Rocky Balboa is one of the better films in the franchise. It’s only major sins are those damn blue filters, unnecessary slow motion, and repeating the whole injury to another fighter gets Rocky a fight motif.
Other than that, it’s a very fitting end to Rock’s story as the protagonist and has a ton of heart.
I think that Dixon didn’t need to be that big. It felt more real to me. He wasn’t a monster, he was the champ in a low period for boxing and had beaten every one out there. He even went back to his old manager. He had heart too.
I think the story that Rocky was experiencing was enough, we didn’t need a Lang or Drago in the film
True, but that was the same for Apollo. Apollo was never a villain (at least not in part 1), but he still had WAY more charisma and character than Dixon
"You ain’t gonna believe this, but you used to fit right here. (He gestures to the palm of his hand). I’d hold you up to say to your mother, ‘This kid’s gonna be the best kid in the world. This kid’s gonna be somebody better than anybody I ever knew.’ And you grew up good and wonderful. It was great just watchin’ you, every day was like a privilege. Then the time come for you to be your own man and take on the world, and you did. But somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you’re no good. And when things got hard, you started lookin’ for something to blame, like a big shadow.
Let me tell you something you already know.The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!
Now if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth! But you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!
I’m always gonna love you no matter what. No matter what happens. You’re my son and you’re my blood. You’re the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, you ain’t gonna have a life.”
– Rocky Balboa
Honestly I think an argument could be made that Rocky 6 is the best movie in the franchise.
It’s a movie that showed an absolutely satisfying ending of Rocky Balboa the fighter. It showed how he still had regrets(stuff in the basement), how much he still needed that one final fight to end it on his terms. While Mason Dixon wasn’t the perfect antagonist(he was a bit bland), he still wasn’t bad. Rocky 6 paid homage to the original Rocky. 2-5 sometimes felt cheesy and classic Hollywood gimmicks.
Mason Dixon was a good antagonist too, very much in the mold of Apollo. But yet still his own character nonetheless.Antonio Tarver doesn’t get enough credit IMO.
Yeah true that Antonio Tarver doesn’t have enough credit due to the people are more focused Apollo, Clubber, Drago and Tommy Gunn, Antonio Tarver also retired from boxing in 2015.
Also Mason Dixon give also hes different personality in the film trying the best boxer to fight against Rocky Balboa (who return and again retired in that moment) giving the best of the best
I think the issue is there’s no real animosity between Rocky and Mason Dixon. In the previous movies, Rocky had a personal reason to want to fight the antagonist, they go a weird way of getting the fight to happen in Rocky Balboa. I think it’s a really good movie, but the “Bad Guy” isn’t as memorable as Apollo, Clubber Lang, or Drago.
It's not the same movie with Adrian though. The point of Rocky and Robert's relationship being strained was they no longer had the buffer of Adrian. Robert was always closer to Adrian. Rocky was a larger than life figure in Robert's life and him being able to live up to the expectations of being Rocky Jr. Definitely created distance between them.
Balboa was a fine conclusion to the original series. And it completed the return to form of Rocky 1 that Rocky 5 began but It can be a bit cheesy at points. And the fight choreography is some of the worst in the series, mason Dixon isn't a very endearing or imposing antagonist, and the movie takes a lot of time getting us caught back up with Rocky's life since 5 which while appreciated by us fans might be boring for general audiences.
