As a wrap up to the Rocky series, this is just fantastic. No character in cinema history has been taken to audience's hearts as Rocky Balboa. He's an institution.

Stallone does a rare and wonderful thing here. He ages Rocky like a fine wine. He has developed great wisdom, a sense of his own mortality, seen his loved ones start to pass away and wears the scars of those losses - yet still moves forward each day. He is kind, humble and good-natured despite the world around him being - on the whole - putrid.

As a character study, this is a tour de force.

The cast around him are all excellent. Paulie is an absolutely delightful character for Rocky to bounce off. The history of Burt Young and Stallone gives so much depth to this heart-rending relationship.

It's not perfect. I think Tarver is a bad choice. The fight at the end lacks realism in many spots. There's a little hokey CGI at the beginning.

Overall though, it's a perfect close to the anthology. It makes up for the mis-step of Rocky V and is - as a film not entertainment - bettered only by the original Rocky.


8.25/10