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Category:    Home > Reviews > Drama > Boxing > Comedy > Urban > Sports > Rocky – The Undisputed Collection (MGM Blu-ray Set)

Rocky – The Undisputed Collection (MGM Blu-ray Set)

 

Picture: B/B/B/B+/B/A-     Sound: B/B/B/B+/B+/A-     Extras: B+     Films:

 

 

Rocky (1976)

Film: A-

 

People tend to dismiss Rocky too quickly as they think more of it as an overplayed 6-film series; rather than remembering the great film that it was in 1976.  Rocky is an epic underdog story that overflows with depth, gritty comedy, heart and an overall greatness that not many films demonstrate.  Rocky was Sylvester Stallone’s big break; as no one expected a little known actor to write and star in one of the best films of all time.  Rocky is a classic film through and through; beginning to end; no doubt.

 

The film was directed by John G. Avildsen who did an excellent job of restoring the peoples’ faith in film; creating a vision that showed that even in the worst circumstances there can be victory in the end.  The end of the film being so heavily emotional that you would have to be made of stone not to get chills.

 

Rocky rolls with the punches (pun intended) with the story gradually develops as a beaten down nobody from the streets of Philadelphia rises to the ranks of a star.  The film goes beyond the simple archetype of the underdog vs. the alpha male or even a “feel good” sports film; Rocky is the exploration of a man and what he wants from life.  Rocky wants love, Rocky wants victory and simply put Rocky wants it all.  It is almost as if the beginning of the film is the birth of the man; everything before the events of the film Rocky floated through life lost, but with the start of the film (a fight) Rocky hits a turning point that emphasizes that he will not die another ‘bum’ from Philadelphia.

 

As the story goes, Rocky earns a once in a lifetime chance to fight for Heavy Weight Championship against defending champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers).  While Rocky trains his body for the fight of his life he also attempts to strengthen his life by slowly nurturing a relationship with a young pet shop clerk named Adrian (Talia Shire).

 

As we watch the mental and physical anguish Rocky fights through on his path to the Championship Match a tension builds unlike any other.  Rocky puts all his eggs in one basic as he internally breaks down as his life and emotions are held together by a thread.  The film has a cast of characters that include Rocky’s old time friend Paulie (Burt Young) who has an alcohol problem and the crabby 79 year old Mickey (Burgess Meredith) who runs the gym Rocky has trained at for years.  Never particularly nice to Rocky, Mickey starts to train the young boxer as he prepares for the Championship match.

 

Rocky was a film that just happened at the right time with all the best elements coming together in the form of cast, script and director.  With this single film a dramatic genre was taken to the next level that in the end would change the film world forever.

 

 

Rocky II (1979)

Film: B

 

Unlike the following sequels, Rocky II managed to hold on the dark, gritty nature of the original; while maintaining the heart the film brought the ring.  At the same time the film is more or less a rehashing of the first film as the Philadelphia nobody (now the underdog hero) sets out to have a simpler life; but after the life changing events of the first film, that was not going to happen.

 

The film picks up at the end of the first film with Rocky and Creed being rolled into a hospital amidst a barrage of reporters and photographers.  Creed is bitter that Rocky went the distance with him and Rocky just wishes to settle down with his girl and newly banked cash.  Sad to say, Rocky and Adrian go on a reckless spending spree, while Rocky finds it hard to keep his endorsers happy; in the end landing Rocky back at the meat packing plant.  Creed unsatisfied with the way the last match sets out to strong arm Rocky back into the ring with a smear campaign; and even after Mickey and Adrian ask Rock not to, he prepares for his Thanksgiving Day battle.

 

The film boasts of the “feel good” moments as the first one and has much of the same depth; but it is the obnoxious montage moments that irk this reviewer the most.  Yes, I feel those moments are classic (Philadelphia Art Museum anyone?) but at the same time as I think about how unrealistic it is for a crowd of hundreds to follow Rocky through the streets of Philly, I cringe.  Nevertheless, Rocky II is essentially Rocky revamped; and the simple rehash of a classic is still a rehash, regardless of how good it is.

 

 

Rocky III (1982)

Film: B

 

With Rocky III we start to feel and view the downward spiral of a classic.  I would like to say that the story continued and new developments were made, but Stallone and crew unabashedly continued to milk the same old formula for all it was worth.  I assume they figured if they wait 3 years in between each film they could catch fans off guard.

 

Five years after the events of Rocky II the film casts Rocky as the defending champ who has defended his crown ten times and is a worldwide star.  Rocky is rich, famous and ready to retire.  As Rocky is about to announce his retirement an up and coming boxer named Clubber Lang (Mr. “I pity the fool” T) challenges Rocky’s title.  Rocky agrees to the bout, but is shortly thereafter discouraged when Mick informs Rock that his status as champ is only defined by ‘cherry picked’ opponents, put in place to ensure he kept his title.  Mick refuses to help Rocky train and then unexpectedly suffers a fatal heart attack.  Rocky is put through the emotional ringer; later suffering a K.O. in the second round against Clubber Lang.  Rocky having lost his ‘fighting spirit’ needs a redeeming moment and in a surprise turn of events his old nemesis Apollo Creed steps in to train the champ back to his former glory.