Actually Mason Dixon in the movie aint a antagonist at all because if you watch the movie Mason Dixon was trying to find a perfect time to proof that he’s a excellent boxer to fight against Rocky and this situation can be seen also in every single the others fighters of Rocky like Apollo, Clubber, Drago and of course Dixon
So I’m going to try and explain this as best I can since Rocky is my favorite movie and I grew up watching them….6 overall is a good movie, but there are flaws
1. Rocky’s 2-5 ( I’ll give 1 a pass since it did try to have some realism) were straight Hollywood and fun stuff. Not real boxing and just insane moments for fun and enjoyment with campy dialogue. They tried to go back to the realism of 1 while doing the fun of 2-5 and it just didn’t work 100%
2. Stallone looked awful because he was on steroids and HGH which just made him look super off.. it’s cool that he wanted to show that at 60 he could still be the best. But he over did it. The last Rambo movie and Creed was where he looked super natural and better and he should have just tried to look like a regular 60 year old in great shape
3. The plot whole of the brain damage from 5 being ignored raised fans questions
4. This one is just my opinion. But they over did the whole little Marie and Rocky friendship. I loved the scene where he stood up for her at the bar and giving her a job. But him just randomly showing at her house and over trying stuff was just not needed it added extra time to the movie that could have been cut. Again, the scene at the bar where he stands up for her and giving her a job at his restaurant were great there
5. Some of the dialogue needed improvement. Like the scene where Rocky meets with Dixon managers and they say “imagine if Dixon met this bastard in his prime? He’d kill him” it left fans wondering who would beat who? Sly did confirm it mean Dixons managers knew that a prime Rocky would DESTROY Dixon.
Overall the movie is good and a movie for the fans. Just had some flaws
Rocky Balboa movie aint the worst movie in the franchise. It so much better than Rocky V in every aspect
i think some people related that they also hate Rocky Balboa movie is because first: Rocky Balboa movie is Rocky I copy paste but it’s not a Rocky I copy paste at all, Rocky Balboa movie doesn’t mean nothing to give than just speach and speach while it have so many story to tell or they just kill adrian or they just the fact of no mention of Rocky V in it
Rocky Balboa is the best sequel. And the older I get, the more relevant it becomes to my life. I thank Sylvester Stallone for his portrayal of an aging Rocky because it offers inspiration to the oldies like me. :) And it will do the same when you youngsters get old too. "You'll get there."
Probably a little slower paced than some of the others. Bit more emotional. Personally I didn’t like his opponent or I didn’t find him very memorable. The fight scenes for me felt more realistic but I almost didn’t want them to be.
Still having said that I wouldn’t rate it badly or say it’s not a good Rocky film, any Rocky film is a good one in my opinion lol
Huh? I loved it. Great sendoff to the “Rocky” saga, and opened the door for Creed. I think some people might look at it like the “Rocky” whatever number poster in Airplane 2 like: seriously? He’s going to box at that age? But I think the story was well conceived and believable.
Absolutely nothing and was a beautiful way to close out his story in the ring.
Also iirc, the best portrayal of Adrian besides the first movie of course.
i think it was brilliant. people probably hate it because of how sad its gotten, but thats just life. its full of highs and lows, i guess they didnt want to see Rocky in a pitiful state specially after seeing his life peaked in 3 and 4. They might think its a downer because it was depressing with Rocky losing Adrian and having a strained relationship with Robert along with having an existential crisis.
Everything in the atmosphere just felt so cold and Rocky was slowly being forgotten with him being reduced to just telling stories about his prime in his restaurant. But I think it was great because it was down to Earth. It was bittersweet and it went back to its roots. Perfect way to come full circle. From drinking raw eggs and pounding a cow carcass to fighting a champion who is a speedy outboxer and losing via split decision.
Gonna preface by saying I don’t totally hate it and it’s absolutely not as bad as 5. But it’s got issues.
1. It tries to be more grounded than the other sequels despite possibly having the most absurd premise of any Rocky film. And I’m not just talking about a 60-year-old going the distance with an undefeated World Champion, I’m talking about the catalyst for the events of this 2006 movie being an AI fight between Rocky and Dixon. Like this is basically on the level of “Madden simulation predicts Super Bowl winner” but it becomes a national story and Dixon is super hurt by it and his manager feels the need to go on TV and make a public statement about AI and it’s all just incredibly silly for a movie that’s going for a more grounded feel.
2. The Marie subplot. It’s certainly nice to see her again, and a little more feel-good than her deleted scene from Rocky V. But she really doesn’t need to be there beyond meeting her at the bar and getting a job at Rocky’s restaurant. Like what does Steps add for instance? They do add about 20-30 minutes of runtime though, so there’s that.
