Rocky Balboa - SPOILER ALERT

Off Topic
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I thought ROCKY BALBOA was a really well-done movie and perfect sendoff to the ROCKY character. I thought the movie was a really personal and vulnerable display of what Sylvester Stallone has learned throughout his life.

The exploration of Rocky’s character is what made this series great. This is why the Contender Series is great too. The fighter’s heart on public display. There isn’t much more vulnerable and real than that. There just ain’t many greater themes in life IMO.

Those that didn’t like this movie, in my opinion, were missing what the Rocky series was about. The indominable human spirit. It’s about masculinity and humanity and not sacrificing yourself or succombing to your fears. It’s about winning in life, not just winning against the opponent in front of you.

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[quote]Rookie21 wrote:
About tarvar weighing in more then stallone…isnt too cheesey seeing as he had to go up to about 200 or so for the movie which is probably why most of it looked like fat. I believe he fights at 170[/quote]

Yea, he’s a light heavyweight or cruiserweight…he had probably never weighed in at over 178 for a fight I think.

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[quote]Matgic wrote:

2)The training montage was not very well done in my opinion. I’m sure 99% of people out there wouldn’t find this, but the weights looked so fake to me that it was unbearable. I believe he was squatting 5 or 6 plates and the bar didn’t bend in the least bit and looked like it was 50lbs when he racked it. The “315” jerk was basically held in the low position of a military press. Probably wouldn’t bother most gym goers who’ve never squatted in their life, let alone anything that would make a bar quiver.

[/quote]

I never thought of that…I should have.

Squatting three or four makes the bar bend, fuck 6. Well, i’m glad I didn’t. The movie was well done, even if the lifting scenes weren’t as exciting.

Of course, this thread is reminding me of the nerds who complain about the technicalities of the “Lord of the Rings” being different from the book. :wink:

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There was a book?

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I just saw the movie last night and well… its a bit cheesy at times but in a good way. I mean they really over do some of the speeches and he flashes back a lot. I’d give it a B at best. The fight scene at the end didn’t work well for me, they tried to make it look too real and the music during the fight didn’t really ‘fit’ for me.

The training montage wasn’t as well done as the previous Rockys in my opinion. I also felt the music was off and didn’t fit right at a lot of times…getting to my next point…

There is No Eye of the Tiger song or variation of it in the movie. You can’t possibly have a “send off” movie without having one of the most recognizable songs of not only that movie franchise but our generation (still considered our generation??). They even used the song at the end of the movie trailer. That could just be me though, but I know when I think of Rocky, I think of Eye of the Tiger.

I wasn’t expecting a blockbuster of a movie but I think the movie is not up to par with the others (excluding V) despite the nostalgic value which is there but is overdone. You can only visit Adrian’s grave so many times in an hour and 40 mins.

If your a Rocky fan I would recommend it but if your on the so-so side, wait for the dvd to rent.

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[quote]biglift88 wrote:

There is No Eye of the Tiger song or variation of it in the movie. You can’t possibly have a “send off” movie without having one of the most recognizable songs of not only that movie franchise but our generation (still considered our generation??). They even used the song at the end of the movie trailer. That could just be me though, but I know when I think of Rocky, I think of Eye of the Tiger.
[/quote]

They did, however, play “Gonna Fly Now” throughout the movie and I think that song defines the Rocky franchise more than “Eye of the Tiger.”

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[quote]malonetd wrote:
biglift88 wrote:

There is No Eye of the Tiger song or variation of it in the movie. You can’t possibly have a “send off” movie without having one of the most recognizable songs of not only that movie franchise but our generation (still considered our generation??). They even used the song at the end of the movie trailer. That could just be me though, but I know when I think of Rocky, I think of Eye of the Tiger.

They did, however, play “Gonna Fly Now” throughout the movie and I think that song defines the Rocky franchise more than “Eye of the Tiger.”[/quote]

Yeah, I think that was the whole point of this movie, to ditch the 80’s pop-sensation feeling that these movies started to take on and get back to the first two movies.

While I grew up with the 80’s and IV definitely always has and always will top my list, “Gonna Fly Now” is definitely more representative of these movies than any of the “No Easy Way Out”, “Burning Heart”, or “Eye of the Tiger” stuff (despite how much I love every single one of those songs).

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I watched the original on TCM the other night. What an incredible movie.

I love the '80’s cheesiness of Rocky III and IV but the original is head and shoulders above.

It is a true classic movie and deserves to be ranked with the other greatest movies of all time.

If the new movie is in a similar vein as the original I cannot wait until I can find time to see it, which may be when it comes out on DVD.

