ROCKY BALBOA

After the failure of "Rocky 5", Stallone decided to put the series to rest, and in all honesty I wish he did. "Rocky 5" wasn't a good movie, but at least it ended the franchise on a good note, even though many, including myself, would have preferred the ending where Rocky dies. However, Stallone was so displeased with "Rocky 5", that in the mid 2000s, he decided to make...


Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) still retired from boxing, as well as retired from training boxers, has reached his 60s; lost his wife Adrian from cancer; his son is now a businessman; and Rocky owns an Italian restaurant named after his Wife. On the sports channel ESPN, a computer boxing simulation of Rocky in his prime, and current Heavy Weight Champion Mason Dixon (Played by real life boxer Antonio Tarver) shows a computerized Rocky knocking out the current Heavy Weight Champion. Rocky gets inspired to box again, and Mason Dixon's promoters hold a charity event in Vegas to have Rocky and Dixon fight in an exhibition match, so the falling Heavy Weight Champion Mason Dixon can be popular again! While I like the idea of seeing what the former Champion Rocky is doing now, this is not what I had in mind. The idea of a 60 year old man, versing a Champion who's half his age, just because of some computer generated fight sounds ridiculous, and it is ridiculous. At least the plot in "Rocky 5" about a former Heavy Weight Champion, becoming a trainer to then having the person he's training turn against him, was a much more believable plot, than this film! However, does the film execute this ludicrous plot well, ON WITH THE REVIEW...

 

Stallone of course returns to play the role of this old Heavy Weight Champion, as well as directing the film and writing film, and he still does a great job at playing this iconic character. He still plays the role just as well as he usually plays his character by being likable, fun. humble, and emotional. In fact, what I really love about his performance is, you actually do want to see him fight one more time. Yeah, as lame as the plot sounds, you do want to see Stallone fight in the ring again. Not just because you want to see him kick some ass, but the fact that society around him doesn't want him to fight because of his age, and if you're thinking that he's still got it, he doesn't. In fact, in the training montage, he actually struggles a lot because of his age. That scene in the courtroom when he makes a speech about not getting a boxing license, even though he passed all the test, is really an emotional scene, and shows how badly that this guy wants to do what he loves. When he finally does get the opportunity to fight, it's not based on his current skills, they're only using him to make a falling Heavy Weight Champion be popular again. Still hard for me to buy though. A young guy defeating a former Champion in his 60s to be popular again, come on, really? I like the idea of the film's moral that you're never too old to do what you love, but the way that the film is telling it is just silly and stupid. Another thing wrong with the plot is the brain damage that Rocky suffered from Drago, which causes him not to fight again in "Rocky 5", is ignored.  I know Stallone explained the reason for that plot hole in an interview, by basically saying that  by today's standards it isn't as severe, and that he only stopped fighting because of his Wife's wishes. While I understand that, the film completely ignores the fact that he had brain damage at all. On top of it, come on, the amount of slugs that Rocky took from Drago, who basically destroys whatever he hits, as well as killing Rocky's friend Apollo, not just by his age and letting his cockiness get to him, but the fact of how big, strong, and powerful he is; you're telling me that Rocky's case of Brain damage isn't that severe, as well as not to mention the fact of the amount of hits he got when he was street fighting at the end of "Rocky 5", when he already had brain damage? I call complete BULL on that defense of continuity.




While,Rocky 4 and 5 brought the nostalgia back from the previous Rocky films, this film does the same. At this point, that concept in the Rocky films is pretty overused now, but the fact that no one has seen a Rocky film since 1990, it actually does work. We get to see some of the sights and places that we visited over the last 5 films, and see what they look like today. We get a few flashbacks of the previous movies. We meet a few people that we haven't seen since the first Rocky film, and see what they're doing now. On top of it, I just love seeing what's going with this character's life. I love seeing him owning a restaurant where he comes up to tables to greet guests, takes a picture with them, and even tell them stories of him in the ring; and the scenes when he visits his wife's grave are emotional, but very subtle at the same time. Personally, I still think "Rocky 5" is better at bringing nostalgia of the Rocky films. It's very atmospheric; we get to see Burgess Meredith reprise his role as Mickey for a flashback; and the credits showing pictures from all 5 Rocky films, bring more nostalgia and spirit to the Rocky films, then seeing fans run up the steps of the "Philadelphia Art Museum" in the credits for this film. Still, I do think the film does a very good and effective job at bringing the nostalgia of the Rocky films.

