By Thomas Ferguson

The Italian Stallion is back in theaters this holiday season and the main question is…Was it at all necessary? Critics are being kind to this latest and final installment in the highly success Rocky film franchise. Maybe it’s nostalgia or maybe it’s the overall message at the core of the film, but the early reviews have been favorable.

It’s been quite sometime since two time heavyweight champ Rocky Balboa has stepped foot into the ring. So much has changed over the years. His beloved wife Adrian has past away and he lives day to day reflecting on the past. He can’t let go of her memory or the memory of the times he spent with her in their old run down neighborhood. The neighborhood he still lives in. The neighborhood where he owns a restaurant affectionately called Adrian’s.

His one and only son is grown up and trying to make a life and a name for himself. A tough thing to do considering the fact that he is forced to live in his father’s shadow. The two never see eye to eye anymore. They are like strangers, even though Rocky does everything he can to bring them closer. Adding to Rocky’s despair is his drunk brother in law Paulie, who wants him to move on from living in the past.

Rocky’s slumber is briefly halted when a computer generated fight pitting him against current heavyweight champ Mason “ The Line” Dixon shows that he’d be victorious. The media and the public are intrigued by this result and before long, Rocky is in training to fight in the biggest exhibition match ever televised. Some see it as a joke, others see it as a way to make a few extra bucks, but Rocky sees it as a chance to move on from the past by revisiting it. He sees it as a way to prove that you are never too old to do what you want to do.

Sylvester Stallone has said in interviews that he scripted this film because he wanted to send his most beloved character off in style. I believe he did it to redeem himself for the horrendous 1990 release Rocky V. Regardless the reason, I have to applaud his efforts here. This film was good, but came nowhere close to the original or my personal favorite Rocky IV. It was a very nice way to say goodbye to a character that has been an inspiration to millions of people since the original release in 1976.

Don’t expect to be blown away at all. There are so many flashbacks and boring scenes in the beginning that made me question if this movie could deliver. Luckily for us , it eventually did. The turning point for me was a memorable speech he gives his son about being hit by life and being able to move on from that hit. This organic speech was so inspiring and changed the course of the film for me.

I must warn you, Rocky Balboa is chalk full of clichés and an unbelievably predictable ending, but if you grew up with this character, you must see it. It was a nice way to say goodbye to an old friend.