"Rocky Balboa" *** (out of four): I'm as surprised as anyone to hear me say that this sixth installment in the "Rocky" franchise is one of the best of the bunch: a fitting, bittersweet bookend to the classic underdog story.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where the “Rocky” franchise jumped the shark. The original 1976 film was arguably the best underdog story of its time. The quiet, character-driven film about a lovable, small-time lug given a once-in-a-lifetime shot at the heavyweight title put Sylvester Stallone on the map and spawned four increasingly poor sequels. 1979’s “Rocky II” essentially followed in the exact path of its predecessor, but with a tidier ending. Then with “III” and “IV”, the franchise entered self-parody with opponents that were more like James Bond villains than boxers. And the less said about the 1990 debacle “Rocky V” the better. So I’m as surprised as anyone to hear myself say that this latest sequel, “Rocky Balboa”, is one of the best of the bunch.

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