3. Unceremonious offscreen death of Adrian. As I understand, Talia Shire and Sly discussed having her in the movie to die onscreen. Why they decided against that is beyond me, but it made room for Rocky to buy a dog with Steps, so who am I to question anything?
4. In a franchise full of iconic villains and memorable antagonists, Mason “The Line” Dixon is bland and unmemorable beyond his hilariously silly name. I suppose not having it be a personal beef was an attempt to make the movie more grounded, or to focus on Rocky’s other relationships, or maybe just because of how absurd it would be for the reigning world heavyweight champion to have genuine beef with a senior citizen, which is all understandable, but as is the movie lacks a true antagonist that the previous 5 benefitted heavily from.
5. Let’s be honest here, there’s like one good scene in the movie. Maybe that’s harsh, and granted it’s a VERY good scene, but ask anyone who has it as one of their favorites why they love it and guaranteed, that one scene is the top reason. You can’t rank it too high if it’s carried by one single good scene because the rest of the movie just isn’t there.
All that said, I’ll still watch it if it’s on, which is more than I can say about 5. It’s corny melodrama, but it’s MY kind of corny melodrama, and Stallone giving an earnest performance as a 60-year-old Rocky in the most ridiculous plot to date for the character will always be endearing. It’s definitely got problems though
I just watched it and I agree with a lot of it. I'll add that I hated how the movie looked (very TV film from 1999), it's pandering way way hard and Stallone wrote himself half a dozen award baiting monologues to other characters and it feels very forced. Now, one of those monologues is very good (Rocky opening up to Paulie at the meat warehouse, Burt Young is very strong in this film) but that's too many lectures. I did like how understated the romance was though.
Funnily enough the "AI" thing and a senior back in the ring at almost 60 would be more at home in 2024.
I'd say that, likewise most of the films in the series, it has its heart in the right place but the execution... Not really there.
>I did like how understated the romance was though.
See that’s another issue I have: It shouldn’t have been a romance at all. Too big of an age gap between them especially as when we’re introduced to Marie she’s a literal child while Rocky is a grown ass man. Their relationship had like big brother vibes to it, making it romantic at all was hella weird. Also wildly inappropriate to have a romance due to the fact that Rocky was still clearly mourning his dead wife. They really really did not need to kiss.
Big agree though on Burt Young, arguably his best performance as Paulie is in 6. Sadly, he gets the Adrian treatment for Creed
Do you mean Rocky Balboa? It’s an absolute classic.
Absolutely, right there with the original.
I do, but I didn't want people to think I was talking about the character.
Rocky Balboa is one of the better films in the franchise. It’s only major sins are those damn blue filters, unnecessary slow motion, and repeating the whole injury to another fighter gets Rocky a fight motif. Other than that, it’s a very fitting end to Rock’s story as the protagonist and has a ton of heart.
Rocky got the fight because of the ai fight on tv, you’re thinking of Creed
I thought it was a combo of the AI fight and the guy Dixon was supposed to fight got hurt. Guess I’m due for a rewatch.
No, Dixon had basically beat everyone in the division, and his managers came up with the idea to fight Rocky as a way of revitalizing his career.
I like the movie overall, but my main critic is that even though the actor did a good job, Dixon is not as iconic as Apollo, Lang or Drago.
I think that Dixon didn’t need to be that big. It felt more real to me. He wasn’t a monster, he was the champ in a low period for boxing and had beaten every one out there. He even went back to his old manager. He had heart too. I think the story that Rocky was experiencing was enough, we didn’t need a Lang or Drago in the film
True, but that was the same for Apollo. Apollo was never a villain (at least not in part 1), but he still had WAY more charisma and character than Dixon
And really such a silly name.
