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30 years after his famous bout with Apollo Creed and long after his boxing career has ended, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) now runs a restaurant that's named after his deceased wife, Adrian (Shire), and he has a son (Ventimiglia), who wants to step out of his famous father's shadow. It seems as if Rocky's best days are behind him, and that he will spend the rest of life telling old boxing stories to the customers in his restaurant and mourning Adrian. But when a computer game re-enactment pits a younger version of Rocky against Heavyweight champion Mason Dixon (Tarver), and shows Rocky emerging as the winner, Rocky, the Italian Stallion, is drawn back into the boxing world. While Mason is annoyed at the outcome of the simulation and eager to fight a worthy opponent, Rocky wants to see if he's still got what it takes to be a fighter. A high profile bout between Mason and Rocky is quickly organised, and although it's billed as an exhibition fight, both men have something to prove.

Until the climatic boxing match, much of the film's action consists of characters delivering heavy-handed motivational speeches. This isn't subtle stuff, but unlike the over-the-top heroics in Rocky IV (1985), this film tells a more small-scale, poignant story. The film may resonate with a lot of people over because of the nostalgic that's evoked with seeing Rocky on screen again. And Rocky's down-to-earth nature and heart of gold, as corny as they may seem, feel genuine, and they prove effective in winning over the character of Marie (Hughes), a barmaid that Rocky befriends. When Bill Conti's theme tune kicks in and the training montage begins, you'll either be rooting for Rocky and smiling in recognition at seeing a signature Rocky scene again, or be amazed at the sheer chutzpah of Stallone in choosing to using the type of montage sequence that was so accurately parodied in Team America: World Police (2004).

With its ghostly flashbacks to footage of Adrian from previous Rocky films, this latest instalment comes dangerously close to simply being a sentimental nostalgia clip reel of past glories, for both the film's star and the character he's portraying. But Stallone smartly addresses Rocky's � and the film's � obsession with the past head-on, with Burt Young, as Rocky's world-weary brother-in-law Paulie, being brutally honest with the aging pugilist, telling Rocky to stop dwelling on the past and live his life. In the context of Stallone's career, Rocky Balboa may well be discussed less in terms of its merits as an instalment in the Rocky film series, and seen more as a film that parallels Stallone's comeback bid as an actor; a comment on an older movie star who still wants another shot at glory in the blockbuster film arena. While Rocky Balboa may tell a simple and familiar story, it serves as both a fitting conclusion to one of the most popular film series' of the last 30 years, and a fond farewell to one of the most iconic characters in Hollywood film history.

DVD out Monday 21st May

Don't call it a comeback as the Rocky Balboa DVD delivers the knockout blow of the decade with the following special features.

Audio Commentary by Sylvester Stallone
Skills Vs Will: The Making of Rocky Balboa
Reality in the Ring: Filming Rocky's Final Fight
Boxing Bloopers
Deleted Scenes
Alternative Ending

THE ROCKY BALBOA HEAVYWEIGHT COLLECTION

Also available from 21 May is the limited edition individually numbered Rocky balboa Heavyweight Collection containing all six films and a unique silk Rocky robe, presented in a stunning gift box priced �59.99 RRP.  It's a championship collector's dream.