Everyone's a critic: 'Rocky Balboa'

Three-and-a-half stars (out of four)

Thirty years ago Sylvester Stallone stole our hearts as the "Italian Stallion." "Rocky Balboa" rises from the trenches to once again revive the spirit of the original.

The finale plots our hero against time and ego. As Rocky painfully memorializes the death of Adrian by living in the past, Rocky Jr. (Milo Ventimiglia) grows tired of living in the shadow of his legendary father and begins to ignore and avoid him.

Meanwhile, the current heavyweight champ, Mason "The Line" Dixon (Antonio Tarver), is facing a popularity problem and looks to challenge Rocky to an exhibition match in order to draw bigger crowds and boost his reputation.

Though the film starts off slowly, Stallone pulls off a magnificent performance to bring perfect closure to the "Rocky" Series. There are some wonderful cameo appearances and, of course, everyone's favorite uncle, "Paulie" (Burt Young). If you liked the original "Rocky," then you will love "Rocky Balboa."

-- Jerry Swan