For lack of anything else to watch at Stellenboschs Eikestad Mall, Liz and I settled on watching Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Stallones last attempt at cashing in on what is probably Philadelphias most famous fictional character. But call it what you may, debase it, hurl insults at it, Rocky Balboa brings is the perfect conclusion to this legendary franchise. It pits the much older Stallone as an aging Rocky Balboa who now lives a quiet life running a restaurant, content with living out his past through the stories he tells to his customers.
But the beast inside has quite been lost yet, and when the opportunity to bring it out for one final fight arrives, Rocky sees himself having one last shot at glory against the worlds current heavyweight champ, Macy Dixon.
The film is written by Stallone and its a perfect match as Sylvester is more intimate with the character than probably anybody else. The film is slow, clichd, predictable – and yet thoroughly enjoyable to anyone who has ever seen the previous movies and know anything about the character. A lot of homages are made and in the end, one cant help but walk out of the cinema feeling good.
(And yes, Stallone still looks and sounds like hes slow, stupid and in a permanent drug haze – just in case you were wondering)