Movie Reviews
Hot-buttered opinion on the latest flicks
Rocky Balboa
As fun as it has been to see the likes of Batman and Bond return to their dark roots, it would be a shame if every cinematic hero were an embittered sourpuss. You probably wouldn't want to hang out with a psycho billionaire in black rubber, but Rocky Balboa? You can trust him.
You've trusted him all your life. He'll pat your kid on the head, tell a bad joke, rescue a dog from the pound and still have time to triumph over adversity with the help of a rousing theme song.
Seeing Sylvester Stallone back in the role is akin to imagining what it might have been like if Superman Returns had been about an older Supes and starred a living, walking Christopher Reeve. It doesn't matter how good the story is—the fact that a childhood hero is still standing strong is almost enough.
Thankfully, this movie's pretty good too, with Rocky befriending a now grown-up "Little" Marie (Geraldine Hughes, replacing Jodi Letizia from the original) while training for one last fight with a complacent and lazy champion who bears the unfortunate moniker of Mason Dixon (real-life boxing champ Antonio Tarver).
The final fight occasionally veers into Gatorade commercial territory, but overall the movie comfortably puts you through the paces without making you feel guilty for enjoying them.
0 Comments
Now loading...