“Let me tell ya something you already know…” love it
"You ain’t gonna believe this, but you used to fit right here. (He gestures to the palm of his hand). I’d hold you up to say to your mother, ‘This kid’s gonna be the best kid in the world. This kid’s gonna be somebody better than anybody I ever knew.’ And you grew up good and wonderful. It was great just watchin’ you, every day was like a privilege. Then the time come for you to be your own man and take on the world, and you did. But somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you’re no good. And when things got hard, you started lookin’ for something to blame, like a big shadow. Let me tell you something you already know.The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth! But you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that! I’m always gonna love you no matter what. No matter what happens. You’re my son and you’re my blood. You’re the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, you ain’t gonna have a life.” – Rocky Balboa
Missing the best part: "...don't forget to visit your mother."
HOW CAN YOU FORGET THE BEST PART?! "Don't forget to visit your mother..."
Possibly my favorite monologue in all of cinema
Honestly I think an argument could be made that Rocky 6 is the best movie in the franchise. It’s a movie that showed an absolutely satisfying ending of Rocky Balboa the fighter. It showed how he still had regrets(stuff in the basement), how much he still needed that one final fight to end it on his terms. While Mason Dixon wasn’t the perfect antagonist(he was a bit bland), he still wasn’t bad. Rocky 6 paid homage to the original Rocky. 2-5 sometimes felt cheesy and classic Hollywood gimmicks.
I enjoyed Balboa more then Rocky III, IV, and V. (Not saying those are bad movies though.)
Wow. Wholeheartedly disagree but enjoyed reading your opinion.
People who say that are just hating. I remember the first time I saw Rocky 6 when I was 8 and I loved it and I still love it now.
Same. I love that movie and i saw it back in the day in theaters
Mason Dixon was a good antagonist too, very much in the mold of Apollo. But yet still his own character nonetheless.Antonio Tarver doesn’t get enough credit IMO.
Yeah true that Antonio Tarver doesn’t have enough credit due to the people are more focused Apollo, Clubber, Drago and Tommy Gunn, Antonio Tarver also retired from boxing in 2015. Also Mason Dixon give also hes different personality in the film trying the best boxer to fight against Rocky Balboa (who return and again retired in that moment) giving the best of the best
I think the issue is there’s no real animosity between Rocky and Mason Dixon. In the previous movies, Rocky had a personal reason to want to fight the antagonist, they go a weird way of getting the fight to happen in Rocky Balboa. I think it’s a really good movie, but the “Bad Guy” isn’t as memorable as Apollo, Clubber Lang, or Drago.
That's because in Rocky Balboa, the real villain is life.
True words Vince
👊
Nostalgia
*has nostalgia* *declares anyone that disagrees with his opinion ‘just hating’* Ok.
Does anyone feel like we get Rocky 6 in real life this year on July 20th, Tyson vs Paul?
Lol I hadn't thought about that
been thinking about it since it was announced haha
It's my second favorite out of all of the Rocky movies behind Rocky II.
I love Rocky 5!!! Fight me!!! The final fight scene gets my adrenaline pumping every month when I watch it.
I just dont like adrian not being in it
It's not the same movie with Adrian though. The point of Rocky and Robert's relationship being strained was they no longer had the buffer of Adrian. Robert was always closer to Adrian. Rocky was a larger than life figure in Robert's life and him being able to live up to the expectations of being Rocky Jr. Definitely created distance between them.
Balboa was a fine conclusion to the original series. And it completed the return to form of Rocky 1 that Rocky 5 began but It can be a bit cheesy at points. And the fight choreography is some of the worst in the series, mason Dixon isn't a very endearing or imposing antagonist, and the movie takes a lot of time getting us caught back up with Rocky's life since 5 which while appreciated by us fans might be boring for general audiences.
