Rocky Belboa

Film Review: Sequels: Rocky territory
The Peak
Nick Pannu, Associate Staff Contributor

Much like malignant tumours, film sequels unexpectedly emerge. The filmmaker’s intent is to revive interest in recognised characters and plots. Sometimes there is merit to having a second part that discloses unresolved issues that can further develop these elements, but often having a third and fourth film just causes the original to lose its initial appeal. The storyline loses direction, and characters start to lack genuine substance. This begs the question of how a fourth, fifth, or inconceivable sixth sequel could have any credibility. This past Christmas audiences were blindsided with a sixth sequel in the latest installment of the Rocky series, Rocky Balboa. Obvious rhetoric and cynicism precedes the mere thought of an aging Sylvester Stallone in another Rocky film. Yet in its first week, the picture scored at the top of the box office. Perhaps as an act of reverence for the once-endearing character, people decided to pay their last respects to Rocky Balboa.
Cultural immortality is usually reserved for extraordinary characters. Seldom is it the circumstance of adversity alone that makes a character immortal, yet whenever there is a challenge, a feeling of despair, and a struggle to rise out of the depths of obscurity, people think of Rocky. His resilience is a model for the mortals who never back down when the odds are stacked heavily against them. Sylvester Stallone revives the character for one final sequel in Rocky Balboa.
The filmmakers made a conscious effort to legitimatise this tension early in the film. Abruptly after the opening credits, Balboa, a champion with many accolades but no respect from the fans, is shown having trouble making money. His promoters desperately seek a means to revive the fighter’s financial prospects, while the fighter struggles to regain his pride and self-respect. Balboa is also looking for a way to redeem himself. Symbolically this is illustrated when Rocky befriends an older unattractive dog, claiming that it still has use and value. Later, Balboa stands in triumph at the top of the stairs of the Philadelphia Spectrum holding the petite dog. In this film, Rocky still manages to go to the body when he fights, but his quick southpaw jab is gone. Overall, the film maintains its tension because the respective motive of each character manages to make a confrontation between them somewhat credible.
The film invests a lot in establishing continuity between the first Rocky and this last chapter in the fighter’s life. Balboa lives in his old neighbourhood and travels extensively through it as he mourns the death of his wife Adrian and reminisces over their first date. Adrian’s passing is Stallone’s sentimental sucker punch to maintain the viewers’ interest. Delving extensively into Balboa’s past somewhat taints the aura surrounding the first film.
The positive aspects of the film outweigh these imperfections. Solid performances from veteran actor Burt Young and relative newcomer Milo Ventimiglia provide a strong foundation for the movie. Real-life boxer Antonio Tarver is equally impressive in his motion picture debut.
As expected, Stallone is able to effortlessly morph himself into his alter ego Rocky, especially in one particularly poignant scene. This moment actually possesses the arsenal to challenge the famous Rocky line about "going the distance." "Life is not all sunshine and rainbows," Balboa candidly tells his son. "It’s actually a very mean and nasty place." Thus Rocky’s legacy continues.