I went to see it – Rocky Balboa – on opening night. Yes, this would be the sixth Rocky movie, in the overall scheme of things… but to me it’s the third.

If you saw I and II, you’ve got to see this movie.

Truth be told, I’d go see Rocky 12. I blame this on my Italian heritage, actually. After all, Rocky is a WOP and usually an underdog. For at least a couple of the movies, anyway… it’s a perfect draw.

But for this movie, I went in, with an open mind. I was determined to not insta-like this movie, just because it was Rocky. Honest. I went in as someone that recently saw Rocky [I] on TV the other day and said “lets see where it goes,” although I did have a couple of ideas about where it should go:

The big question to me was whether or not Rocky die. And if he did die, was it caused by a fight and/or a fighter. I won’t answer the question, here, for obvious reasons.

The next question was how much time would be wasted on slow motion scenes and recaps of the last five movies, that had become so common to Rocky movies. The answer to this question was a surprise to me, but I won’t say why.

Then I went to see it… and here’s the long and short of it: the movie ties in very, very well with Rocky I and Rocky II. It’s… I’m shocked to say, a rather believable movie. It builds on the existing characters in the series and drills into them further than ever before. Talia Shire? She’s had a great career, having filmed a whole hell of a lot of sequels on her resume, but I have to admit it: she’s not missed in this movie. I thought she would be, but she’s not. The rest of the cast is spot on.

Must see? I’d say so, if you’ve ever liked any of the Rocky movies. I definitely liked I and II. I didn’t mind III, sat through IV, and was somewhat entertained by the idea of V (but didn’t care for the whiny Robert)… the thing is that this is not Rocky VI. It might be the sixth movie, but it’s… well, it’s just not Rocky VI. It’s what Rocky III could have been if they didn’t make Rocky’s III, IV, and V – they would have had to wait to make it, true, but then that’s not so bad either. Like The Godfather Trilogy (1972, 1974, 1990) – sometimes, the best way to “age” your characters is let the actors age. Same thing that has been happening – and will continue to happen – with the cast of the Harry Potter movies… for them, the characters age throughout the seven books – the same thing is happening with the actors, and that’s a good thing.

Very entertaining and frankly it had been way too long since the last time I saw a music filled inspiring plot-forwarding scene montage…

That too is very, very Rocky.