Rocky Balboa

[jfiling]

Just saw it. What a great way to give us a good ending to the franchise, and wash the taste out of our mouths from Rocky V. The fight portion of the movie was like actually watching an HBO PPV, but the story and characters really made it work. If you liked the first, you should definitely see this movie (and even a few characters from the first movie make appearances in this).

[British_Pharaoh]

Just saw it. What a great way to give us a good ending to the franchise, and wash the taste out of our mouths from Rocky V. The fight portion of the movie was like actually watching an HBO PPV, but the story and characters really made it work. If you liked the first, you should definitely see this movie (and even a few characters from the first movie make appearances in this).

i've never watched a rocky film and i never would watch any film directed by sly stallone

[consigliere]

i've never watched a rocky film and i never would watch any film directed by sly stallone

Good for you.

If you don't care, then why you posting in this thread?

[consigliere]

The fight portion of the movie was like actually watching an HBO PPV, but the story and characters really made it work.

I haven't seen it yet, will probably wait for DVD.....but, Stallone was on Rome a few weeks back and mentioned the fight scenese are real contact. Not fake. He told the other guy (his name escapes me) not to hold back.

[Guest]

Antonio "The Magic Man" Tarver
Maybe the movie will help his boxing career.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Tarver already has had a pretty solid career. He's been good for a decade and was champ for a while. He knocked out Roy Jones Jr. a couple of times, once abotu a year and a half ago here in Tampa. He lives in this area and is a pretty nice guy from what I understand (and have heard on local sports radio when he's been interviewed and taken fan calls) - the complete antithesis of his character in Rocky Balboa.

The movie was fantastic. I like most of the Rocky movies quite well, though I think this was the first with real contact. I loved the characters and the emotions of this film. It's easy to understand Rocky in this film and issues of growing old and letting things go. I'm so glad they made it - a perfect bookend to the original.

[Guest]

As far as Tarver goes, he was OWNED in his last fight with Hopkins and hasn't been around for awhile. I'm sure making the movie was why buy he hasn't even been mentioned as far as big fights coming up.
From what I'm read he did a solid job in the film.
Now he needs to get back in the ring because he is a pretty solid fighter and fun to watch.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

As far as Tarver goes, he was OWNED in his last fight with Hopkins and hasn't been around for awhile. I'm sure making the movie was why buy he hasn't even been mentioned as far as big fights coming up.
From what I'm read he did a solid job in the film.
Now he needs to get back in the ring because he is a pretty solid fighter and fun to watch.

I was surprised by how well he did in the movie. One of the several mistakes made for Rocky V was getting Tommy Morrison to play Rocky's protege/rival. Morrison was bad as Tommy Gunn, so I did have concerns about Tarver being able to act. My concerns were unwarranted.

He did lose pretty badly to Hopkins last year and I think he's been training much harder since then. That was in June, so shooting the film may have played a part in him not taking the fight as seriously as he should have. Funny that he fought a real fighter from Philly before fighting Rocky on film.

[swerb]

Finally got around to seeing this tonight.

I agree, great way to end the series and remove the nasty taste in my mouth left from the atrocious Rocky V.

I gotta admit ... even with the solid review Mitch gave it, I was a little leery, especially as to how the fight scene would play out, the film trying to sell a near 60 year old (in real life) Stallone against Tarver, a rea boxer, not far removed from his prime.

But they did.

You know what helped IMO? Lampley, Merchant, Kellerman, Buffer, the Sportscenter clips leading in ... it helped sell it. It really was like watching a HBO PPV. I almost felt guilty, actually getting fired up to watch a 60 yr old actor in a fake fight.

Alot of great nostalgia from the first four films as well in this one. By no means a great film, it had its flaws, but they wrapped up the series I grew up loving as a kid pretty well.