On face value, the premise of seeing 61 year old Sylvester Stallone reprise his most iconic role of Rocky Balboa seems almost ridiculous. For while the Boxing world has been famous for some unusual middle aged comebacks, the idea of seeing a man who is old enough to claim his free bus pass take on the current heavyweight champion could well be a step too far, teetering on the borders of the impossible. Yet \"Rocky Balboa,\" the sixth instalment of the much loved franchise, is not only a return to form, its also a highly enjoyable, feel-good movie.In \"Rocky Balboa,\" the one-time Italian Stallion spends his time running a restaurant, reminiscing about his days as a champion, and generally living the quiet life back in his hometown of South Side Philadelphia. Still suffering after the death of his beloved wife Adrian, Balboa continues to struggle to identify with his son (Milo Ventimiglia) and is at a loss as to why the world has become such a hard place to live in. Meanwhile a new heavyweight champion, the undefeated Mason \"The Line\" Dixon (Antonio Tarver), is struggling to appease fans of the sport, as his invincible winning streak is killing its renowned entertainment value. So, when a television sports show simulates what could potentially happen if Dixon were to face the former two-time champion Rocky Balboa, Dixon's promotional team see the marketing value and persuade Rocky to come out of retirement for one final bout.Despite \"Rocky Balboa\" appearing 17 years after the last entry in the franchise, of all the sequels it actually feels the most like the original movie. Returning to the streets of Philadelphia, with a lower budget than some of the other \"Rocky\" movies, allows the film to have a direct, personal attachment to its audience. While at times the underlying message of the film - that people can achieve what they want if they only believe in themselves - is somewhat shallow, the movie succeeds in passing on that positive feeling to its audience.The fact that a 30-year-old franchise can still pack a mean punch is a testament to the quality of the Rocky character, and once the Bill Conti theme music kicks in, you know you'll be walking away from the cinema with a smile on your face.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>","fnc":"googleTrackerHelper.doTrackPage( '\/'Rocky-Balboa-film_options~20514'\/Reviews\/ViewAll\/1' );"}