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(This review contains spoilers. You have been warned.)

Sylvester Stallone just doesn't know when to quit -- and why should he? Since the unknown, down-on-his-luck character was first portrayed back in 1976, he has not only been an inspiration to underdogs across the globe, but has been the driving force of Stallone himself in defying the odds and making a comeback on our movie screens. "It ain't over 'til it's over," as the great man he says.

It seems a long, long time ago since we last saw the Italian Stallion justifying knocking down his ungrateful protégé Tommy Gunn in a street brawl, and most people will have probably forgotten. This unconventional "ending" to the franchise in Rocky V left a sour taste in the mouths of most fans, and ultimately it looked like Rocky was doomed to be back where he started.

Despite the commercial failure of the less than favourable fifth instalment, however, Stallone (who still looks astonishingly fit by the way) believed Rocky had another round left in him. Despite being sixty years old, he obviously thought the character still had a lot to prove, and he wanted to end the series on a high note.

Writing, directing and starring, Sly was wise in his decision not to shy away from the fact that time has caught up with him in Rocky Balboa. Rocky's one true love, Adrian, is now gone; his son (this time played by Milo Ventimiglia) is slowly drifting away; and the media seem to be questioning his ranking amongst the boxing greats. But Balboa, as determined as ever, states "It ain't how hard you hit, it's how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward," and this is served as the moral for the entire franchise.

Rocky has never been a great boxer, but the movies were never meant to be primarily about boxing anyway (III and IV had an emphasis upon montage and action, but the roots of human emotion and striving to go the distance, against all odds, were the driving force that could relate to any genre of movie). Despite Adrian's death, RB, to me, is still a love story: The famous line in Rocky II was "Yo, Adrian, I did it!" and now the former champion wants to show that he has still got what it takes, given his wife's unconditional belief in him throughout the years.

This creates obvious parallels with the original movie as Rocky visits the historical landmarks -- such as the old pet shop and ice rink -- reminiscing about when the couple first met. He's low on confidence, and with a recent computer generated fight being the talk of the town, he feels like the underdog more than ever. Even his son doubts that the "Way-past-his prime fighter" can compete with the younger, fitter, speedier Mason Dixon (played by real life fighter Antonio Tarver). Dixon, too, has a point to prove with the fans disrespecting and blaming him for the decline of the sport.

The stage is set and, gradually, Rocky finds his self-belief again after being reunited with Marie ("Screw you Creepo") and her son "Steps". Paulie (Burt Young) is there, too, of course, but is his usual cynical self and never really has any words of encouragement until we get to the final fight (which, by the way, is arguably the best, and most realistic, we've seen in the series).

What I love about RB is it has the perfect balance of sentiment, humour and realism, and it succeeds in being a heart warming, uplifting tale of one very likeable character, whose life depicts heroism for the thirty years he has been on film. Bill Conti's score (all be it having a contemporary twist) is enough to send shivers down the spine of audience members as they witness the protagonist run up the Philadelphia steps, knowing this is going to be his very last time (yes, this is definitely the last one. Really, Stallone said so -- although he did say that after Rocky V, so take from that what you will).

This sixth instalment ranks far above the pre-conceived embarrassment many thought it would be, and is a fantastic ending to my favourite franchise of all time. Although, it wasn't surprising that I found myself wiping away the tears with the amount of nostalgia and emotion injected into my favourite boxer's story, Rocky Balboa, overall, is still an incredibly feel-good movie that will bring a smile to the face of even the most cynical human being (myself included). It will remind you why everyone fell in love with the character in the first place.

Admittedly, the pacing is a little off (the training sequence comes just a little too soon for me) and it's a shame that there are no references and/or cameos from previous fighters (Clubber and Drago seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth), but maybe I'm just nit picking here.

Rocky Balboa ranks 64th in the most recent 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time (behind, ahem, Willy Wonka and Mary Poppins), but Stallone himself proves the last thing to age on someone is their heart. He definitely gets my vote for being the most inspirational of all.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2008.