Rocky: Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K UHD Review
The complete Rocky series is now available on 4K.
After the Rocky: Knockout Collection 4K set was released, fans were left wondering when “Rocky 5” and “Rocky Balboa” were getting 4K releases. The wait is over. This new box set dubbed Rocky: Ultimate Knockout Collection collects all 6 films with the added bonus of the “Rocky Balboa: Director’s Cut” which is being released for the first time. Note: “Rocky 5” and “Rocky Balboa” have also received individual 4K releases in case you don’t want to double dip.
Although every fan has their favorite movie in the series, 1976’s “Rocky” is still the champ. It’s an award winning classic sports movie that not only birthed an entire franchise, but made Sylvester Stallone a star. It’s as good of an underdog story as you will ever see about a young Philadelphia man getting a chance to become a boxing champ against Apollo Creed (played by the late great Carl Weathers). It also happens to be a love story about Rocky and Adrian (Talia Shire) and a story about the mentors in our lives (in this case Mickey the trainer perfectly played by Burgess Meredith).
“Rocky 2” is essentially a retread of the first as Rocky gets a rematch against Apollo Creed, but writer/director/star Sylvester Stallone still manages to make it work as a character piece by showing how Rocky’s life has changed and how he still has something to prove.
“Rocky 3” is undoubtedly the most entertaining entry. Rocky fights Hulk Hogan AND Clubber Lang (Mr. T), Apollo trains Rocky, and you get the debut of the beloved rock anthem “Eye of the Tiger.” On top of that, you get an emotional story at the core with Mickey’s character arc.
“Rocky 4” can now be seen as essentially 2 movies with “Rocky Vs. Drago” now being added to the canon. “Rocky 4” is a campy, energetic montage fueled boxing movie in which Rocky fights the machine-like Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren at his very best). “Rocky Vs. Drago,” on the other hand, is a much more serious take on the film that removes goofy scenes, adds in new ones, and explores the impact that Apollo’s death had on Rocky. Both versions work well and it’s fascinating to see the 2 tonally different cuts.
“Rocky 5” is always seen as the black sheep of the series, but there’s still much to admire about it. Rocky’s own character here is a tragic one as he has lost his fortune and is forced to retire due to health issues. Rocky comes full circle and essentially becomes Mickey now by opening Mickey’s former gym and training fighters. There’s also a key storyline involving his son Robert. The main story sees Rocky training and managing a young fighter named Tommy Gunn, but he turns out to be a punk that Rocky eventually fights on the street. Admittedly, the material with Gunn is the weakest part of the entire movie. The end is especially goofy.
The series closes out with the underrated “Rocky Balboa” (which Stallone wrote and directed). In this entry, an aging and heartbroken Rocky is still reeling from the loss of Adrian. He manages a restaurant, has retired from boxing, and has a bit of a strained relationship with his son Robert. Paulie (Burt Young) remains his best friend, but Paulie is struggling emotionally. After ESPN does a virtual fight between the current undefeated champ Mason Dixon and Rocky in his prime, Rocky is approached to fight Mason in an exhibition fight. Wanting to fight once again and work some things out emotionally, Rocky accepts. As mentioned earlier, there is also a new edition dubbed “Rocky Balboa: Director’s Cut” which runs 14 minutes longer and restores certain deleted scenes. Both cuts are superb. This sequel feels more along the lines of the first “Rocky” in terms of it being a serious drama. It’s a reflective, thoughtful character study about loss, healing, and nostalgia.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.85:1 2160p. How do the films look? “Rocky,” “Rocky Vs. Drago,” and “Rocky Balboa” (both cuts) fare the best here in terms of picture quality, but all films have been given nice 4K upgrades all while maintaining their original print grain.
Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How do the films sound? Higher quality audio tracks would have been preferred but these 5.1 tracks still do the job (especially during the iconic montages).
Extras:
* Digital copy of all films.
* Rocky- 3 commentary tracks: 1. Sylvester Stallone 2. Bert Sugar and Lou Duva. 3. John Avildsen, Irvin Winkler, Robert Chartoff, Talia Shire, Carl Weathers, Burt Young and Garrett Brown.
* Rocky Balboa- Commentary by Sylvester Stallone, “Skill Vs. Will: The Making Of Rocky Balboa,” 2 deleted scenes, and 3 featurettes (“Fight Makeup,” “Virtual Champion: Creating The Computer Fight,” and “Reality In The Ring: Filming Rocky’s Final Fight”).
* Extras from “Rocky” to “Rocky 4”: An interview with boxing trainer Lou Duva (“3 Rounds With Lou Duva”), “8mm Home Movies Of Rocky” (raw footage from John Avildsen), “Steadicam: Now And Then With Garrett Brown” (a featurette on the cinematography), “Make-Up!: The Art And Form With Michael Westmore” featurette, “Staccato: A Composer’s Notebook With Bill Conti” (about the score), “The Ring Of Truth” (an interview with set designer James Spencer), “A Tribute To Burgess Meredith,” “Stallone Meets Rocky” comedy skit, “The Making Of Rocky Vs. Drago: Keep Punching,” trailers for Rocky 1-4, and “Rocky Vs. Drago.”
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