Rating: 
Summary: ROCKY 1-5 NEVER MISSED A BEAT
Review: Rocky 1 - In my opinion, as technically sound and gripping as any movie could ever be. It's the all-time favorite motion picture of mine and I don't think that's too unrealistic. After all, it did win the 1976 Best Picture. The special edition this set provides is great, but it is unfortunate that the other four did not get the same treatment, since all these movies are almost as good as their original.Rocky 2 - A great finish, although a bit hokey, but it works every time. There are also some heart-wrenching scenes, but in the end, it's all worth it, because of the uplifting moments that they lead to. Up until part five, this was my personal favorite. Not as technically sound or believable as the first, but it really knows how to put your emotions through it. Rocky 3 - Weak entry compared to the other four, but still worth the time. I say weak, but when talking about the Rocky movies, that's better than most quality motion pictures are today. Mr. T was a perfect villain for that time in American film history. Although part three is not as emotionally involving, it's still able to push the right buttons the way most films could only hope to. Rocky 4 - Incredibly corny. Contrary to popular belief, this film is the only time in the entire series that Adrian ever utters the words, "You can't win!" The climactic bout is one of the most action-packed, goofy, and fun fights in the whole series, and it isn't nearly as lopsided as the six times Rocky gets knocked down would indicate. Excellent training montage, and an uplifting, totally satisfying conclusion. Rocky 5 - This is the way Rocky should have gone out. If Rocky fans recall, Mr. Balboa found the boxing ring only after a troubled childhood where he got in a lot of STREET FIGHTS!!! Realistically speaking, if a man truly endured the punishment Rocky endured in part four, he'd be lucky to still be breathing, so the brain damage thing isn't farfetched. While Tommy Morrison was no actor (and didn't turn out to be much of a fighter for that matter), he worked in the context of the film. The crooked promoter is an absolute jackass. Although Sage Stallone didn't go on to enjoy much of an acting career, he was the perfect choice to play his real-life dad's on-screen son. The climax, regardless of what anyone thinks, was the perfect way to go out. After all, Rocky couldn't have realistically gotten a license to fight anywhere in the U.S. with the brain damage he sustained. Plus, it capped off the whole "going back to his roots" angle. Not to mention, it was the most emotionally satisfying fight in the series with an ending that still gives me chills every time I watch it the way no other film has. Let's face it, any attempt at putting Rocky back in the ring would have been impossible, stupid, unrealistic, and very Jean-Claude Van Damme-ish. Rocky instead got a classy send-off with a perfect ending. Perfect! Regardless of what any others think, it was perfect, perfect, perfect! And the song Elton John performs to accompany the closing credits is the best he's ever performed. In a word, this film is unbeatable.
Rating: 
Summary: Not always rollin' with the punches
Review: If there's any film franchise that's a big-ol'-honkin'-slice of Americana, the saga of Rocky Balboa is it! Sadly, this series has soured me somewhat to real boxing. After watching Balboa take- and give- so many devastating blows from- and to- his many opponents, with very few misses (or clinches), whenever I watch actual matches, I'm rather disappointed by how relatively unexciting they are. They can't hope to match up to the superhuman abilities of Stallone's most-famous persona. Of course, there's also no ear-biting in the 'Rocky' saga, nor scandals concerning the champ's crashing his car into a tree for the umpteenth time, so maybe it's just as well... In the first go-round, you got the one-in-a-million two-bit club fighter going the distance. It's interesting to note how Stallone's efforts to get this movie made parallels the life of our man Balboa (check out the many documentaries and the commentary track included in this special-edition disc for the details)! One of my favorite extra features is one of the trailers. In it, the narrator states, "His name is Sylvester Stallone, but you'll remember him as Rocky." Was that a prophetic statement or what! Number II's got our lovable loser's second crack at the big rematch. Hey, you know Rock's gotta win it all this time; it's just the way things have to be! And you just gotta love that climactic 'both-guys-going-down-for-the-count' moment! In III, the champ loses it all and has to regain his edge to get it all back. This is definitely the point in the franchise where the movies go from predominantly drama to predominantly action. Apparently, the switch worked- this bad boy really raked 'em in! It even had an action-figure line. And let's not forget the first big-time big-screen appearances of Mr. T & Hulk Hogan! I pity the fool who says Mr. T doesn't have any acting range! Interestingly enough, both T & the Hulkster ended up being occasional tag-team partners in the WWF following this gig! Then there's IV, featuring the appeal to Yankee patriotism (not to mention a way to draw in the Rambo-philes) against the big 'bad guy' of the mid-to-late 80s Stallone projects- the Soviets. Wow, Dolph Lundgren is so... stoic. Who knew he had such range? While we're at it, let's kill off one of Rock's close buddies to really get the ball rollin'! Hey, it worked in 'III', why not here? Finally (and thankfully so), in V the champ lives his past vicariously through his protégé, who, thanks to the manipulations of a Don King clone, turns against him. In the end, Rock's gotta throw down with him, just to show 'em who still wears the pants in this little relationship (No, not Adrian; that's an entirely different relationship altogether)! My only big gripe with this series is a lack of extra features for discs II, III, IV, & V. Only the first movie gets the special edition treatment. I know of at least one scene in IV that was cut from the final release (you can see part of it in the trailer) that I'd like to see in the IV platter. C'mon, MGM/UA, don't leave the Sly-philes in the lurch! 'Late!
