Rocky: 2-Disc Collector's Edition – DVD Review

Film, Reviews


Available at Amazon.com

Director:

John G. Avildsen

Starring:

Sylvester Stallone ………. Rocky Balboa
Talia Shire ………. Adrianna “Adrian” Pennino
Burt Young ………. Paulie
Carl Weathers ………. Apollo Creed
Burgess Meredith ………. Mickey Goldmill

The Movie

It has become a pretty standard pattern these days. A movie comes out on DVD and it gets bought by a lot of people. It doesn’t really matter how well that movie did in the box office. A year later, or maybe a few years later, that same movie gets released AGAIN with either new or extra special features. Movie fans call this “double-dipping”, and it’s 50/50 on the opinion of this tactic. Some fans like it for the special features, while others just want the movie and get frustrated by constantly seeing the same movie getting released over and over again. They are left with a decision. Either spend a lot of cash on each “new and improved” version or stick with their old copies and maybe miss out on some great special features.

This happens all the time to movies that are just average and didn’t win any awards. But what if the movie is a “Best Picture” winner and came out 30 years ago? Do you think “double-dipping” is okay then? What about “triple-dipping” or “quadruptal-dipping? That’s a little ridiculous for an average movie or even an an above average movie. But what if that movie is Rocky?

The original Rocky movie has once again been released on DVD. This marks the fourth time it has been released in some form. This isn’t any movie, though. This movie won the Academy Award for “Best Picture” in 1976. He was nominated for 9 other awards as well that year. It started a franchise of movies. This is THE “underdog story” of all time.

If you don’t know, Rocky is about a boxer from Philadelphia named Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). His nickname is the “Italian Stallion”. He is a small-time boxer who has only appeared in small, local clubs. The potential is there, but the motivation is not. That is until Rocky gets the opportunity of a lifetime dropped into his lap. Boxing’s World Heavyweight Champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), has a great idea after his next opponent breaks his hand and can’t compete. He decides to give a local guy a shot at him and his title. Rocky is picked at random to face the champ. Apollo likes his nickname and the match is made. The only problem is that Rocky is not in shape and ready to face Apollo. Can Rocky overcome the odds?

Almost everyone has seen this movie. It’s a classic sports movie, but it’s more than that. It’s an inspirational tale. This was especially true when the movie came out in the 70’s with the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal going on. It’s also a love story. The film holds up remarkable well today and it was the movie that started Stallone’s acting career. The acting is top-notch. Four of the five main characters were nominated for awards. The music in the film is known world-wide. There is not much to not like about this movie.

The real question here is this release worth it? What’s the difference. This version of the film is called the “Two-Disc Collector’s Edition”. What makes this version different? It’s the special features, of course. Not only do you get the special features from previous releases, but you also get all new features like an audio commentary with Sylvester Stallone and another commentary with two boxing legends. There is also a very lengthy, three-part “making of” documentary which runs almost as long as the movie itself. In addition, there are 10 other featurettes and documentaries. Yes, this release is jam-packed with extras.

Whether you like “double-dipping” or not, it’s hard to argue against this release of a classic film like Rocky. If you already own the movie on DVD and you’re happy with just watching the movie, then stick with the old version you have. However, if you want to really learn about this classic movie, from inside to out, then this release is the version for you. Even if you consider Rocky II – VI as mistakes, it’s good to see that you can go back to where it all started and relive this classic film in all of its glory.

The Video:

The video is given in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen color. The picture has been digitally remastered again. It definitely looks better than the original version that came out, but really how much better can the picture get when you remaster a film over and over again? This transfer is supposed to be better on high-defintion TV sets, but if you don’t have that then you probably won’t see much difference between previous releases.

The Audio:

The audio included is available in either English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, French Dolby Digital 1.0 sound, or Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0 sound. There are subtitles available in English and Spanish. No problems here either. Probably not much difference between previous releases, but that shouldn’t matter.

