The sixth film in the Rocky series picks up many years after Rocky 5 and, it must be said, thank goodness for that.
Why would Sylvester Stallone revive a series that suffered a long and painful death in the 90s after winning an Oscar for Best Picture for the original 30 years ago?
I'd say the answer, apart from perhaps a lack of suitable roles for him, is because he realised how much the fifth film sucked and he wanted Rocky to have a fitting ending. On that score I'm glad he did revisit it.
The film picks up at least a decade after the last and Rocky is living a semi-meaningless existence following the death of his wife Adrian. He owns a restaurant and is somewhat of a celebrity in the neighbourhood, much to the dislike of his son.
After a computer simulation predicts Rocky would have beaten the present day champion in a fight the champ's manager coaxes Rocky out of retirement for an exhibition dream match, realising that their fighter is hugely unpopular despite being undefeated.
The film is a little slow to begin, there is a lot of context and filling in the holes from the long period of time between films. The best part of this film, for me, was the relationship between Rocky and his son. There was a great monologue by Rocky where he tells his son that he needn't live in his father's shadow and has the ability to forge his own life.
The ending, while I won't give it away, was very fitting. And you've got to love the Rocky theme. Not the greatest film of all time but if you're a fan of the early films this is a must-see.
A 7.5 out of 10.
Why would Sylvester Stallone revive a series that suffered a long and painful death in the 90s after winning an Oscar for Best Picture for the original 30 years ago?
I'd say the answer, apart from perhaps a lack of suitable roles for him, is because he realised how much the fifth film sucked and he wanted Rocky to have a fitting ending. On that score I'm glad he did revisit it.
The film picks up at least a decade after the last and Rocky is living a semi-meaningless existence following the death of his wife Adrian. He owns a restaurant and is somewhat of a celebrity in the neighbourhood, much to the dislike of his son.
After a computer simulation predicts Rocky would have beaten the present day champion in a fight the champ's manager coaxes Rocky out of retirement for an exhibition dream match, realising that their fighter is hugely unpopular despite being undefeated.
The film is a little slow to begin, there is a lot of context and filling in the holes from the long period of time between films. The best part of this film, for me, was the relationship between Rocky and his son. There was a great monologue by Rocky where he tells his son that he needn't live in his father's shadow and has the ability to forge his own life.
The ending, while I won't give it away, was very fitting. And you've got to love the Rocky theme. Not the greatest film of all time but if you're a fan of the early films this is a must-see.
A 7.5 out of 10.
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