 

Now for the supporting characters. Burt Young returns as the role of Paulie, and instead being mostly played out for laughs, and gets nothing to do in some of the previous Rocky films, he actually gets more to do in this film, than he did in the last few films. He supports Rocky; he has a few emotional moments; and is not as over the top or silly as he was in  "Rocky 4" when he has a robot girlfriend; or has to play Santa in "Rocky 5". Tony Burton also reprises his role Duke, and while he's not in the film most of the time (Pretty much like Rocky 3 & 5), he still gives a good performance, and it's just great seeing him train Rocky again. Rocky's son is sadly not played by Stallone's son Sage in this film, instead he's played by Milo Ventimiglia, and in all honesty, I sadly didn't feel a connection between them. Since Adrian is dead, Rocky doesn't have a romantic relationship, but he does hang out with a grown up Marie (Geraldine Hughes) who we haven't heard about since the first Rocky film. While I do like the idea that Rocky is hanging out with a character he knew before he became a Champion, there's sadly no chemistry between them either, it's actually pretty boring. At first when they met it was nice, but sadly it just got tedious as the film went along with it. Marie also has a son, and his relationship with Rocky is even more boring and forgettable.

 

Rocky's opponent Dixon, while Tarver does give a good performance, his character is not as interesting or threatening as Rocky's previous opponents. I mean he's likable, instead of being a flat out bad guy like Clubber Lang, or Drago, but as a whole, he's forgettable. I hardly remember him at all. I know he fights Rocky; I know he wants to be respected; but his character lacks motivation to defeating Rocky, and is really not that big of a threat to Rocky. You know one way or another Rocky will succeed at beating him in the end, whether he wins the fight or not.

 

The film's music is once again done by Bill Conti, and I hate to say this, but the music in this film isn't as good as the previous Rocky films. Bill Conti's score in the Rocky films, were always big, powerful, energizing, emotional, atmospheric and epic. Here, it feels really old, toned down, and tired out. In fact, it sounds more like corny soap opera music that's trying to sound like Rocky, than it does sound like Rocky music. There are times when it's good, especially during the end of the fight, and the films final scene, but for the majority of the film, it lacks the greatness of the previous Rocky films. As for the training montage, the edits are good, the shots are nice, Rocky going from a tired 60 year old man, to becoming a champ again is good, but sadly, the music that plays the Rocky theme, as I said before sounds very tired out and less epic.

 

As for the film's climatic fight, it's actually just as great as all the previous boxing matches in the Rocky films! First off, I love that the first few rounds are shot in HD TV, making you think you're watching an actual boxing match. To make things more realistic, the punches thrown by both actors are real, and when you see Stallone struggling to get up, he really is struggling. When we get to the montage, we're showered with heavy lighting; cool slow motion; flashbacks; scenes being shot in Black and White with very little color; great editing; realistic choreography; and brutal sound effects. While most of us know what the outcome will be, the energy and heart of the fight is still there, and when we do find out the outcome for the fight, the film leaves you on the same powerful and happy note as all the other Rocky films did.

In all honesty, I think this film has the same amount of hits and misses as "Rocky 5". The story is lame; the continuity of Rocky's brain damage is just as stupid, as the continuity with Rocky son's age in "Rocky 5";  the opponent is forgettable; Rocky's relationship with some of the characters is boring; and the music sounds just as old and tired out as the franchise is. However, Stallone does give a much better performance than he did in "Rocky 5"; the film does brings the same amount of nostalgia as "Rocky 5" did; seeing what Rocky is doing now is just as interesting, as seeing him take over Mickey's Gym in "Rocky 5"; and the final fight is fantastic. I know, I said "Rocky 5" is the weakest of the franchise, but after re-watching this film, I personally think this is the weakest of the franchise, and is very overrated. I'm sorry, I just think "Rocky 5" was a better conclusion, despite its major flaws! However, the good stuff in this film is good, and is indeed worth a look. For me personally, this is sadly not a Rocky film that I will find myself re-watching over and over like the last 5 Rocky films. The 5th one may not be as good as the last 4 films, but this film feels more tiring and worn out than "Rocky 5", as well as being very bland and having an unintentionally silly plot.

RATING 2/5

I understand there's going to be a spin-off movie called "Creed" which is about Apollo Creed's grandson, but I'm going to give you my overall on the franchise anyway.

