Yes i like his performance as Apollo creed when i first watched rocky 1 back in the early 80's i hated his character being cockyness and arrogant along with rocky 2. That's how good of an actor he is playing as creed. Now he's in the mandalorian and in season 3 we see more of him in a big scene it put a smile on my face as i only watched him in the rocky films and The predator
They're sending out replacement discs finally. You just need to email WB. There's also a new box set up to part VI coming out which should also have the corrected discs.
Hi, Just to make you aware, I have this 4k boxset and when I went to watch the 4k bluray of Rocky vs Drago the ultimate cut, I was expecting the Dolby Atmos remastered audio, which is on the 4k Apple TV Stream...which I purchased a while back. But for some reason it was not on the 4k bluray, just DTS-HD MASTER AUDIO 5.1, I must say that's a glaring omission on Warner Bros part, as it should have the updated Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Dissapointing to say the least.
It seems an undeniable truth that, the more advanced these formats get, the lazier the studios are getting with the simple things in putting them together.
Re-Caped sequences often look much worst because the studio will not provide the original camera negative to be duplicated, but rather a second generation 'interpositive' or more often some weird stock print copy to the editor.
The Rocky Knockout Collection 4K from Warner Bros. has released with several errors, making it a slightly botched release. The actual transfers by all accounts seem to be great, but several audio and one visual issue are worth noting. Purchase at your own discretion, but thought I'd give a heads up regarding the set's errors which have been found so far. 1. Rocky I - 2.0 track is actually a stereo downmix of the 5.1, rather than the original theatrical mono, which was present on previous blu-ray releases. Pitch is also roughly 4% too low. 2. Rocky II - Both the 5.1 & 2.0 audio tracks are pitched too low, not an issue on the blu-ray release. 3. Rocky III - French, German, Italian, and Castilian Spanish dubs are pitched too low. 4. Rocky IV - At the 10:17 mark, the film incorrectly changes its aspect ratio from 1:78:1 to 1:85:1 for 7 seconds, before reverting back. To the average person, these are fairly minor/perhaps unnoticeable flaws, but I thought I'd give a heads up anyway.
Right on Ken. Was waiting to hear your thoughts in this. I was slightly disappointed, but not upset or pissed. I think the source material for rocky 1 and 2 are presented as well as they can be. But its still dissatisfied. 2001, clockwork orange and the shining all look wayyy better. All from the 70s and 80s All from Warner bros.
The sound issues would probably require headphones or dedicated speakers to hear...but once theyre heard they are annoying.Fact is....if some companies could remaster dvds in 2000, 4ks should be pristine!!
Wish Rocky Vs Drago was available on Blu Ray.The Best Buy steelbook has the old Blu Ray so only the theatrical cut..People who only have Blu Ray are out of luck with Rocky Vs Drago on physical.
I’ve always perceived the beginning of Rocky 2 (recap of Apollo fight) to be more of a flash-back. Which follows the usual thematic change in resolution or added effects to a ‘memory’ being shown to the audience. Know what I mean?
When I watched Rocky (1976) 4K last night I had visual issues and audio issues it started happening at the Training montage and happens also in the final fight towards the end but digital static appears on the screen audio completely gone then returns to normal by the end of the fight what type of quality control does Warner bros and MGM but I hope my set is not like this for the entire rest of the set
The rocky 1 fight used in the beginning of rocky 2 was made by splicing in a copy of the film, not the original camera negative. That's why the quality is much lower than the rest of the film.
But when going infor a restoration, there’s nothing preventing them from replacing that footage with newly restored footage from the previous film. Ive been trying to figure out recently why so many people insist on adding a “1” when referring to the first film in a franchise, as opposed to just calling it by its title. Why do you do it?
@Tim Walden but it's original. That's how it looked when it was first shown in the theater. And I only used 1 for clarification purposes. I don't call it Rocky 1.
@@Eazy-E-40 If they’re going to restore, let’s restore. I don’t necessarily need theater fidelity. I understand you may not call it Rocky 1 but you do here. That’s a practice that baffles me. If you refer to the film and call it Rocky, who in their right mind would confuse that with anything else?
The restoration for Rocky vs Drago looks better than the regular cut because the transfer was done a lot more recent for the Stallone director's cut. The original restorations of the rest were done 8-9 yrs ago.
@@SumDumGy a lot of Blu-ray releases were based on 4K remasters long before 4K UHD discs became a thing. Studios already knew that the higher resolution looked better in theatres using digital projectors than 1080p does and it makes more sense for film preservation purposes.
@@SumDumGy Awesome artwork, higher quality material, and each movie has an individual case and Slip. All comes down to personal preference though I guess.
@@midlevelmedia I agree, it does. I definitely prefer what we got out of a Rocky over The Karate Kid as far as packaging. Art wise? Yeah, I think something better could have been offered. But the box and cases for my Karate Kid set went away for space saving. I appreciates doing prefer what they offered but space dictates other priorities.
I gotta tell you that when you first reported that these films were coming to 4k, I got emotional. I was so glad to hear that this boxset was happening. I completely agree with you About the packaging. I was expecting a Godfather type of set, and I was disappointed with they gave us. There are so many great images that go with this franchise, and they didn't use any of them. What about the image of Rocky in the championship belt that was the original poster for Rocky 3 for example?
@MidLevelMedia Very true actually, I hate it when they rush things out because we are paying a premium to have them on 4k. I do think Rocky is getting more harsh feedback because its a very popular franchise and many have watched it many times so they notice differences more. I'm commenting negative but the funny thing is I haven't watch them in 4k yet so my opinion isn't really valid lol. I'm gonna wait for till they release a box set of all 6 rocky movies in 4k and maybe they will update the discs but not holding my breath
I honestly don't know what to do.i have the best buy steelbooks and I don't know if I should take them back or not. I wanna to keep them but after what you said I'm not sure. I've seen every one like 100 times so im thinking I might notice the audio issues.
My ranking of the first four Rocky movies in is reverse order of release, 4 down to 1 which makes for an incredible viewing experience every time I do a marathon. Each movie just builds and builds on the previous and for me gets better and better. 2,3, and 4 are all in my Top 50 all-time. Definitely my favorite franchise of all-time, can't get enough of Rocky!
Just finished the set. Rocky 4 directors cut worth 50 bucks alone . Rocky 3 my God so much grain like watching dvd at times. It was a hard watch for me Ken. It's a shame how bad it looked. I do agree some of the close ups looked great and the fight scene was great looking. But my God so much heavy grain most part of this movie.
Had first two on steelbook but I did notice the audio issue…sent back and will wait until they sort the entire set…and the iv aspect ratio blip is clearly evident…great review as always 🏴
@@joshuabonorino9561 I can see that with them for sure. That’s why they put very little content on physical media and, when they do, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them be inferior. They want you streaming and they want you “buying” digital copies you’ll never actually own.
Also, can we have to remember, one or brothers did not on them originally so they might not have full rights to put all the features or maybe request Stallone to do commentaries, and we also have to remember Balboa was done by Sony pictures/Columbia, so there might be May be some kind of distribution dispute that they have to go through takeout Balboa, and I don’t think anybody really wants to own part five, or if he does the directors conversion. