Sylvester Stallone created two of cinema’s most iconic characters: Rocky Balboa and John Rambo. While Rambo has racked up quite the body count over five films, Rocky has had his fair share of knockouts and being knocked out. Both characters are as far removed from each other, but Stallone always made each one endearing, especially Rocky.
A working-class small-time boxer from the slums of Philadelphia, he worked his way up from being a collector for a loan shark to World Heavyweight Champion of the World. Throughout six films (not including “Creed” and “Creed II”), we witness Rocky’s historic rise to become the World Heavyweight Champion, only for him to lose it all, regain it back, and then lose it all over again.
Growing up, I was never a fan of the original “Rocky” because it was “too talky” and didn’t have enough boxing. Cut to many years later, I appreciate the film more now, but my personal favorite of the franchise is “Rocky III,” simply because I thought Clubber Lang (a chiseled Mr. T) was Rocky’s greatest nemesis, bar none. While some may argue that Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago in “Rocky IV” was his greatest adversary, I agree that his height and strength worked for him, but Clubber Lang spent most of his childhood in orphanages and on the streets of Chicago’s Southside, meaning he had very little growing up so his desire and need to claim the title of World Heavyweight Champion from Rocky, was what made him the most dangerous.
In “Rocky,” we witness Balboa’s transformation from a local thug to a fighting boxer who almost defeats the current World Heavyweight Champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). He gains the respect of Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith), the owner of a boxing gym in Philadelphia called Mighty Mick’s Boxing, who agrees to train him when he is given a chance to spar with Creed. Much to everyone’s surprise, at the end of the bout, Creed is named the winner by a split decision, but Rocky, having found true love with his best friend Paulie’s (Burt Young) younger sister Adrian (Talia Shire), is content that he went the distance with him, something no other fighter had ever done before. After the fight, both men promise each other there will be no rematch, but obviously, there is, as we move on to “Rocky II.”
As far as sequels go, “Rocky II” was an excellent follow-up to its predecessor. With Apollo Creed challenging Rocky to a rematch, convinced that Rocky’s going the distance with him was a fluke, he begrudgingly accepts, much to Adrian’s chagrin and that of his doctors, who tell him another fight could worsen his already detached retina, possibly causing blindness. The film raises the stakes in terms of fight choreography but also the overall dramatic narrative, as Adrian’s troubled pregnancy leaves her in the hospital in a coma. Unable to focus on his training with Mickey, he vows never to fight again, but when Adrian finally comes out of her coma, he tells her he has retired from boxing. Much to his surprise, she tells him to win, at which point Rocky quickly gets into shape for the fight.
The big fight is more exciting than the first film, as this time around, there is more at stake. Both men know how good their opponent is, and each is determined to win, no matter the cost. Some of the exercises in the training scenes make you glad you’re watching it from the comfort of your own home, while the infamous running scene gets your adrenaline going and culminates with Rocky ascending the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, surrounded by hundreds of excited children. As we all know, Rocky wins by one second, and the stage is set for “Rocky III.”
“Rocky III” is the first in the franchise I saw in theaters. When I was ten years old, I saw it with a few friends at the Adelphi Cinema in Dublin, Ireland. Afterward, with our adrenaline pumping, we joined a local boxing club, which lasted roughly three months before we lost interest and left. As the film begins, Rocky is seen defending his title, knocking out every opponent who comes after him. With his increased fame comes increased wealth, landing endorsement after endorsement and appearing in magazines like TIME, PEOPLE, GQ, and NEWSWEEK. The opening montage shows Rocky enjoying his hard-earned wealth, but simultaneously, Clubber Lang (Mr. T), a young and powerful contender rapidly rising through the ranks, causes concern for Rocky’s manager, Mickey. As Rocky prepares to announce to the world his retirement while unveiling a statue of himself at the stairway by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Clubber berates him and challenges him to one more fight. Rocky refuses, but when Clubber insults his wife, Adrian, Rocky furiously accepts his challenge.
