In Rocky Balboa, the last bell finally rings for Rocky and his three-decade-long fight-movie series. And though we won't play spoiler by tipping off Rocky Balboa's final score, we can tell you this: The movie itself, defying all odds, comes close to a knockout.

No fooling. Like no "Rocky" since the first one, this fifth "Rocky" sequel makes you smile and wins your heart. Rocky Balboa is 58 now, and he shouldn't even be having dreams of comebacks, but Stallone, 60, has cooked up one more unlikely underdog battle for his never-say-die champ.

This time the Rock's foe is an arrogant, undefeated, largely untested heavyweight title-holder named Mason Dixon, a.k.a. "The Line" (played by actual retired light heavyweight champ Antonio Tarver). Dixon and his slick handlers decide to give the long-retired Rocky a real fight when a computer-generated matchup between the two gives the Rock the decision.

If George Foreman can come back decades after the "Rumble in the Jungle" and win the title at 45, why can't Rocky fight an exhibition at his advanced age? Vaulting over plausibility, as the series always has, with the help of a buff Stallone and a realistically brutal Las Vegas-set slugfest for its rousing climax, the movie raises spirits, milks cheers and gets us back into Rocky's world.

So, why is that a surprise?