Rocky: The Undisputed Collection [DVD] [2014] [2007]

The underdog. The champ. The icon. Sylvester Stallone is the illustrious boxer Rocky Balboa, in a role all of his own. Now, the Oscar-winning (1976) original and its equally powerful and action-packed successors are presented with their best-ever picture and sound in Rocky – The Complete Saga. Rocky Balboa is an unlikely winner. At the outset, he’s a second-rate boxer whose trainer has given up on him. That all changes when he “goes the distance” with the reigning champ. In the ensuing saga, Rocky battles the toughest of the tough and weathers even harder bouts outside the ring. With its riveting fight sequences and stirring performances, these six films tell the awe-inspiring story of one hero’s unforgettable journey.
Rocky – The 1976 Oscar winner for Best Picture, John G Avildsen’s Rocky is the story of a down-and-out club fighter who gets his million-to-one shot at a world championship title. In the title role, Sylvester Stallone (who also penned the screenplay) draws a carefully etched portrait of a loser who, in Brando-esque fashion, “coulda been a contender”. Rocky then becomes one thanks to a publicity stunt engineered by current champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), while finding love courtesy of timid wallflower Adrian (Talia Shire) along the way. Burgess Meredith revives the spirit of 1940’s genre pictures through his scenery-chewing performance as Rocky’s trainer. An enormously entertaining film, Rocky is irresistible in its depiction of an underachiever who has the courage to start all over again–a description that could have been applied to Stallone’s own life at the time. –Kevin Mulhall