by CHRIS BARRY

Say what you will about Sylvester Stallone, but there’s no question the guy’s got hubris. Here he is, weighing in at 60-years-old, deciding to step into the ring with yet one more final Rocky movie. Like, you gotta be kidding, right? I mean, Sly, seriously, take a look in the mirror, man, you’re 60 years old, even the most dimwitted of filmgoers are only capable of mustering so much suspension of disbelief.

Yet Stallone has brazenly gone ahead to make Rocky Balboa, or Rocky VI, and while there’s absolutely nothing new or particularly enlightening about this particular sequel, surprisingly the final result isn’t quite as horrendous as you’d expect. Sure, it’s ridiculous, as were all the earlier films in the franchise—barring, arguably, the original 1976 movie—but Rocky is such a good character, and Stallone plays the guy so well, that if you’re prepared to roll with the punches, plot-wise, you might well find yourself enjoying this clichéd melodramatic schmaltz-fest.

Here’s the update: Rocky is now 59 years old. He owns a high-end restaurant named after his late wife, Adrian, a woman who’s been in the ground awhile now but whom the former champ still quietly mourns. He’s got a son too—a grown man who resents having grown up in the shadow of his famous father and now tries his best to avoid the ol’ sad sack. When a cable sports show runs a mock computer animated match pitting Rocky against the current heavyweight champ, in the process stirring up a lot of hype over which boxer would emerge victorious in a real bout, Rocky finds himself persuaded to start downing the raw eggs and go back in the ring one last time to show ’em all what he’s made of and make everything right in his—and everyone’s—world again.

If you’ve never seen the original Rocky, then you could feasibly buy into this latest version and let yourself go along for the ride. After all, it’s essentially the same movie. Then again, if it’s Rocky you crave, you’d be a lot smarter to just go rent the original.

Rocky Balboa opens this Friday, Dec. 22

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