Rocky Balboa

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Drama

Last evening Sylvester Stallone and Planet Hollywood (Aladdin Hotel) hosted a huge affair for the Vegas Premiere of Rocky Balboa (portions of the picture were filmed in Vegas).

I am giving this film 5 out of 5 stars. First off, because I enjoyed it much more than I had expected. Second, because I can’t think of anything that would have made it better.

This film had a lot of potential to be bad. What I mean by that is a successful franchise like Rocky, which hasn’t seen a picture since 1985, comes out with a modern tale of an aging boxer that gets a second chance. C’mon. Yet it was extremely realistic. Rocky’s simple character is still so full of heart. There are many flashes to the earlier films (not flashbacks, rather flashes) and it is so well done, you feel all the history. You get invested in this character so quickly because of that history. You immediately relate, rather than having to spend too much time on character development.

Could this film be successful as a stand alone film, if you have never seen any Rocky movies? Well, it is hard for me to say, because I am biased from seeing the other films. It probably wouldn’t get 5 out of 5. A lot of what makes this picture so good is the play on the previous films.

Obviously without giving anything away, when Rocky decides to train, and first suits up for his run, the extremely familiar Rocky theme blasting out of the movie speakers, most of the audience began to clap. I think everyone shifted a little in their seats to, like they were preparing for the next phase of his life.

I would recommend renting 1976’s original Rocky first, before going to check out Rocky Balboa. I think it will add to the overall enjoyment of this new film.

After the screening, Sly and Planet Hollywood hosted an after party that was a who’s who of the boxing world. But, since I have no idea who is who in the boxing world, it was wasted on me (Aaron Pryor, Vito Antuofermo, Ron Lyle, Lonnie Smith, Tim Witherspoon, Gerry Cooney, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Ken Norton, Emile Griffith, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, Iran Barkley and Hedgemon Lewis among others). I did see David Hasselhoff and Carrot Top, so it was all good :).

I think Rocky Balboa is the perfect movie for this time of year. A ton of heart, a good story and likeable characters… what more could you ask for.