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[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
I watched the original on TCM the other night. What an incredible movie.

I love the '80’s cheesiness of Rocky III and IV but the original is head and shoulders above.

It is a true classic movie and deserves to be ranked with the other greatest movies of all time.

If the new movie is in a similar vein as the original I cannot wait until I can find time to see it, which may be when it comes out on DVD.[/quote]

I think it does capture the spirit of the first one. It’s not as great, but it’s still a good movie. People complain about the stuff leading up to the fight – the pace, the obsession with Adrian, etc – but I think it’s necessary to make it believable that a 60 year old man would dare to step into the ring again.

Stallone also captures the essence of Rocky perfectly. He’s down-to-earth, humble, very sincere and caring, and laid back.

One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard is the training montage is too short. Well, I agree, it is, but I didn’t pay nine bucks just to see a training montage. I can go on youtube for free if all I want is a training montage.

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[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
If the new movie is in a similar vein as the original I cannot wait until I can find time to see it, which may be when it comes out on DVD.[/quote]

You don’t find time to go see this movie, Zap…You make time!

Seriously, go see it. Yes, the training is too short; yes, the fight could have been better. But this isn’t really a film about boxing, it’s a film about the last years of an ageing boxer who won’t go quietly into the dark night. If you don’t confuse the film for what it’s not, you will enjoy it. I went to see it with my wife on Tuesday and she got goosebumps at the end of the fight.

OK, I’ll admit it, so did I.

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I saw the movie last night after having checked out the rating at www.rottentomatoes.com, and to my surprise, it has received pretty positive reviews (77% positive). Going into the theatre, I had no idea of the ending, so I was kept in suspense through the movie. All that I really knew was the general plot based on the previews and some of the one-liners from the reviews. I only expected the movie to be better than Rocky V but never thought that it would approach the original.

Boy was I wrong.

The cinematography is really nice and Philly comes to life; there are even scenes where Rocky is picking up groceries in South Philly for his restaurant, and places I’ve been too (like Claudios) were shown. It was pretty cool and I was thinking as I saw that scene, “I’m SO Italian - I must be the only person in here to have purchased parmesan cheese from Claudios.”

I actually found the acting to be quite believable and Rocky made a few speeches that really choked me up. The movie could even be called artistic in the way it was shot and a lot of the dialogue was deeper than you’d expect; though don’t get me wrong, it was also full of classic Rocky-isms. ?

There were some funny cameos like Mike Tyson (at ringside before the bout) and ‘Spider’ Rico was included as a minor character that Rocky took care of by allowing him to dine in his restaurant, for free.

I had a problem with Antonio Tarver as the current heavyweight champion. Tarver probably weighs 175 lbs in real life, as his legs and upper body were thin and slight-looking. I bet they cast him to make Stallone’s physique all the more impressive…

Stallone’s acting was really, really good. Two scenes in particular really get you going, and you’ll know them when you see/hear them. It just reminded me so much of the original with all of his ridiculous jokes and lovable but goofy persona. Obviously, one of the major parts of this movie is how Stallone looks, rather than just the acting. For 60, he looks incredible. My dad is 60 with a combover and well, no muscle bulk of any kind. Stallone (who probably had a hair transplant, face lift, botox - and looks a bit strange) still has a muscular build, regardless of the age-added bulk that makes him look more like he did in Rocky than in the sequels where he was totally shredded. Anyway, not many 60 year old men would be comfortable without a shirt, for any significant period of time in a movie, and Stallone pulls it off.

This brings me to the only real disappointment of the movie: the lack of a drawn out, ridiculously over-the-top training montage. There WAS a montage and it was awesome, but everyone that goes to see a Rocky movie wants to see a LONG ASS training montage; complete with chicken-chasing, egg chugging, stair-running, meat-pounding, hand-taping, grey sweatsuit wearing, absurdity! We got that, but in a small, nostalgic producing dose. Maybe that makes it sweeter though?

As a movie, it was entertaining and well done, without too much BS. In my opinion, it’s the best Rocky movie besides the original, and while it’s not perfect it is engaging and appropriate as a finale.

Fans of Rocky will love it and non-fans will still find it to be an enjoyable movie with an uplifting vibe that anyone can appreciate.

It’s best summed up by a line in the movie that goes something like, “show them that a heart is the last thing on a person to age.”