 

The death of Mick really added a level of emotion to the film, but at the same time the film went from spiritually gritty to overwhelmingly serious; that seriousness putting a true damper on the film.  Sure we had Mr. T and a Hulk Hogan appearance, but Rocky’s down-in-the-dumps attitude, coupled with a death only demonstrated a premise showing its age.

 

As “Eye of the Tiger” blares at the films key moment you can’t help but get chills, but at the same time Rocky III would have been a good time to throw in the towel.

 

 

Rocky IV (1985)

Film: B-

 

Where to start?  How about with, why?  Every three years we were getting a Rocky film and fans (who were still buying tickets) were noticing that the once classic had devolved into a caricature of itself.  Now I must admit that on some sick level I enjoy this film; maybe it is because I am a product of the 1980’s or perhaps there is just something refreshing about kicking Soviet butt.  Nevertheless, Rocky IV had long abandoned the depth and soul of the original; trading in class for Hollywood.

 

It was the 1980’s and be hated the Soviets; enough said.  Rocky IV took the overwhelmingly anti-Soviet mindset and used it to its benefit like an Olympic match-up.  Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) is our villain this time around; arriving in America as a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  Ivan and his team supposedly are here to promote goodwill, but instead emphasize Russian technological and athletic superiority.

 

Apollo Creed sees Ivan’s arrival as a challenge on America and sets up an exhibition match against the Russian giant.  After appearing in the ring dressed as Uncle Sam, Apollo Creed is beaten to a pulp by Ivan and killed in the ring.  Rocky, seeing the need to avenge his old friend’s death, sets out to the Russian wilderness to train for a match against Ivan in Moscow on Christmas Day.

 

Rocky IV for all intents and purposes is absurd.  It contains workout montage after workout montage.  It features a beer delivering robot.  And once in Russia the absurdity only worsens with “epic” speeches and horrible acting.

 

I like Rocky IV for its Hollywood ridiculousness and its disregard for reality; but that doesn’t dismiss the fact that it is not even half of what the original film was.

 

 

Rocky V (1990)

Film: C

 

By the time Rocky V rolled out in 1990 enough was enough.  In a nutshell, after returning from Russia Rocky learns that his amassed wealth is gone after a shady deal by his accountant goes wrong.  Rocky, Adrian and their son Robert (played by real life Sage Stallone) move pack to Philly where their life began; Adrian goes back to the pet shop and Rocky reopens Mick’s gym.  While running the gym Rocky takes on Tommy Gun (Tommy Morrison) as his newest student.  Eventually Tommy drifts away from Rocky and ends up with a Don King-type manager; when soon after Tommy challenges his old teacher to a match.  In the process of training Tommy, Rocky lost his family along the way; as his son is beat up at school and feels neglected by his father.  After Tommy kicks Rock to the curb, Rocky attempts to make amends with his son.  The bout between Tommy Gun and Rocky ends in an odd manner; not giving the champ (and film series) the respect he deserves.

 

The film felt awkward from beginning to end.  The script coming full circle back to Philly was very good; but everything else went so obnoxiously wrong.  The acting was poor, the concept was ‘blah’ and in the end I could dismiss the film as if it never happened.

 

 

Rocky Balboa (2006)

Film: B

 

Hopefully the last film in the series, Rocky Balboa arrived 16 years after Rocky V and did a much better job at capping off the Rocky epic than Rocky V even remotely did.  A part of me is still bitter about the new Hollywood trend of oddly naming sequels things like “the beginning” or after a main character (as in this case); but I guess I can eventually get over it.  On top of digging up classics from the grave like Rocky, Rambo and Indiana Jones and then idiotically renaming them; the creators have somehow managed to leave fans apathetic.  The films were neither wonderful, nor horrible; but instead left fans unfilled with their heroes only being a shell of their former selves.

 

Rocky Balboa, of the aforementioned new sequels, is probably the best done.  Indiana Jones had the cast, crew and money but a horrible contrived script.  Rambo was lacking substance and only enjoyable due to its ultra violent nature.  Rocky Balboa actually reminded me of the heart and soul the Rocky series once had.

 

Rocky is on his own now as Adrian had passed away of “the woman cancer” in 2002 and he barely sees his son Robert.  Rocky spends most of his time running his restaurant and keeping Paulie at bay.  Seemingly out of no where an ESPN computer mock up fight asks the question, what if Rocky Balboa was pitted against the new young champ Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver)?  The computer predicted that Rocky would crush Dixon; of course not sitting well with the champ, Dixon’s manager sees a payday and sets up a charity match with Rocky.

 

Rocky had been for most part keeping to himself and doing his part in helping out the locals, as well as the city of Philadelphia; but deep down inside he knows he has one good fight in himself.  My guess is that he forgot about all the concussions that could kill him explained in Rocky V; but oh well!  The film is quite gray (even the color scheme) as Rocky mourns the death of his past, but by the films end somehow sees that the future holds even more for this old champ than past ever did.

