Rocky Balboa (2006) Movie Review
Synopsis:
Boxing champion Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver) loses a virtual boxing match to Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). In retaliation, Dixon challenges Balboa to a 10-round exhibition bout. This brings Rocky out of retirement, surprising his son, Rocky Balboa Jr. (Milo Ventimiglia).
Review:
To many, Rocky V (1990) marked the most disappointing entry for Rocky fans. Given that feeling, it is difficult to see why they would want another installment.
Set 30 years after the first entry, Rocky Balboa acts as a homage to that film.
Despite its efforts, this film lacks the same quality of dialogue and character development as the original.
Take the film’s lack of forward momentum in the first half as an example. It depends on callbacks to the original instead of carving a path of its own.
Rocky Balboa's approach is more endearing and thought-out compared to Rocky V (1990). Still, the plot meanders at times.
These flaws are attributed to Rocky’s interactions with several other characters.
This includes his son, portrayed by Milo Ventimiglia, and a familiar face from his past, Marie (Geraldine Hughes.)
Rocky’s scenes with Marie fill a void left by Rocky’s wife, Adrian’s passing. These scenes, despite their meandering pace, are genuine in their approach.
Where this film's character development and dialogue are lacking is in scenes with Rocky’s son, Rocky Balboa Jr.
Though their interactions are well-intentioned, there is little chemistry between them.
This may have been a fault with the familiar dialogue or a lack of development.
As expected, Sylvester Stallone gives the heartfelt performance that fans know him for.
Despite that, he can’t seem to connect with fellow actor Milo Ventimiglia. As a result, their scenes lack the heft required to make that father/son connection work.
Rocky Balboa also has difficulty developing Antonio Tarver's Mason Dixon.
For context, he is Rocky's main opponent in the film. Though the actor is competent in the role, his character lacks a personal connection to Rocky.
This comes across in their lack of interactions with each other before they square off in the ring. Outside of a couple of scenes, the two don’t interact at all.
Coupled with a lack of development for Mason Dixon, this makes the final fight less intense.
Also, their 10-round exhibition bout isn’t edited very well. As it progresses, the film jump cuts to flashbacks from Rocky’s previous fights.
Though this is to evoke emotion, it comes across as jarring more than anything else. Regardless of its questionable editing choices, each punch thrown is impactful.
Yet another flaw with Rocky Balboa is its visuals. While it attempts to emulate shots from the previous film, its lighting is far too bright.
Much of the film also has a washed-out visual style. As a result, this makes for a distracting film-watching experience.
Still, it has some location shots of Philadelphia that fans will appreciate.
Rocky fans will also appreciate the film’s soundtrack and callbacks to the original.
While Rocky Balboa’s training montage is familiar, Bill Conti’s use of “Gonna Fly Now” should please fans. This film’s concluding moments are also heartfelt, which fans will appreciate.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Rocky Balboa is a decent step up from the underwhelming Rocky V (1990). It has less melodrama and a more relatable message.
Its callbacks to the original, whilst familiar, should please long-time Rocky fans. This includes Bill Conti’s “Gonna Fly Now” accompanying another training montage.
Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky, despite the film’s weaker script, also brings heart.
Rocky’s interactions with Geraldine Hughes’s Marie are also competent. As a film, Rocky Balboa is well-intentioned.
Despite that, it lacks forward momentum and development for some of its characters. Take Rocky’s interactions with his son as an example.
As a whole, Sylvester Stallone and Milo Ventimiglia lack chemistry. This makes their scenes together feel awkward at times.
Rocky Balboa also lacks development for its central antagonist. As a whole, Antonio Tarver is decent as Mason Dixon. Despite this, his character has little development to make him stand out.
His scenes with Rocky are also very brief. This makes their fight against each other lack drama and meaning.
Also, some of the editing in this sequence is disorienting. As a result, this makes the fight less watchable.
Rocky Balboa’s visuals are also distracting due to the excessive lighting.
This makes an already washed-out picture even less watchable. For fans who can ignore this, Rocky Balboa’s visual style shouldn’t be a problem.
All in all, Rocky Balboa should entertain fans of this franchise. This is despite its weaker script and sense of familiarity.
Others may have wanted more innovation. Still, Rocky Balboa is a decent film and a recommended watch for Rocky enthusiasts.
Sam’s Action Reaction score:
Characters - 6/10
Story - 6/10
Pacing - 6/10
Visuals - 6/10
Soundtrack - 6.5/10
Overall score: 6.1 out of 10