The Extras:

Audio Commentaries
There are three of these. You have the new one with Sylvester Stallone, which is fantastic. Then, you have the one with the rest of the cast and crew that includes John Avildsen (Director), Irwin Winkler (Producer), Robert Chartoff (Producer), Talia Shire, Carl Weathers, Burt Young, and Garrett Brown (Steadicam Inventor). This is pretty good as well. Then, you have a new one with two boxing legends. They are trainer, Lou Duva, and commentator, Bert Sugar. All are good to listen to.

“In The Ring” Documentary
This documentary runs about a hour and half and contains three parts. Be prepared to learn all about the film here. This is one of the best features added to this release. It contains all kinds of information. If you have any questions about this film, here is where it gets answered.

“Three Rounds With Lou Duva” Featurette
This is basically the legendary trainer, Lou Duva, talking about boxing and the history of it. His story as well.

“Interview with a Legend” Featurette
This is Bert Sugar talking now. He’s a legendary author, commentator, and historian of boxing. Pretty interesting stuff.

“The Opponents” Featurette
Cast and crew of the film talk about the opponents that Rocky had to face. The idea is that Rocky was the “underdog” and he had to face monsters. We hear from Carl Weathers, Dolph Lundgren, and Tommy Morrison. How they got picked to play their parts and everything else about them.

“Steadicam: Then and Now” Featurette
This is all about the camera that was used to film the moving scenes like Rocky running up the steps. The inventor of the “Steadicam”, Garrett Brown, talks all about the process and this camera.

“Make Up! The Art and Form” Featurette
Michael Westmore is the makeup artist of the film. He had to get the blood, swollen eyes, sweat, and tears into the movie.

“Staccato: A Composer’s Notebook” Featurette
Bill Conti is the guy behind the music of Rocky, and this featurette is all about it.

“Ring of Truth” Featurette
This featurette has to do with the set designing, especially the boxing ring. We talk to James Spencer, who was the art director.

“Behind the Scenes with Director John Avildsen” Featurette
Like the name says, we talk with John Avildsen. He shows us the initial shots he took of Rocky. This is what the movie looked like before it hit the theaters. Very interesting.

“Tribute to Burgess Meredith”
A tribute to Burgess Meredith, who played Mickey. Stallone talks about Burgess and his role as Mickey. Why he was picked, etc. This was on the 25th Anniversary DVD release.

“Tribute to James Crabe”
James Crabe was the cinematographer of Rocky. Director, John Avildsen, talks about his friend here. Again, this was on the 25th Anniversary DVD release.

Video Commentary with Sylvester Stallone
This was on the 25th anniversary DVD release of Rocky. Stallone looks back at the film and talks all about it. It’s interesting, but the new commentary with him is better.

Sylvester Stallone on the Dinah! Show
This is interesting to say the least. It’s rough. It’s from 1976 and it’s Stallone talking about the movie on a talk show back when it came out. On the last DVD release again.

TV Spots, TV Apperances, Trailers, and Sneak Peeks
I will group all of these together as most of the time I don’t really call these “special” features. We have various TV spots and trailers for Rocky. The funniest one is the one called “Introducing Sylvester Stallone”. Basically, it’s just a bunch of love for Rocky grouped together and finally we finish off with a sneak peek at Rocky VI coming to theaters soon.

THE INSIDE PULSE

If you love to have special features of your favorite movies, then you’ll want to run out and get this version of Rocky. It has all of the old stuff, along with all of the fantastic new features. If you don’t have this movie yet, then get this version. If you already have the movie and only want to watch the movie and nothing else, then stick with your old copy. The new features are worth a second purchase of this film, though.

The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for Rocky
CATEGORY
RATING
(OUT OF 10)
THE MOVIE

10
THE EXTRAS

10
REPLAY VALUE

10
OVERALL
10
(NOT AN AVERAGE)

I'm not embarrassed to say that my favorite television show of all-time is The O.C. I live by the motto "you can't fight fate!" More importantly, I watch WAY too much television, but I do so for the benefit of everyone reading this now. So to my mom and my wife, I say thanks for reading! To everyone else that might stumble across this, remember TiVo should be your best friend!