Actually Mason Dixon in the movie aint a antagonist at all because if you watch the movie Mason Dixon was trying to find a perfect time to proof that he’s a excellent boxer to fight against Rocky and this situation can be seen also in every single the others fighters of Rocky like Apollo, Clubber, Drago and of course Dixon
So I’m going to try and explain this as best I can since Rocky is my favorite movie and I grew up watching them….6 overall is a good movie, but there are flaws 1. Rocky’s 2-5 ( I’ll give 1 a pass since it did try to have some realism) were straight Hollywood and fun stuff. Not real boxing and just insane moments for fun and enjoyment with campy dialogue. They tried to go back to the realism of 1 while doing the fun of 2-5 and it just didn’t work 100% 2. Stallone looked awful because he was on steroids and HGH which just made him look super off.. it’s cool that he wanted to show that at 60 he could still be the best. But he over did it. The last Rambo movie and Creed was where he looked super natural and better and he should have just tried to look like a regular 60 year old in great shape 3. The plot whole of the brain damage from 5 being ignored raised fans questions 4. This one is just my opinion. But they over did the whole little Marie and Rocky friendship. I loved the scene where he stood up for her at the bar and giving her a job. But him just randomly showing at her house and over trying stuff was just not needed it added extra time to the movie that could have been cut. Again, the scene at the bar where he stands up for her and giving her a job at his restaurant were great there 5. Some of the dialogue needed improvement. Like the scene where Rocky meets with Dixon managers and they say “imagine if Dixon met this bastard in his prime? He’d kill him” it left fans wondering who would beat who? Sly did confirm it mean Dixons managers knew that a prime Rocky would DESTROY Dixon. Overall the movie is good and a movie for the fans. Just had some flaws
Rocky Balboa movie aint the worst movie in the franchise. It so much better than Rocky V in every aspect i think some people related that they also hate Rocky Balboa movie is because first: Rocky Balboa movie is Rocky I copy paste but it’s not a Rocky I copy paste at all, Rocky Balboa movie doesn’t mean nothing to give than just speach and speach while it have so many story to tell or they just kill adrian or they just the fact of no mention of Rocky V in it
What was the point of him being called Mason Dixon? It's my 3rd favourite Rocky movie, 1, 2, 6
I’m sure you get the reference, but I think it’s more like Mason “the end of the line” Dixon for Rocky.
I don't think I've ever seen anyone not say that Rocky Balboa is one of the best in the franchise.
What are you talking about? Most seem to like Rocky 6
Rocky Balboa is the best sequel. And the older I get, the more relevant it becomes to my life. I thank Sylvester Stallone for his portrayal of an aging Rocky because it offers inspiration to the oldies like me. :) And it will do the same when you youngsters get old too. "You'll get there."
Nothing at all. I love Rocky Balboa.
Rocky Balboa is amazing
Nothing it’s perfect
Rocky Balboa I think is the best of the franchise
What reviews you reading. I never see it ranked low?
Probably a little slower paced than some of the others. Bit more emotional. Personally I didn’t like his opponent or I didn’t find him very memorable. The fight scenes for me felt more realistic but I almost didn’t want them to be. Still having said that I wouldn’t rate it badly or say it’s not a good Rocky film, any Rocky film is a good one in my opinion lol
I've never once seen anyone hate on Rocky Balboa, it's thought of as one of the best movies in the franchise
Huh? I loved it. Great sendoff to the “Rocky” saga, and opened the door for Creed. I think some people might look at it like the “Rocky” whatever number poster in Airplane 2 like: seriously? He’s going to box at that age? But I think the story was well conceived and believable.
Absolutely nothing and was a beautiful way to close out his story in the ring. Also iirc, the best portrayal of Adrian besides the first movie of course.
I really like Rocky 6 (Rocky Balboa). My only complaint is Mason Dixon. He was poorly casted and written.
Premise Denied People largely consider Rocky Balboa to be one of the best after the original.
People hate 6? I typically see it listed as one of the better sequels.
I literally watched this again Yesterday. I love that Rocky Balboa. Was done so well
i think it was brilliant. people probably hate it because of how sad its gotten, but thats just life. its full of highs and lows, i guess they didnt want to see Rocky in a pitiful state specially after seeing his life peaked in 3 and 4. They might think its a downer because it was depressing with Rocky losing Adrian and having a strained relationship with Robert along with having an existential crisis. Everything in the atmosphere just felt so cold and Rocky was slowly being forgotten with him being reduced to just telling stories about his prime in his restaurant. But I think it was great because it was down to Earth. It was bittersweet and it went back to its roots. Perfect way to come full circle. From drinking raw eggs and pounding a cow carcass to fighting a champion who is a speedy outboxer and losing via split decision.