8.5/10

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i liked the fact rocky was wearing chucks during his training :stuck_out_tongue:

i watched all rocky movies in german, so i couldnt wait till it will be dubbed, so i watched it in english, its hard to get silvester at all, as an european, but it was like 80% i got, and i like the german voice of rocky much better :wink:

well im gonna watch the dubbed version of it anyway, i cant wait for it. good movie. was sad about the short training montage, but its not a bodybuilding movie anyway :wink:

53

I saw Rocky yesterday. The first hour sucked but the last 35 minutes were good. The movie spent too much time revolving around Adrian.

The funniest part was all the 50 year old Rocky fans in the theater bouncing around in their seat and throwing shadow punches.

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[quote]johnny_law wrote:

I saw Rocky yesterday. The first hour sucked but the last 35 minutes were good. The movie spent too much time revolving around Adrian.

The funniest part was all the 50 year old Rocky fans in the theater bouncing around in their seat and throwing shadow punches.[/quote]

The 50 year old CRAZY Rocky fans.

55

Maybe Rocky was using low volume to avoid overtraining!

Seriously, no skipping, shadowboxing or roadwork? I’m not sure it’s worth it then, Ross Enamait would be ashamed.

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[quote]tyciol wrote:
Maybe Rocky was using low volume to avoid overtraining!

Seriously, no skipping, shadowboxing or roadwork? I’m not sure it’s worth it then, Ross Enamait would be ashamed.[/quote]

there is road work and bag/meat work…

don’t miss this movie…its great! especially if you liked the first one and two.

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I thought that this was a great MOVIE. It’s almost like a private movie, like we are really let in on his life. It’s pretty emotional, funny. I would have watched the entire movie even if it didn’t have any fighting.

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Come on people, Rocky is 60. Stallone KNOWS he is 60. It’s not some fact he is in denial about and didn’t think anyone would notice. He can’t make himself any younger, but he tried to make it as believable as possible.

That’s why he went with a smaller person who’s main strength was speed, so he could at least justify having a power advantage over him. That’s why he wasn’t outrunning cars up mountains, and that’s why Tarver broke his hand on his hip.

It was also more along the lines of Rocky I where it was more about the character than the fight. With Adrian dead having such an impact on him and his son resenting him and him not having a lot to live for you understand his desire to fight. And just like Rocky I, winning wasn’t the point.

59

I just got back from seeing the movie. I expected to like it somewhat, as it’s been getting surprisingly good reviews. I LOVED it!!

This is not meant to be an action movie. It’s not meant to be anything remotely resembling III or IV, where Rocky in his prime, looking like a Mr. Olympia contender, goes up against an unbeatable machine of an animal and beats him, after a scene where he drives around in his Lamborghini. Look at I and II as being in the “real, quality films” category and III and IV as being in the “somewhat cheese 80’s action movies” category. (Let’s forget that V ever happened.) :wink: This movie was in the same category as I and II, and was an infinately better film for it.

See this film, and go into thinking, “It’s got nothing to do with the boxing, or the physique,” because it doesn’t. The story is great. The acting is probably his best in any of the films; certainly in the last three. There are classic, funny quips and one-liners from him, Paulie, etc. throughout the movie. (The guy who plays Paulie is awesome, by the way). I personally enjoyed the first hour or so, where they’re showing you how depressed and unfulfilled he is, living in a working class Philly neighborhood. It gave the guy that gritty internal backdrop that the film needed.

As for his physique, yes, I’m sure some of those lifts weren’t real, but I don’t care. I couldn’t have cared less about how long the training sequence was. They included it because it was required, obviously, and it did its job, but the movie wasn’t about the whole boxing/muscle thing at all. Nevertheless, for 60 he looks phenomenal. Sly said in an interview that they initially didn’t want him to train at all for the movie, but to just show up looking sloppy. He said that one month before filming he thought that was a bad idea, so he started working out seriously. If that’s what he looks like after only one month of serious training, at SIXTY, THAT’S impressive. (Oh, and I’m sure his pecs are a little lacking these days because, by age 60, I’m sure the shoulders give a guy some problems). :wink:

VERY well done. I haven’t felt those goosebumps or borderline tears welling up during a film like that in years.

A-

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[quote]futuredave wrote:
Mod Jump’n Jack wrote:
Nope, nothing deleted as far as I know. But remember that we see every comment you guys are making. And sometimes mods wanna go to the movie theater too, ya know.

I was just surprised Rocky died at the end.

I mean, the aneurism and the blood coming out his eyes and nose. Who saw that coming? And what was with his son announcing that he was gay and in love with Steps? I certainly didn’t see that coming either. [/quote]
It was when Stallone got out of the shower with a soapy Tom Cruise cradled in his arms that I knew this film was breaking new ground…