Those of you who saw my Live Free or Die Hard post a while back know that I’m a sucker for sequels, if only because I just can’t get enough of certain movie characters. However, Rambo isn’t necessarily one of those characters.

I understand that the only real point of a movie is to entertain people, but in my eyes, all of the Rambo movies have seemed even more pointless than most. To me, it feels like the Rambo character was invented as an excuse to create a violent movie, as opposed to what it should be, which is that a movie’s violence is necessary to tell the character’s story.

And yet, despite my indifference about the Rambo franchise, I find myself strangely excited about this latest edition.

I guess when I think about it, this has more to do with my respect for Sylvester Stallone than for his Rambo character. Sure, Sly may be sixty-something and hopped up on HGH, but there’s also something about him that reminds me of a little kid who refuses to stop playing with his favorite toy. I mean, you’d think that Sly would be satisfied with his successful career and would just accept that he’s too old for this s**t, but no. It doesn’t matter what the critics say, Sly simply refuses to go quietly into the night. And why the hell should he? Who cares what the critics say; if you love doing something that much, you shouldn’t let anybody stop you.

Even though I don’t really care what excuse they’ve come up with for Rambo to start killing everyone again, this movie is still a SEE IT for me. Sly really impressed me by what he did with Rocky Balboa, and there’s no reason to think that he won’t impress me with John Rambo, as well.

John Rambo is going to be rated R and it won’t be opening anytime soon (which is why these teaser trailers keep leaking out, instead of being officially released).

The first two Rocky movies are among the best movies ever made. Hopefully we can at least agree on that one point. I still remember the feeling I had after I watched one of those films as a kid, jumping up on my parents’ couch and shadow boxing with an imaginary Apollo Creed. I honestly can’t think of another movie that’s left me as pumped and inspired as those old Rocky flicks used to (and still do).

That said, I also can’t see a whole lot of reasons to endorse this latest (and hopefully last) installment of the Italian Stallion saga. The most obvious flaw is that Sylvester Stallone just turned 60 years old and unfortunately plastic surgery can’t reverse osteoporosis. The second flaw is that Antonio Tarver, who plays Rocky’s opponent, is about as scary as my 4 month old nephew. And finally, the trailer makes me feel more like taking a nap than going to see the movie.

That’s why I’m guessing you’ll be surprised when I tell you to SEE IT!

Forget the fact that Rocky’s calcium deposits prevent him from sparring. Forget the fact that this movie was only made in order to suck every last dime out of what used to be a proud franchise.

The reality is that the Rocky formula works. Even if the majority of this movie blows, once Rocky gets over his doubts about going back into the ring and he starts working out full force and they get that music blasting and he starts inconceivably whooping Antonio Tarver’s ass, well, I guarantee that you’re going to go home pumped and ready to take on the world. And for that feeling alone, the movie will be worth the price of admission.

Rocky Balboa is rated PG and opens on December 20. (Official Site)

–written by Tal