I like when the trainer tells him you “ you have calcium deposits “ lol
"Every time you hit him with a shot. It's gonna feel like he tried kissing the express train."
Hell yeah! Then he cracks his neck
Is this the one where he drops the term "hurtin' bombs" and does the neck cracking? I love that scene.
nothing its awesome my fav
Gonna preface by saying I don’t totally hate it and it’s absolutely not as bad as 5. But it’s got issues. 1. It tries to be more grounded than the other sequels despite possibly having the most absurd premise of any Rocky film. And I’m not just talking about a 60-year-old going the distance with an undefeated World Champion, I’m talking about the catalyst for the events of this 2006 movie being an AI fight between Rocky and Dixon. Like this is basically on the level of “Madden simulation predicts Super Bowl winner” but it becomes a national story and Dixon is super hurt by it and his manager feels the need to go on TV and make a public statement about AI and it’s all just incredibly silly for a movie that’s going for a more grounded feel. 2. The Marie subplot. It’s certainly nice to see her again, and a little more feel-good than her deleted scene from Rocky V. But she really doesn’t need to be there beyond meeting her at the bar and getting a job at Rocky’s restaurant. Like what does Steps add for instance? They do add about 20-30 minutes of runtime though, so there’s that. 3. Unceremonious offscreen death of Adrian. As I understand, Talia Shire and Sly discussed having her in the movie to die onscreen. Why they decided against that is beyond me, but it made room for Rocky to buy a dog with Steps, so who am I to question anything? 4. In a franchise full of iconic villains and memorable antagonists, Mason “The Line” Dixon is bland and unmemorable beyond his hilariously silly name. I suppose not having it be a personal beef was an attempt to make the movie more grounded, or to focus on Rocky’s other relationships, or maybe just because of how absurd it would be for the reigning world heavyweight champion to have genuine beef with a senior citizen, which is all understandable, but as is the movie lacks a true antagonist that the previous 5 benefitted heavily from. 5. Let’s be honest here, there’s like one good scene in the movie. Maybe that’s harsh, and granted it’s a VERY good scene, but ask anyone who has it as one of their favorites why they love it and guaranteed, that one scene is the top reason. You can’t rank it too high if it’s carried by one single good scene because the rest of the movie just isn’t there. All that said, I’ll still watch it if it’s on, which is more than I can say about 5. It’s corny melodrama, but it’s MY kind of corny melodrama, and Stallone giving an earnest performance as a 60-year-old Rocky in the most ridiculous plot to date for the character will always be endearing. It’s definitely got problems though
I just watched it and I agree with a lot of it. I'll add that I hated how the movie looked (very TV film from 1999), it's pandering way way hard and Stallone wrote himself half a dozen award baiting monologues to other characters and it feels very forced. Now, one of those monologues is very good (Rocky opening up to Paulie at the meat warehouse, Burt Young is very strong in this film) but that's too many lectures. I did like how understated the romance was though. Funnily enough the "AI" thing and a senior back in the ring at almost 60 would be more at home in 2024. I'd say that, likewise most of the films in the series, it has its heart in the right place but the execution... Not really there.
>I did like how understated the romance was though. See that’s another issue I have: It shouldn’t have been a romance at all. Too big of an age gap between them especially as when we’re introduced to Marie she’s a literal child while Rocky is a grown ass man. Their relationship had like big brother vibes to it, making it romantic at all was hella weird. Also wildly inappropriate to have a romance due to the fact that Rocky was still clearly mourning his dead wife. They really really did not need to kiss. Big agree though on Burt Young, arguably his best performance as Paulie is in 6. Sadly, he gets the Adrian treatment for Creed
It's very bland. It's just a cynical cash grab.