While Clubber prepares for his fight, much like Rocky did in the first two films, training in the gym by himself with a disciplined regimen and running on the streets, Rocky takes advantage of the opportunity to invite the press and public to watch him train in a crowded hotel ballroom, filled with fanfare and photo ops. On the night of the fight, as both boxers make their way to the ring, there is an altercation between the two men, and Mickey is inadvertently knocked to the ground, suffering a heart attack. Rocky wants to cancel the fight, but Mickey insists he will be waiting for him when he returns. After losing to Lang’s brutality, and Rocky’s lack of focus, considering the situation, he returns to find Mickey dead. In a depressed stupor, feeling lost without him, Rocky’s old nemesis, Apollo, turns up and offers to train him for a rematch on the condition that he return to his old training ground, the Tough Gym in Los Angeles. Rocky accepts and, after much training and new techniques from Apollo, including skill and speed, gets back into the ring with Clubber Lang, determined to win his title back.
Watching Rocky lose everything and regain it made “Rocky III” the best of the series. Clubber’s powerful and ferocious takedown of Rocky was unlike anything he had experienced before, even with Apollo. Watching him step back into the ring and take Clubber down in the third round is one of the best audience-pleasing moments in film history. Mr. T made Clubber so unlikable, you couldn’t wait for Rocky to beat his ass. And beat his ass, he does. Rocky learns that family is more important than anything else, but nothing will prepare him for the loss he will suffer in “Rocky IV.”
In 1985, “Rocky IV” was released, and to date, it is the biggest box office champ of them all, including the three “Creed” films. Shortly after the events of “Rocky III,” a new fighter from the USSR named Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), nicknamed the Siberian Express, emerges and challenges Rocky to an exhibition match. Apollo intercedes and asks Rocky to let him fight instead, wanting to prove to the world that while he may be retired, he still has what it takes, and Rocky agrees. But the fight ends with Apollo dead, and Rocky challenges Drago to a match that will take place in Moscow on Christmas Day. In a country surrounded by people who hate him, Rocky must train harder than ever before. Creed’s old trainer Duke (Tony Burton) and his brother-in-law Paulie help prepare him for the biggest fight of his career, which could end similarly to Apollo’s exhibition match.
Dolph Lundgren’s big break came with “Rocky IV,” and he was an unmerciful fighting machine who cared about nobody but himself, not even his home country of the USSR; he wanted to beat Rocky so badly but not just knock him down, kill him if possible, as he did with Apollo. Without Apollo, Rocky is lost, but with the support of his family and Duke, he gets into the best shape of his life and eventually takes down the Siberian Express.
“Rocky IV” started to show signs of Rocky fatigue, as many franchises do. It chugs along steadily, but then it just begins rehashing the same stories repeatedly, and people begin to grow tired. While the movie was the most successful of the series, it wasn’t as well received critically. Even the fans said it was more dispassionate than its predecessors, concentrating more on the revenge element of the story than the emotional aspect that came before, with some criticizing the film as propaganda through its Cold War themes and stereotypical portrayals of Russians. Rocky eventually wins the Russian crowd over, with them chanting his name at the end as he defeats Drago.
The franchise should have ended with “Rocky III,” where Rocky loses his title but manages to win it back. That would have been a perfectly fitting end to his story, but of course, this being Hollywood, the franchise is still going strong with the “Creed” movies. This collection is perfect for the Rocky fans and is an excellent addition to your 4K stockpile.
The “Rocky I-IV 4K 4-Film Collection” includes the MGM feature films “Rocky,” “Rocky II,” “Rocky III,” and “Rocky IV,” along with the “Rocky IV Ultimate Director’s Cut,” “Rocky vs. Drago.” This collection contains a Blu-ray disc featuring the hour-long behind-the-scenes documentary on making this extended director’s cut of “Rocky IV,” “Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago,” and a selection of previously existing EC.
Now available on Newly Remastered 4K Ultra HD™
