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The Rocky films were released from 1976-2006. The first
and fifth films are directed by John G. Avildsen, the others
by Sylvester Stallone. The films’ casts include Sylvester
Stallone, Tony Burton, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess
Meredith, Talia Shire, Mr. T, Dolph Lundgren, Tommy Morrison,
Richard Gant, Hulk Hogan and Antonio Tarver. The musical
score for the films is composed by Bill Conti, except for
the fourth film, which is composed by Vince DiCola. Other
music from the films includes contributions from Frank Stallone,
Survivor, Robert Tepper, Elton John, Kenny Loggins, and
Three 6 Mafia. ***
The Rocky series is one of the most popular American
film series of all time. Sylvester Stallone’s classic dimwitted
boxer with a heart of gold has reigned supreme as one of
the greatest movie characters of all time, having been in
6 films over a 30-year period. This set brings together
all 6 films, plus a bonus disc with new special features.
***
Rocky, the first film in the series, was released in
1976. Rocky Balboa lives for boxing – but never had a chance
to make it anywhere. His income from fights, even if he
wins, is so low he has to moonlight as a loan shark to make
extra cash on the side. But things take a change for the
better when Apollo Creed, the reigning boxing champion,
issues a challenge to an up-and-coming fighter – who happens
to be Rocky. As he attempts to win the heart of a shy, sheltered
girl working at the local pet shop, veteran gym owner Mickey
begins training Rocky for what could be his one shot at
glory. ***
The first Rocky is by far the best. This is back when
the series was still on a smaller scale and on a fairly
low budget. The cast and crew does the best they can with
what they had available to them, and the results show in
every frame. The film has a gritty sense of realism that
was lost in later entries, and that is where the film truly
stands out. The cast is great, including Talia Shire as
Adrian in her shy and timid period and Burt Young as Paulie,
Adrian’s overly-aggressive brother and Rocky’s good buddy.
Other superb performances come from Carl Weathers as the
flamboyant boxing champion Apollo Creed and veteran actor
Burgess Meredith (you may remember him best as the Penguin
from the 1960s Batman TV series) as Mickey Goldmill, Rocky’s
elderly trainer. The film doesn’t go over-the-top or create
a glamorous, fictional world – and that’s what makes this
the best movie in the series. ***
Rocky II first hit theaters in 1979. The sequel picks
up right where the first film left off. Rocky finally married
Adrian, the pet shop employee he was romancing in the first
film. With a child on the way, Rocky tries to back away
from the world of boxing and find a steady “normal” job.
But things don’t work out the way he expects, and he quickly
discovers boxing is the only way for him. Rocky accepts
a rematch from Apollo Creed (who has been lambasted with
hate mail following the Rocky fight from before, thinking
it was all a publicity stunt), and begins training with
Mickey again for the rematch of the century. ***
While I wouldn’t quite put Rocky II up there on the
same plane as the original (which was a quintessential classic),
it’s still a damn good movie. The real strength of the second
film is that it is the most dramatic one of the bunch. It
goes deeper into Rocky’s relationship with Adrian as well
as his personal life and struggles. Most of the cast from
the first movie return, and it works well as a companion
piece of sorts to the original. This is before the series
spiraled out of control and went in an over-the-top direction,
and it stays very true to the feel of the first movie. Again,
not quite as good as the original, but few movies are. ***
Rocky III was released in 1982. Following the events
of the second film, Rocky has become boxing champion. He
successfully defends the title, but things suddenly take
a turn for the worst, in more ways than one. He loses the
title to the vicious Clubber Lang, and his long-time trainer
passes away. Lonely and distraught following these twin
tragedies, Rocky gets some help from an unlikely ally –
his old rival Apollo Creed. Creed takes Rocky out to the
West Coast to retrain him from scratch, in an effort to
help his rediscover his confidence and fighting ability
– and to eventually regain the title. ***
Rocky III tends to get a mixed reaction but it’s one
of my personal favorites. This time around Apollo Creed
goes from villain to mentor, and the relationship between
him and Rocky becomes one of the more interesting dynamics
of the series. It’s also interesting to see the relationship
between Rocky and his family, including always-supportive
wife Adrian and the cynical Paulie, whose inner emotional
turmoil from living under Rocky’s shadow really begins to
come full circle here. This time around it’s clear that
Rocky isn’t just fighting any old opponent, but one that
he himself actually fears – and Clubber Lang is played brilliantly
by Mr. T (and his classic catchphrase of “I pity the fool”
comes from his appearance in this film.) Some will argue
that this film takes the series further away from its roots,
but I find it to be a damn good film nonetheless. ***
Rocky IV came out in 1985. The Soviet Union has entered
the world of boxing, represented by its most elite fighter,
the muscular and powerful Ivan Drago. During what was meant
to be an exhibition match, Drago proves himself so powerful
an opponent he literally kills an opponent (a long-time
friend of Rocky’s, no less) in the ring! Rocky wants to
avenge his friend, and defend the honor of his country –
so he takes a plane to Russia to train for the fight against
the strongest opponent he has ever faced. ***
This is the place where I am really torn apart from
everyone else. This is often praised as one of the best
films in the series… and after many repeat viewings I can’t
quite find out why. The movie essentially rips off III’s
plot and does it to a lesser extent. Drago feels like a
cartoonish villain, and the Cold War elements make this
one feel the most dated of all. This is the one Rocky movie
that truly goes over-the-top (Drago KILLS his opponent?
