Hard as it may be to believe, it's over thirty years ago since Sylvester Stallone first put on a set of boxing gloves and got into the ring as boxer Rocky Balboa, also known as the 'Italian Stallion', in 'Rocky'.
'Rocky' was first released in 1976 and the film, about an Italian American boxer from Philadelphia who gets a world title fight, shot the actor to overnight super-stardom.
'Rocky' not only starred Stallone but the story was written by him as well, and from the success of this movie four sequels were made during the late seventies and eighties with the fifth instalment ('Rocky V') arriving in cinemas in 1990.
To a generation, 'Rocky' was a great story of talent and determination triumphing over adversity to reach the top and the first few movies were both highly entertaining and highly acclaimed.
And while things seemed to peak with 'Rocky IV' in 1985 a fifth Rocky ('Rocky V') was made and released in 1990.
'Rocky V' wasn't a big commercial success and it was presumed that this was the last anyone would ever hear of the 'Italian Stallion'.
Fast forward some fifteen years and rumours start to emerge that Stallone wants to make one last 'Rocky' movie to atone for the bad fifth instalment - apparently he felt there was a good 'Rocky' movie left in him and that some of the previous five mightn't have been as good as they could be.
And so, in January 2007 'Rocky Balboa' gets its Irish cinema release and Stallone (now sixty years of age) once again reprises the role he built his Hollywood career on.
The film is set in 2006 and time has moved on for Rocky, who is now well into middle age and runs a restaurant called Adrian's, named after his late wife.
The story goes that things aren't going that well for Rocky and although he has left the boxing world behind - physically - he still loves to talk with friends about the glory days and how he felt when in the heat of the battle.
In a very twenty-first century angle to the story, Rocky is told that in a virtual reality boxing match, which pitted him against the current heavyweight champion - Mason 'the Line' Dixon - he would win.
This throws Rocky's world upside down as he suddenly starts to consider a very late in life return to boxing, although it doesn't turn out to be just as easy as he might have first thought to get back into the ring.
Rocky has previously been warned by doctors that further heavy blows to the head - which might reasonably be received during a heavyweight boxing bout - could leave Balboa with permanent, irreversible brain damage.
Rocky has to decide is the thrill and buzz of getting back into the ring - with its potential rewards -worth the health risks. Simply put, is there another fight in ageing Rocky Balboa.
This film has already whipped up a storm of media interest and this fact has not been lost on the cinema going public with local screens reporting full houses throughout the first weekend of release here.
For my generation, there is a great deal of nostalgia behind a film such as this, and this alone will no doubt rose-tint many a glasses of those going along to see 'Rocky Balboa'.
The question has to be asked is this a good movie in its own right, or is it just a retirement fund for an ageing Stallone - who incidentally will be back next year as John 'Rambo'.
One thing is for certain - Rocky needs no introduction around these parts and good, bad or indifferent 'Rocky Balboa' will be a sure fire box office smash.
But is Stallone still believable when he gets into the ring. I'll leave it up to you to decide if maybe he's already had one too many blows to the head.
