Rocky Balboa DVD Review

Sylvester Stallone returns as boxing champion Rocky Balboa.

Courtesy of FOX

It was 1976 when Rocky first found himself in the boxing ring - winning the hearts of movie-goers everywhere. Thirty years later, life has left Rocky longing for the good old days. Can he get back the fire he once had?

Rocky Balboa - Dealing With the Demons

Life hasn't worked out the way Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) thought it would. His true love, Adrian, has been dead for years and he still can't quite put his pain behind him. He's lost touch with his son, who is embarrassed of his meat-head of a dad, and just wants to do his own thing. Rocky spends his days running his restaurant and reliving tales of his glory days for his customers. When ESPN stages a virtual fight between Rocky and the latest undefeated boxing hotshot, Mason "The Line" Dixon, Rocky decides to get back in the ring and see if he's still got what it takes.

Rocky Balboa - Ringside Show

The first two-thirds of Rocky Balboa involves watching Rocky try and figure out what's missing in his life. It's a bit slow, dull and could have been cut back dramatically. The second he decides to re-apply for a boxing license at the ripe old age of 59 is when things start getting interesting. He has an intense moment with his son about going after what makes you happy, no matter what other people think and then launches straight into a rigorous training session for his fight of the century!

Rocky Balboa - Down for the Count

So, what happens when you pit a nearly 60 year old man against a quick, young, undefeated champion? You get the battle of the century. Mason "The Line" Dixon has never faced a worthy opponent and so has never really tested his skill and will to fight. But throw him in the ring with a hulking geriatric man and it's pure boxing magic. The fight scenes in this flick make up for the awkward and drawn out dialogue 100 percent!

Rocky Balboa - DVD Features

If you're willing to risk having the Rocky theme song running through your head for the next few weeks, the Rocky Balboa DVD could be for you. The regular DVD comes with all the big screen Rocky action but absolutely nothing in terms of features, unless you count a "keep box" as a feature. Wow. Thanks for putting it in a box for us guys. If you're looking for the real cool features, you're going to have to get this movie on Blu-ray - that disc comes with bloopers, a making-of featurette and an inside look at the computer animation used in the flick.

Rocky Balboa - Bottom Line

This is not an award-winning flick. It's just as formulaic as all the other Rocky flicks from the past. If you've never seen an old Rocky movie, you might wanna check at least the first one out before seeing Rocky Balboa so you can fully appreciate the story. But, even if you skip out on the old movies, Rocky Balboa has enough rock 'em, sock 'em action to keep you and your friends glued to the screen.