OVERALL ON THE ROCKY FRANCHISE


The first two Rocky films were both masterpieces; sure the first Rocky film was better than the second film, but the second film was still just as powerful. Rocky 3 and 4, is where things started to get goofy, and when the films focused more on its action and montages. However, 3 and 4, did both have some really good serious moments, that were heartbreaking then, and are still heartbreaking now. 5 and 6, definitely showed the franchise getting old and worn out, and while both films having a lot of flaws, they both had enough hits to make them worth a look, as well as bringing a great nostalgia feel to Rocky 1 to 4. Stallone and the supporting characters, whether they give a good performance, half-assed performance, or at times act and look goofy, they're still likable and great characters that I enjoy spending time with. The boxing scenes, and training montages are always cool to watch; are very entertaining, as well as keeping you hyped; and Rocky's opponents, whether they're memorable, goofy, or forgettable, they still put up a great fight. The biggest flaw that the franchise suffers aside from being very goofy at times is the continuity errors. These errors really do get distracting, and make you wonder if Stallone watched the previous Rocky films carefully, before making a sequel. The franchise is indeed a love or hate for many people, I personally love it despite my dislikes for the 6th movie, and even if the films aren't as good as the first 2 Rocky films, they're (For the most part) always fun, emotional, and entertaining boxing flicks, starring one of cinemas greatest characters of all time!

RATING FOR THE ROCKY FRANCHISE

3/5

BATMAN BEGINS

After the failure of Joel Schmacher's "Batman & Robin", the film franchise was sadly considered dead. However, I do disagree, because we had "Batman: Subzero" from the animated series, and while it wasn't shown in theaters, it was still a deep and action-packed movie. However, the live action Batman film series, was indeed dyeing. Until Christopher Nolan's...


Bruce Wayne is a millionaire who lives in Gotham City, filled with crime, mobsters, and corrupt cops; and has a bad past of his parents being murdered by a criminal, and having a huge fear of Bats. Bruce joins a ninja vigilante group called "The League Of Shadows", who train Bruce to become a hero, and learn how to conquer his fears. However, after learning that the league's intentions are to destroy Gotham City, Bruce defeats "The League Of Shadows", and heads back to Gotham City, to fight crime, and dress up as a Bat, to strike fear into his enemies.


Christian Bale takes on the role of Batman, and while I don't find him as great as Keaton, or Conroy, I still think he's fine. First off, I love how Bruce Wayne's origin story is done in this film. Instead of just dressing up like a Bat because he can't cope with his parent's murder, and wants to fight off criminals as revenge; we actually get more to the story in this film. We see him bond with his parents when he was a kid, instead of just seeing them get murdered right away. When he becomes a college student, all he can think about is revenge for killing the man who killed his parents. When he leaves Gotham, we see him train with this Ninja league, that give him the skills that he will use as Batman, as well as conquering a fear that he had when he was a kid. On top of it, he becomes Batman not for vengeance for his parents death, but because it was the crime and corruption of the city that made this man kill his parents, and wants to change that. That's a really powerful, and well detailed origin story, on a famous hero. I even felt the characters pain and struggle throughout the film. I also like that when he's Bruce Wayne as a millionaire, he decides to act all rich and playboyish with his money and girls, so no one can suspect that he's Batman. I do like the idea, but I will admit, comparing his over the top behaviors to Keaton and Conroy's Bruce Wayne, you never suspected them; here you can pretty much tell that he's hiding something. I'm not saying that I don't enjoy the concept and idea, but did they have to go overboard with it? The scene when he jumps into a display pool with naked girls with his clothes on in a hotel restaurant, not only seems like he's hiding something, but seems like he's crazy and rich enough to dress up like a Bat.


When Bale becomes Batman people are very mixed about it, but I think he's decent. The design for his BatSuit, may not look as classy as Keaton's BatSuit, but I personally think it's cool. It's dark; it has a cool technical and modern look to it; some awesome gadgets; is so indestructible that it can save him from almost anything (Including bullets, fire, and able to stand falling off a building); and he does look intimidating. Some say his Mask looks goofy, and while I can see why, I don't know, there's still something freaky and unsettling about it. As for his intimidating voice, yeah, it doesn't sound as natural as Keaton or Conroy's voice, it really does sound very forced and goofy at times. However, (at least in this film) I personally don't find it annoying as many other people do, and there are times when he speaks in a soft spoken dark voice, that actually does sound legitimately natural and threatening. Now his Batmobile, while giving it cool action scenes, and from my understanding, most of its special effects are practical effects; the design sucks. The Batmobile in the 60s show, the Burton films, the animated series, and even the Schumacher films had a cool and creative look to it; this one is just a tumbler, that just carries the name "The BatMobile". As for the action scenes, it does get hard to see with the fast edits, and shaky came, but I personally didn't mind it as much as everyone else did. I thought it fit with the film's style by making the fight sequences just as mysterious as Batman is to the criminals. The film's theme, by the way is "Fear" and without giving too much away, the film does a solid job at executing that theme with its story, atmosphere, and visuals.