Rating:
Summary: This Set is Awsome!
Review: This a great set to add to your collection and i recomend it to any rocky fan.
Rating:
Summary: A must-get boxed set for Rocky fans!
Review: How can you not like Rocky movies? They are some of the most emotionally intense, exciting, fun, and inspirational movies of all time. I love all of them in all their cheesy glory. This boxed set lets you experience any and all of Rocky's great fights any time you want. It's too bad only one of the movies has special features, but doesn't really matter to me since special features often aren't even worth watching. None of the movies in this series has ever failed to keep me entertained no matter how many times I watch it. Yes, even number 5. Here's a little mini-review of each one: Rocky 1: This one started it all and is my second favorite film, but technically the best. It won Best Picture for good reason. It's dialogue, acting, storyline, and climax are all brilliant! Rocky 2: Not my favorite because it is basically the same film as Rocky over again with a slightly different ending. I will admit that the end fight is much improved though. This is my fourth favorite film. Rocky 3: This one is definitely my favorite! It isn't better than Rocky, but it is more fun the way I see it. This is where the films changed from reality-based drama to fantasy-like action. The transition works well because this movie really knows how to push your buttons as far as entertainment goes. It is also the last movie with dialogue and acting as excellent as the first movie. Rocky 4: This one is a lot of fun too and is even more "out there", but the series seems to be getting tired at this point. There isn't a whole lot of difference, storywise, between this and Rocky 3. They kill off a main character, build up an opponent that seems to be invincible, and throw in some nice training sequences. The only difference is that Mr. T was a better villain than Drago, who has absolutely no personality. This is my third favorite for its great training sequences and fun end battle, but Rocky's character is starting to get unbearably cheesy and the comedy that worked before is not really funny anymore. Rocky 5: This just proves the fact that the Rocky series has lost its steam. This movie is far from horrible because it still has that Rocky "goodness" that really has no description and the story is at least decent in concluding this great series, but this movie is the worst of the series. At many times, Rocky's character is just like a silly cartoon character and the villains weren't anything like what we've seen before. In a bad way. The dialogue has completely gone sour and there is some truly horrible acting in there. You can judge for yourself whether or not this movie is worthy of the Rocky name, but I am willing to say it is since it certainly did entertain me. Get this boxed set now! You won't regret it!
Rating:
Summary: This entire movie set is stellar! ROCKY is still the champ!!
Review: This ROCKY DVD collection is a treasure to have! In ROCKY, the most memorable scene is: when Adrian makes her way, through the crowd, to the boxing ring as Rocky calls out in despair for her. She enters the ring, right after World Champion, Apollo Creed's decision victory is announced to the captivated audience. Rocky finds his woman, Adrian, and they embrace - as Rocky rejoices in the moment of accomplishing his desired goal....of going the distance against the champion. What a great film! It was most deserving of the 1976 Best Picture Oscar! One of the best films of all time!
ROCKY II continues the magic of the first classic. 2 memorable scenes: Rocky's run through Philadelphia, passing Independence Hall and sprinting straight to the Museum Of Art - with hundreds of children running behind him! He runs up the, now famous, stairs and ends his pre-fight rally jumping up and down with his under-age fans! The other great scene: Rocky's closing rounds in Super Fight II....Rocky slugs away at Apollo's pulverized face and body; Apollo has no steam left and his gloves are almost hanging to his sides! Rocky hammers away at him, without Apollo countering back, with left hooks....Rocky then unloads a devastating final left punch, - which he throws his entire body into - and floors Apollo, and himself! The excruciating slow motion count, by the referee, begins the suspense of who will get the championship! Rocky and Apollo struggle to get to their feet as the count of 7 arrives....8....9..Apollo slumps and falls down..10! Rocky beats out the count, standing, and has won the fight!!!! Rocky later thanks his manager, Mickey, and declares the victory "the best night in the history of my life!" He calls out to Adrian, watching the TV broadcast at home, "Yo, Adrian....I did it!!!!" Signifying that he accomplished what she wanted him to do, after her pregnancy...."Win."
Rocky III memorable scene: the entire rematch fight against Clubber Lang is an awesome spectacle!!!! Rocky displays a compination of speed and power - never seen before, and overwhelms Clubber! Rocky KO's Clubber, and retains his title!