Give me a break here…) While I like the synth score from
Vince DiCola, it does further add to the datedness of the
film. It IS a Rocky film through and through, and there
are some great moments, but ultimately it’s a piece of Cold
War cheese that can’t compete with the other Rocky films.
***
Rocky V followed in 1990. Rocky has returned home from
the Soviet Union, having defended the honor of his country
– but the joy is short-lived. A sleazy financial advisor
has squandered all of the Balboa fortune on real estate
“flipping” gone awry, and Rocky has been diagnosed with
brain damage from his fight with Ivan Drago that leaves
him unable to fight. Rocky finds a new way in boxing by
agreeing to manage an up-and-coming young fighter named
Tommy Gunn – but despite an initially-positive relationship,
Gunn quickly runs off with a greedy promoter for the promise
of money and title fights. As if things weren’t already
bad enough, Rocky’s son falls in with a bad crowd at school
when his father’s influence becomes less prominent in his
life. Now it’s up to Rocky to regain his family, and bring
the man he once trained to justice. ***
And here we have the other place where I am torn from
other Rocky viewers. People rip this film to shreds all
the time, yet universally praise the cheesy-as-hell IV.
It should be the other way around. Director Avildsen returns
for the first time since the first film, and his involvement
does a lot more good for the series than bad. It’s good
to see the series return to its roots, and to see Rocky
in a slightly reimagined role as the mentor figure/manager.
As Rocky gets more and more into training his new student
he begins to lose touch with the relationships with his
family, which further adds to the drama – and drama was
something this series had been sorely lacking. What is everyone’s
problem with this movie? The only issue I have with the
movie is that some of the cast clearly are not experienced
actors – but that hardly derails what is otherwise a very
good film – far better than everyone gives it credit for
being. ***
Rocky Balboa, the last of the films, was released in
2006. By now Rocky’s loving wife has passed away and his
son has a big-time corporate job, trying to escape from
his father’s lingering shadow. While Rocky has long since
retired from boxing, he now runs a successful restaurant
where he charms visitors with stories of his old fights.
But when a “virtual match” pits Rocky in his prime against
one of the toughest boxers in the leagues and Rocky is declared
the winner, it’s back to the place Rocky himself is the
most at home – the ring. But will be still be able to put
up a good fight in his old age against a younger, more fit
opponent? ***
I really had my doubts about this film – Rocky’s wife
and other classic characters out of the picture, an aging
Rocky going back into the ring against an opponent half
his age he shouldn’t be fighting to begin with… you get
the idea. Surprisingly, Rocky Balboa proves itself a solid
film! The father/son relationship dynamic comes back into
the picture, and that was a good idea – the relationship
between Rocky and his son stands as one of the movie’s stronger
points. Antonio Tarver is solid as Mason “The Line” Dixon,
the young boxer Rocky finds himself pitted against – and
unlike Apollo Creed from Rocky’s past, this guy is loathed
by the public, which makes him all the more interesting
to watch. Rocky remains a three-dimensional character throughout
and the movie never at any point feels like a “cash-in”
sequel. Many critics hailed this one as “the best since
the original”, and while I think that might be a bit excessive
a compliment, I won’t argue that it’s a very good film,
and a worthy entry in the franchise. ***
Despite hits and misses here and there, the Rocky series
stands strong. Revisiting the series over 30 years after
the original debuted, it’s still a terrific series even
if there a few parts of the series that feel dated. With
plenty of great drama and entertaining boxing action, it’s
a great series that has stood the test of time. And with
the release of The Undisputed Collection on Blu-Ray, what
better time to revisit the series? ---
Image and Sound:
As a whole, the films look and sound excellent. The
first two films have very grainy transfers due to the film
stock used, but the level of detail is considerably stronger
than versions of these movies on other formats. The first
film’s transfer is in slightly better shape, Rocky II has
some noticeable print damage here and there. The next 3
films are noticeably less grainy and while the image on
these ones looks a bit flat in places, the level of detail
over my old standard DVDs is astonishing. Rocky Balboa is
identical to its stand-alone counterpart released earlier
on, and as the most recent movie here it is naturally the
best-looking of the bunch. The audio tracks are a nice step
up from the standard-def versions as well, though the earlier
films never quite rise above their low-budget origins. Still,
they sound better than any other versions of the movies
to date.
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