Janet Collinsa Rocky road, Tarver and Stallone
December 17th 2006 07:33
Rocky I - Fighting against Apollo Creed
When the San Francisco Chronicle announced a sixth instalment of the famed boxing film series 'Rocky', many lavished the thought of a comeback. At 60 years, not even "The Real Deal" could keep throwing punches - but Sylvester Stallone longs for centre stage and a chance to compensate for the forgettable Rocky V.
Rocky Balboa features some tantalising, though limiting, changes. Rocky's prime motivator, his wife Adrian, will feature 6 feet under in the opening sequence and Antonio Tarver - an Olympic bronze-medallist boxer - is thrown into the mix for realism. The choices are interesting, but the gamble must pay off for this film to mean anything for Stallone's esteem.
Decidedly, the film will feature boxing in the third act, but not at a cost to Rocky's emotional turmoil as he plunges into the depths of a mid-life crisis in an effort to cope with his wife's passing. From that, it is expected that Balboa will display the same kind of struggle and courage that made Rocky seem so real and accessible in the first place.
The original, 1976 three-time Oscar-winning film was the catalyst for spirited action flicks across the world but with so many significant changes and a decaying 34 years of history, it would seem surreal if Balboa could produce the goods.
Stallone was warned against producing the film, as a box office flop could be a sickening end to the boxer's legacy but, with the strength and perseverence of the fabled fighter, could Rambo be on the horizon?
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Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
but I'm worried that it will bomb, too many boxing movies out, I believe the reason 'cinderalla man' failed in the box office was the fact it was like the third to be released in a very short period of time, people were still getting over millioin dollar baby at the time..
and now this...
Comment by pegasus
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Comment by Justin
Otherwise, why bother making another one?
Comment by AnthonyB
Justin, that's the age old question. Why bother? I don't know why they've bothered with a lot of film continuations. Scream got real old, real fast and I would've killed myself if they did another "I know what you did last summer". But Stallone insisted - against his own wife's concerns - that Rocky Balboa could be done.