Skipping to Rocky V (ROCKY IV was my least favorite): Rocky's return to Mickey's gym, after losing all of his fortune from Paulie's carelessness. Rocky thinks back to when he was training with Mickey for the rematch against Apollo....we see Mickey telling Rocky that, because of him - he had reason to live. This was the most touching moment of these 5 movies. I got emotional when, after handing down Rocky Marciano's gold cuff link necklace to Rocky - Mickey says that the necklace is a reminder, "an angel on your shoulder", that when Rocky feels down or is in any trouble - "this angel will cry out....get up, you s.o.b.....'cause Mickey loves you." That scene really summarizes the value that Mickey meant to Rocky....the special friendship they shared in and out of the ring, was priceless. Rocky, with a tear rolling down his face, exclaims emotionally: (to Mickey)"you were my angel." This is one of my favorite scenes of all 5 movies.
Please don't pass this collection up! Buy your's here at Amazon.com, before they're all gone! GO FOR IT!!!!
Rating:
Summary: ROCKY FOREVER
Review: The best of the five is Rocky I. "Adrian!" The image of Rocky running up those stairs and raising his arms in victory with that immortal music in the backkground is the classic scene of all time. Everytime I rewatched #1, I'd be running out to rent all of the sequels until I got wise and bought them all. This kind of movie watching can even inspire a person to read books about boxing. I've read "Muhammid Ali: the Glory Years" and "The Last Street Fighter". I recommend them both.
Rating:
Summary: The Eye of the Tiger, YES!
Review: 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 fights Tommy Gunn in the Philadelphia streets! I was astounded with such movie-making, I bought numerous copies of this immortal franchise. You say 'no', I say 'YES'!
Rating:
Summary: ROCK-Y! ROCK-Y! ROCK-Y! ROCK-Y! ROCK-Y! ROCK-Y!
Review: So many people have written about the things that make the Rocky movies so successful, and I have no doubt that I'll be repeating some of them in my review. But I have to throw my hat in the ring anyway, so to speak. Rocky Balboa certainly qualifies as one of the most unique and determined heroes in cinema. His story is truly an inspiraton to us all. In the first movie, of course, he starts out with basically nothing, gets a chance to fight Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), and loses. In the second movie, he wins the heavyweight title from Creed in a rematch. By the third movie, Rocky is basking in the glow of his success; he and Adrienne now have a son. But Clubber Lang (Mr. T) has been making his way to the top as well, and he challenges Rocky to a match. Rocky trains hard and tries his best, but his concerns about his manager Mickey's (Burgess Meredith) health make it difficult to concentrate, giving Lang the advantage...and Rocky's title. With encouragement from Adrienne and his former rival Apollo Creed, who takes over as manager after Mickey's death, Rocky rediscovers his Eye of the Tiger in the rematch and puts Lang in his place. In the fourth movie, Apollo is killed in battle by Russian champion Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). In one of the most intense boxing matches of the entire series, Rocky finds the "chink" in the Russian's seemingly impenetrable armor. It's worth getting the fourth movie just for that match. But, by the time of the fifth and final movie, things are quite a bit different. (As I'm writing this, I've just finished watching the fifth one for the very first time.) Not only do Rocky and his family find out that they're broke, but Rocky seems to be suffering from brain damage as a result of his fight with Drago. He becomes a manager for a new young fighter, Tommy Gunn (upsetting his son quite a bit), who allows his ego to cloud his judgement, thus luring himself into the sleazy side of the boxing business. When Tommy gets a shot at the heavyweight title, the audience is already in a bad mood because Rocky isn't there on stage with him. But when Tommy takes the title in just over three rounds, the audience is REALLY in a bad mood; at least Rocky had class. Rocky and Tommy end up resolving their differences in a street fight, and for several agonizing minutes it looks like it could be the end...but Rocky has the spirit of Mickey with him, and for the fourth time, the Italian Stallion wins, proving that he's still a champion and always will be, even after fifteen years. Whenever I watch these movies I can still feel the excitement of seeing them for the first time. When the odds are stacked against him, even in the face of several brushes with death (Tommy Gunn makes Ivan Drago and Clubber Lang look like pussycats somtimes), he still manages to triumph. I love you, Rock...you the man!
Rating:
Summary: ROCKY FOREVER
Review: The best of the five is Rocky I. "Adrian!" The image of Rocky running up those stairs and raising his arms in victory with that immortal music in the backkground is the classic scene of all time. Everytime I rewatched #1, I'd be running out to rent all of the sequels until I got wise and bought them all. This kind of movie watching can even inspire a person to read books about boxing. I've read "Muhammid Ali: the Glory Years" and "The Last Street Fighter". I recommend them both.
Rating:
Summary: The top of the heap
Review: I have to admit that I'm biased, because Rocky is my favorite film, and I love all of the sequels, even Rocky 5. I simply cannot see how anyone, especially any man, could not love these films. I watch these films and I want to go run 5 miles, even if its the middle of the night. The depiction of Rocky is so dead on. He is just an everyday South Philly guy and Stallone has the South Philly slang and accent down to a tee. I love the street corner guys singing doo wop and the run through the Italian Market is awesome. This is just a great series, and its amazing that Stallone wrote this screenplay in like two days, after watching Chuck Wepner fight Muhammad Ali. CLASSIC.
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