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Americans love the underdog. Anytime someone is beating the odds, fighting his or her way to the top, like the Little Engine That Could, it resonates well with U.S. audiences; it's in their nature. Sylvester Stallone knew that in 1976, when Rocky was a monstrous hit and established itself in the American cultural lexicon. His low-budget tale of a young boxer who came from the slums of Philadelphia and worked his way to the championship recalls Capra characters such as Mr. Smith or John Doe as he worked his way to fame and self-respect. Like Capra's films from 30 years before, Rocky pushed emotional buttons with audiences, but in a somewhat less maudlin, obvious way; it's possible to enjoy Rocky without feeling embarrassed about it, even in the cynical, postironic '90s. It ranks respectably among the best boxing pictures, such as The Set-Up or Somebody Up There Likes Me. The story paralleled Stallone's own, from a relative unknown to a star with one breakthrough picture. Rocky II (1979) carries on the story line, playing on the rivalry between Rocky Balboa and nemesis Apollo Creed, while Balboa's wife fights for her life. Mainly, though, the sequel seems like a link between the first film and Rocky III, in which an aging Rocky takes on big, bad Clubber Lang (the near-forgotten Mr. T). While playing on the same emotional capital as the first movie, Rocky III is the high-water mark of the sequels; by the next movie, Stallone had turned into a near-self-parody of the original character. Rocky IV finds the underdog taking on an oversized, blond Russian boxer (Dolph Lundgren) in a cold war scenario (Rocky literally wraps himself in the American flag). The series mercifully played out by 1990, as embarrassingly punch-drunk as the Rocky character himself by that point. Given the way the American pop-culture continuum seems to work, it's probably due time for the later sequels to be plucked from the compost heap of '80s flotsam and revived as high camp; the Reagan-era hyperpatriotism of Rocky IV is as dated as in junk like Red Dawn or the dreadful Invasion U.S.A. Still, the first three films pack a satisfying emotional wallop without giving the viewer the urge to crawl under the couch. The last two... well, use your judgment. They will soon be good for an '80s nostalgia party. --Jerry Renshaw
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Rocky (Five-Tape Boxed Set) [VHS] Reviews
Rocky (Five-Tape Boxed Set) [VHS] Reviews
| 26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:  The Movies are Great, The QUALITY..... NOT!!!!, By A Customer This review is from: Rocky (Five-Disc Boxed Set) (DVD) Rocky (Special Edition) - The DVD quality was good. Interactive menus at best were okay, considering this movie is a classic I believe it should have been done much better. Rocky II - Is the same version released 2 years ago when I purchased it the first time. MGM you should feel guilty not giving this movie more attention like improving the quality of the picture or putting a nice picture on the disc!!!!! The disk is double sided. Haven't you heard of DUAL LAYER? Plus there are no visual improvements to the movie and the menus. All and all this was a complete let down. Rocky III - No interactive menus (Another huge let down). Quality of picture was good. In a nut shell Good but by no means GREAT. MGM once again you should feel guilty. Rocky IV - Exactly the same as Rocky II!!!!!!!!!! Rocky V - Exactly like Rocky III. Considering the lack of DTS and overall quality in producing these DVD's, I would have given my review a ZERO. It smells of a George Lucas, lets... Read more 75 of 88 people found the following review helpful:  NO BONUS FEATURES, This review is from: Rocky Anthology (DVD) Fans heed warning: If you're anything like me, you may have asked yourself, "Since this is an updated box set from the LAST box set, what are the new features?" Answer: NONE. No trailers, no deleted scenes, no outtakes, no featturets -- NOTHING. Only get this if you have a HD TV. If you're looking for ANYthing else, get the old box set. The old one was LOADED on the first film (though only had trailers on the rest). The only thing you get here are subtitles. I can't believe I sold my old set in anticipation for this thing. MGM stinks. 11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:  The Eye of the Tiger, YES!, By Timotee (Torrance, CA USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Rocky (Five-Disc Boxed Set) (DVD) Keep playing that immortal song. Heaven to my ears! Sylvester Stallone made himself a legend of a genius after writing all five "Rocky" works of art. "Rocky" was about a struggling boxer trying to earn a living, but his chance to fight the heavyweight champion of the world, Apollo Creed, became reality. He trained vigorously and fell in love with the shy Adrian! Yo Adrian! He yelled after fighting Creed. A tribute to the clumsy girl that nobody liked, touching! In "Rocky II", 'The Italian Stallion' Rocky Balboa punched more meat and ran up the infamous steps with children to fight in a rematch! Immortal! He barely defeats Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) and says, "Yo Adrian, I did it!" Pure Heaven! The next sequel in this historical franchise, "Rocky III" had Balboa fight Hulk Hogan and Mr. T! What casting! In "Rocky IV", the boxer came out of retirement to avenge the death of Apollo Creed and fought Ivan (too cool for you, Dolph Lundgren). Finally, in "Rocky V" the retired boxer street... Read more |
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