Fresh
I know, I know, you're thinking, oh please, not Rocky again. I was thinking that too.
Bob Mondello, NPR.org
Overview
When he loses a highly publicized virtual boxing match to ex-champ Rocky Balboa, reigning heavyweight titleholder Mason Dixon retaliates by challenging the Italian Stallion to a 10-round exhibition bout. To the surprise of his son and friends, Rocky agrees to come out of retirement and face an opponent who's faster, stronger and thirty years his junior. Rocky takes on Dixon in what will become the greatest fight in boxing history!
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
78%
Tomatometer
Rotten
The ol' lug can't be blamed for wanting one last victory lap, but if you've got nothing to offer except benign nostalgia, just let the gloves stay on the glory-days shelf.
David Fear, Time Out New York
Rotten
Even goodwill can't make this look like anything more than a glorified TV special. Surely it's time for the audience to throw in the towel?
Trevor Johnston, Time Out
Rotten
When asked why he would step back into the ring, even though he's out of shape and in his late 50s, the Italian Stallion mumbles something about "the stuff... inside," which sums up the thin justification for Rocky Balboa.
Scott Tobias, AV Club
Fresh
What gives Rocky Balboa its unexpected pathos is the titanic humility of Stallone's performance, the earnestness with which he plays a man knocked down (but not out) by the ravages of time.
Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly
More films
Rocky (1976)
Drama · PG
Rocky Balboa is a Philadelphia club fighter who seems to be going nowhere. But when a stroke of fate puts him in the ring with a world heavyweight champion, Rocky knows that it's his one shot at the big time — a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go the distance and come out a winner!
- Runtime
- 2h
- Director
- John G. Avildsen
- Cast
- Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire
IMDb
8.1
Rotten Tomatoes
93%
Metacritic
70
Rocky II (1979)
Drama · PG
After Rocky goes the distance with champ Apollo Creed, both try to put the fight behind them and move on. Rocky settles down with Adrian but can't put his life together outside the ring, while Creed seeks a rematch to restore his reputation. Soon enough, the "Master of Disaster" and the "Italian Stallion" are set on a collision course ...
- Runtime
- 1h 59m
- Director
- Sylvester Stallone, John Pleshette
- Cast
- Talia Shire
IMDb
7.3
Rotten Tomatoes
70%
Metacritic
61
Rocky III (1982)
Drama · PG
Following Rocky Balboa's intense battle with his most powerful adversary yet – the ferocious Clubber Lang – Rocky joins forces with former rival Apollo Creed in an effort to get back his fighting spirit.
- Runtime
- 1h 40m
- Director
- Sylvester Stallone
- Cast
- Talia Shire
IMDb
6.9
Rotten Tomatoes
65%
Metacritic
57
Rocky IV (1985)
Drama · PG
Rocky Balboa holds the world heavyweight championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago, a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union. This time, Rocky's training regimen takes him to Siberia, where he prepares for a globally televised match in the heart of Moscow. But nothing can truly prep...
- Runtime
- 1h 31m
- Director
- Sylvester Stallone
- Cast
- Talia Shire, Dolph Lundgren, Burt Young
IMDb
6.9
Rotten Tomatoes
39%
Metacritic
40
Raging Bull (1980)
Drama · R
The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.
- Runtime
- 2h 9m
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Cast
- Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci
IMDb
8.1
Rotten Tomatoes
92%
Metacritic
90
Comments
Talk about the film with other members