Rating: 
Summary: Yeah!
Review: I got this dvd as a birthday present from my sister in Virginia, and when I watched it, I was motivated by this movie to buy a punching bag so that I could work out to the music of this movie. The fight scenes in this movie are excellent, and quite nice as well. I highly recommend this to future Rocky fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Der Champiun
Review: ROCKY UN BOXER IN THE UNITED STATESHE GET TO BE A BOXER IN GYM UN TRAIN TO FIGHT ZE BOXERS ROCKY VERY STRONG UN FAST DRINKS PROTEIN UN EGGS UN JOGS TO BECOME FIGHTUER PUNCHES MEAT IN DA FREEZUR TO BE BIG UN STRONG HE GOES "HUMPH-HUMPH-HUMPH-HUUUUMPH!" WHEN PUNCHES MEAT APOLLO CRIED DA BOXER IS OPPONENT UN CHAMPION UN FIGHT DA ROXIE BALBOA ADRIAN LADY IS FRIEND UN LOVELY GURL FOR THE ROCKEE APOLLO UND HIM FIGHT AN FIGHT LOTS OF PUNCH
MICK IS DA TRAINUR UN GET ROCKY ALL PUMPED UPS LIKE THE BOXING MATCH VERY BIG ROCKY IS A GREAT FIGHTUR UN BEAT UP ANYBODY WHO CHALLENGE ROCKY GO-GO-GO! PUNCH-PNCH-PUNCH NOCK OUT UN WINNER!
Rating:
Summary: Great movie
Review: This is one of the best movies ever, far better than the four sequels, although they are worth checking out as well.
Rating:
Summary: Great, honest movie.
Review: The first Rocky film was a great movie. It was Stallone at his best, since he did not feel he had to act. All of the sequels to Rocky were irreverent, since the scripts were forced.
Rating:
Summary: Gonna Fly Now, ROCKY!
Review: Rocky is my favorite movie I don't have, yet. It's actually teaching me how to improve my boxing skills. It's TERRIFIC!
Rating:
Summary: Legendary, Motivational, Inspiring...
Review: Rocky is one of those movies that you can watch over and over again, and it is like watching it for the first time. This movie is timeless. Rocky is a movie about achieving your dreams, sticking to your goals, and Rocky lets everyone know that if you put your mind to it that you can accomplish anything. One of my favorite of all time. Take care - Chad Castorina
Rating:
Summary: ROCKY: Time Enhances its Virtues
Review: One of the problems in judging the first in a series of movies is the tendency to rate the original against its sequels. This problem becomes more acute with ROCKY since each of the sequels becomes progressively derivative and thus less appealing. The result is that the audience tends to let Rocky's post Apollo Creed bouts impact negatively on the first. If one can let his reactions become focused only on what a previous generation experienced in 1976, then what becomes apparent is the superb telling of the archetypal tale of the triumph of the underdog. Sylvester Stallone wrote the original script of a down and out club fighter who has the once in a life opportunity to fight for the heavyweight title. You would think that a nobody like Stallone would have jumped at the chance for Hollywood to even read his script, let alone decide to film it. But he insisted that he play the lead, and to nobody's surprise but his, the Powers That Be caved in. It is this real-life triumph over the entrenched screen hierarchy that permeates his film and forms a subtext that allows both Sylvester Stallone and Rocky Balboa to triumph on both levels. The plot is uncomplicated: a Philadelphia nobody gets a chance to fight champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), a Cassius Clay clone. Stallone as Balboa trains hard, undergoes personal crises, and battles Creed in a thrilling but losing effort. For a movie about boxing, there is surprisingly little of that in it. The bout with Creed that concludes the film lasts only for five minutes. The remainder covers growing emotions and expanding expectations, and it is this fascination with the evolution of a clueless and undirected pug to a reasonably polished fighter and human being that has resonated viscerally for two generations of film goers. Balboa is a mid-thirties club fighter from Philadelphia who fights only because his father told him that his lack of brains forced him to rely on his body to make a buck. Rocky knows how to swat; unfortunately he does not know how to avoid getting swatted. Still, he is proud of never getting his nose broken. His won-lost record tilts slightly toward the positive side. He meets shy Adrian (Talia Shire), who is the sister of his close, if erratic friend Paulie (Burt Young). Paulie's relation with his sister is totally dysfunctional. He bullies her, literally throwing her out of their house so she could date Rocky. Rocky sees all this and recognizes she might be the one. In one galling Thanksgiving dinner scene, Paulie humiliates Adrian into leaving him and living with Rocky. Enter Apollo Creed, who needs a local boy to take the place of his injured opponent. Rocky agrees and trains, punishing his body to take the pounding he knows is coming. Burgess Meredith is Rocky's manager and his sole cinematic function is to be the bootstrap by which Rocky pulls himself up to be a successful fighter and human being. Much of ROCKY is devoted to a Rocky who has learned that he cannot function as an unconnected man. He needs the love of a woman to comfort his nights and the wisdom of a manager to shape his body and fight style. Further, he learns that even a crud of a brother like Paulie can have a soft spot if only one has the patience to slog through a lifetime of Paulie's jealousies and insecurities. When Rocky gets his head screwed on right, then his manager can focus on the physical aspect of training. The various scenes of training have since been copied almost to the point of self-caricature in future sequels. But here, if one can forget those other scenes, then one can appreciate how grueling a regimen an inspired fighter can put his body through if only he has a reason to. It is not surprising, that we see little of Creed's training sessions since his inspiration comes straight from The Bottom Line. The fight, of course, is the payoff. It is short, well-filmed, and clearly shows the divergent essences of Creed and Balboa. Creed is the polished pro, one who relies on his considerable skills and innate assurance. Balboa is the undisciplined club fighter, one who depends on his swatting power to win. The conclusion is really one between two polar opposites of living. Creed lives to fight. For him, the real payoff is an odd mixture of money plus the joy of flattening an opponent. Balboa fights to live. For him, boxing is only a means to ensure the continuity of his new life with Adrian. What stamps ROCKY as unique from its descendants is its insistence that the hero must look inside himself more often then outside himself to continually punish a body to meet increasingly tough opponents. Merely to morph Creed into Mr. T or Dolph Lundren or Tommy Morrison is not enough to connect an audience to a club fighter that America fell in love with in 1976.
