In this new installment of the Rocky series, Rocky Balboa returns to the ring to fight the present world champion. It's been many years since Rocky Balboa has been in the ring. Through that time his wife Adrian died of cancer, and he and his son, Rocky Jr., have been growing apart. Rocky owns his own restaurant, and people will come in just to hear his stories. Now ESPN is holding these virtual boxing matches pairing up fighters from different eras, it is a competition. And in the end it showed that if there was a match between "Young" Rocky and the champion Mason "The Line" Dixion, Rocky would win. Seeing this virtual fight makes Rocky remember how much he misses being in the ring. So he re-registers for his license which creates a media firestorm, and who should hear about it but Mason himself. Pay-Per-View won't pay him anymore because they believe that he is fighting all second rate fighters, and that he's a "paper champion". So his people suggest a fight between him and Rocky. The opportunity is brought to Rocky who at first is a little cautious at first, but soon agrees also. Now it is a Battle of the Ages. A true battle of Will v.s. Skill. With the help of Paulie, Tony (his old trainer), and of course his son, it is truly, his final countdown.
The most enjoyable part of the movie is the final fight between Rocky and Dixon because it is so authentic to a HBO Pay-Per-View fight. The camera movement, angles, announcers were all were with care and it showed. Other than that, the first hour or so of the film seem to move rather slow and Mason is never built up as a superior champion/threat so Rocky's fight (in my mind) isn't as great as his past foes.
