound in this latest tale of Philadelphia’s Italian Stallion, from Freedom vs. Entitlement to just plain old grit is good themes, this story will get you wondering if there is some unfinished business you have been putting off because you are too old, too this or that or the other thing.
The fight sequences were kinda poor, the choreography was obviously staged and stilted, but – hell, Stallone is no spring chicken anymore. He was able to bust some serious ass in Rambo though. The touching scenes in the film will have you wanting to turn back the clock to simpler times. But, ultimately, this film is an extended “What if” comic posed on the big-screen. What if that imagined, computer-generated fight had taken place between Ali and Marciano? You’ll have to give this one a watch to find out who wins.