 

 

Picture/Sound:

 

Rocky I-V + Rocky Balboa

Picture: B/B/B/B+/B/A-     Sound: B/B/B/B+/B+/A-

 

The first film is the same as the 2006 release of Rocky with the picture presented in a lackluster 1080p/MPEG-2 transfer; with the rest of the films (besides Rocky Balboa) following in a similar manner.  The picture of Rocky on Blu-ray is better than the film has looked before, but in all honesty the film from 1976 needs a major overhaul.  The Blu-ray slides by as adequate with dreary colors, a soft image, poor texture and weak blacks. The film’s picture is a bit of a mess and whereas the grit and grime of South Philly needs to be there; the film also needs a good deal of restoration.  Rocky II-IV are presented in a 1080p/AV-encoded transfer that look very similar to that of the picture on Rocky, but at the same time are a clear upgrade.  The picture on Rocky II is an upgrade in clarity, color and black presentation; but seems to have some source material errors as white dots jump across the screen.  The detail is improved for Rocky III as I see every hair and sweat drop, but at the same time the white specs still appears, the colors aren’t perfect and the blacks could be better.  Rocky IV is the best looking of the bunch with vivid colors, greater detail and contrast that is nicely stepped up.  The American colors ‘pop’ from beginning to end and as a contrast the bland/cold Russian palette gets its job done as well.  Finally, (besides Rocky Balboa) Rocky V oddly enough is somewhat of a downgrade from Rocky IV as the 1080p AVC-encoded transfer is a bit soft, grittier than IV and does not have the same color flare. Being a newer film that the creators knew would go to Blu-ray the film is very pristine as the 1080p AVC encoded picture shows off great colors (even with a mournful grey backdrop), inky blacks, solid contrast and an overall impressive image quality.  It is obvious that Stallone put the time and effort into making sure the image looked right; there is a fine amount of grit that should be present in any Rocky film.  The whole presentation feels real and clean without being overly fabricated.

 

The sound quality on Rocky I-III is unremarkable and somewhat inconsistent; even with a DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround track.  There is good directionality on the three films, but the lack in every other way as the balance is off, voices are at times muffled and the crispness is just not there.  Rocky IV (once again in DTS HD Master Audio) is a tad better as the crispness is more so there and the voices are crisp again.  Rocky IV as well as Rocky V demonstrates a fullness and depth unlike the first three films; and as the music booms from the speakers you really get a chance to here the films audio range.

 

Rocky Balboa, once again being a new film, is nearly perfect on the sound front.  In a previous review on this site a reviewer did not look so favorably on the audio presentation, but perhaps those issued were fixed as this reviewer finds the presentation commendable.  The film has crisp dialogue, great directionality, a solid bass track, nice music and a quality use of ambience. Overall, the films Uncompressed PCM track is solid as ever and lets the film come alive.

 

 

Extras:

Extras on Rocky I-IV: B+     Rocky Balboa Extras: B+

 

** Extras for all films are contained on a seventh Bonus Disc; Rocky Balboa has some bonus features of its own.

 

 

This Blu-ray set nicely contains all of the extras that were featured on the huge Rocky: 2-Disc Special Edition set; but sadly does not upgrade any of those features to High Definition.  Extras included on a separate Blu-ray Disc are as follows:

 

  1. Feeling Strong Now Game in 1080p
    1. The only new High Def feature is essentially a trivia game where you battle Rocky’s old opponents with your reservoir of trivial knowledge about the classic films.
  2. Three Rounds with Legendary Trainer Lou Duva
  3. Interview with a Legend Bert Sugar: Author, Commentator and Historian
  4. The Opponents
  5. In the Ring: Three Part Making of Documentary
  6. Steadicam: Then and Now with Garrett Brown
  7. Make Up! The Art and Form with Michael Westmore
  8. Staccato: A Composer’s Notebook with Bill Conti
  9. The Ring of Truth
  10. Behind the Scenes with John Avildsen
  11. Tribute to Burgess Meredith
  12. Tribute to James Crabe
  13. Video Commentary with Sylvester Stallone
  14. Sylvester Stallone on Dinah! 1976
  15. Rocky Anthology Trailers
  16. Rocky TV Spots

 

 

The Rocky Balboa extras are contained on the Rocky Balboa Blu-ray disc and are the same as those of the previous single release.  Follow the link below to learn more about these extras:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5127/Rocky+Balboa+%28Blu-ray+++DVD-Vi

 

 

All in all I would have to recommend this set.  It is the best the films have ever looked and they are all contained on one fantastic Blu-ray set.

 

For more on the franchise, try these links:

 

Rocky Anthology DVD Set + Rocky (1976) Blu-ray single

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4797/Rocky+Anthology+(One

 

Rocky Balboa Theatrical Film Review

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4762/Rocky+Balboa+(Theatrical+Film+Revie

 

 

-   Michael P. Dougherty II


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