Rating:
Summary: Hey, like maybe a classic... yuh know?
Review: In 1976, this film was selected to receive an Academy Award for best picture. (The other nominees were All the President's Men, Bound for Glory, Network, and Taxi Driver.) Then and now, I think that at least two and perhaps three of the other nominees were more deserving. In any event, as we all know, there has since been a series of regressively ineffective sequels to the original. As we await Rocky XX, we can at least appreciate the first. Directed by John Avildsen and starring Sylvester Stallone, it adds to a rather long list of "Underdog Films," a list which now includes Seabiscuit. My rating reflects an opinion of the film as entertainment. It is important to keep in mind that 27 years have passed since its initial release. How difficult it is (at least for me) to judge it on its own terms rather than consider all of the dreadful films (including several Rocky sequels) in which Stallone has since appeared; also to contrast Rocky's non-title fight with those portrayed in Raging Bull. After almost 30 years, I still enjoy seeing Rocky but for different reasons than I once did. One is the use of humor. The first time around, I missed so many comic moments. Another is Rocky's relationship with Mickey (Burgess Meredith). The bond they eventually forge is credible, indeed poignant. And still another is Talia Shire's performance as Adrian. Only an actress of her talent could invest that role with the texture and nuances she does. (I think her talents were essentially wasted in the three Godfather films, especially in Godfather III.) The exteriors in Philadelphia are still effective as is the build-up to the fight during which Rocky and Mickey have few resources to work with except their imagination and determination. This may not be a great film but it was certainly great fun in 1976 and it still is. Yo!
Rating:
Summary: The Story of the Underdog
Review: This is the great story of the lovable underdog successfully pursuing his dream. It is both one of the best boxing movies ever and truly a classic movie, winning an Oscar for Best Picture. I loved watching Rocky exert himself for his goal, and the climactic battle keeps you completely entranced in the movie. You have to root for the underdog and support Rocky through his troubles. The musical montage was one of my favorite scenes, as well as the last battle. What I didn't like about the movie, however, is the love story on the side between him and Adrian. I guess I would just rather watch Rocky beat the hell out of a slab of meat or do exercises I didn't even know were physically possible than watch him take Adrian ice-skating. It does fit though, because it shows more into Rocky's life and makes him more desperate for our support. Good performances, great fights...a required film for all movie buffs. Score: 9/10
Rating:
Summary: Stallone scores a knockout with ROCKY
Review: Rocky is one of those few inspirational dramas that actually inspires. Rocky is an american legend. Very few people have not seen it, and the few who have not, they have heard of it. It has been a classic for 25 years. It has spawned 4 sequals, but none come close to the success and greatness of the first film. Sylvester Stallone shocked the world as his playing of the underdog fighter. Stallone has never done better work. Rocky(Stallone) is a poor bum living in a broken down apartment in the city of Philadelphia. He makes his money boxing in local clubs and working in the local boxing gym. He is unknown to everyone except the people in the city. But when the heavyweight champion of the world Apollo Creed(Carl Weathers) learns of the backing down of his opponent for the title fight, he devises a plan to give an unknown a shot at the title to give the people a chance to see a good show. That unknown happens to be Rocky. So now Rocky must prepare for the fight of his life. Under new management from an old retired boxer, Mickey(Burgess Meredith), he will learn how to use his heart and find the strength to fight like a champ. The ending will leave you cheering and leave you totally inspired. You will want to watch it over and over again and it will instantly become a favorite and a must for any DVD collection. If you haven't seen ROCKY, I strongly encourage you to do so. I garuntee that you will never regret it. "ROCKY" runs for about 2 hours. It is rated PG for violence and language.
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