As for the supporting characters, they're all wonderful as well. Michael Caine as Alfred is just as marvelous as the previous actors who played him. You can feel how much he cares for Bruce by respecting his wishes and decisions, while not always agreeing with him; loving him like a son, while not trying to take his Father's place; and I love that he'll just never give up with helping and taking care of Bruce. They even give him a few funny moments and lines, which fit the film and his character extraordinary well. Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, is kind of like the Q of this movie, as if he were cool, and had a godly like voice. Freeman gives a very cool and fun performance; his relationship with Bruce never has a dull moment; and the gadgets that he gives Bruce, really take Batman to a whole new level. Gary Oldman as James Gordon definitely tops all the actors who played the character in the previous films. He looks and acts like the character; his relationship with Batman is the closest and most endearing comparing their relationship to previous installments in the live action films; and he even helps Batman out on occasions, as well as driving the BatMobile in the climax. Finally, we have Katie Holmes as Bruce's childhood friend and love interest Rachel, who many people seem to either love or hate. While I do prefer Viki Vale, and Catwoman from the Burton films, since I find them more interesting than her, I still think she's a good character. Her relationship with Bruce is delightful; I like how she gets as interested as Bruce is with the criminal underworld; and while being the typical damsel in distress at times, she does at times know how to take care of herself. I'm just glad that she's not like the bland, boring, and shallow woman that we got in the Schumacher films.



Now for the villains, instead of getting one or two, we get a whole rogues gallery of them, and with the exception of one, who's barely in the movie, they all have an important part in the film, and the film doesn't feel over crowded with the villains, nor are any of them forced into the plot. The main villain is Ra's Al Ghul played by Liam Neeson. Yeah, I am giving a big part of the twist away, but it seems that almost every single critic (Including James Rolfe) reveals this twist, and it's not because it's a bad twist, but it's worth talking about, and from what I understand is pretty much common knowledge to many Batman fans, including myself. I thought Neeson was going to be boring as this villain, but to my surprise, he actually did a fine job. He has a very engaging but sad relationship with Bruce; he's very smart; he's classy; he's skilled at fighting; his scheme of destroying Gotham is ingenious writing; and above all, he's pretty much like Batman, except that he uses his crime fighting ways by not only killing people, but also at the cost of innocents. He's a highly interesting and threatening villain, and Neeson is brilliant in the role.



The film's second major villain is the Scarecrow played by Cillian Murphy. When I saw the Scarecrow's mask in the photos (Especially this photo), I found it laughably silly and not creative. Also, when I found out that it was the same guy who couldn't act in "28 Days Later..." I thought he was going to suck. However, I was wrong. When he plays the corrupt Dr. Crane, who works at Arkham Asylum, he's classy while at the same time creepy and intimidating. When he's the Scarecrow, he not only stays creepy and intimidating, but the visuals for whenever he uses a drug on his patients, that make them see their fears, look really terrifying! My only issue is, I wish he was in the film as the Scarecrow more, or was the main the villain, and saved the twist of Liam Neeson being Ra's Al Ghul for another film. I also hate his anti-climatic defeat. However, it's still a great performance and a great villain.



The rest of the villains, aren't in the film that much, but they each play as a piece of the puzzle for Ra's Al Ghul's attack on Gotham. Tom Wilkinson as the crime lord Falcone, does a great job at playing this gangster. He's a fun villain, while at the same time really intimidating. Mark Boone Junior as the corrupt cop and Gordon's partner Flass, gives an outstanding performance as this dirty cop. Richard Brake as the guy who murdered Bruce's family, while we hate him and want to see Bruce get revenge on him, we do feel a bit of sympathy from him since he did it because of his poor lifestyle in Gotham. The only villain who plays no role in the film at all and is only there to make a cameo is Zsasz who's a crazy criminal who used to work for Falcone. I was really interested in seeing how psychotic he is and find out what his part of the plan is, but sadly, he's only in like two scenes, which are less than a minute long.

Going into this film, I knew it was going to be good, but I didn't think it was going to be that good! I was really impressed with this movie, and it is indeed a great live action Batman that no one has seen since the Burton film from 1989 (Though I personally enjoyed "Returns", but still have issues with it). The story is great and well detailed; Christian Bale makes a really good Batman (Not the best, but still good); the supporting characters are memorable, and well performed; the villains are awesome; and the action, while clunky at times, is still really neat and matches with the film's atmosphere. I think it's an excellent fresh new beginning for the live action Barman films, that does indeed wash away the wounds from the previous live action films that came after Burton's take on the films.

RATING 5/5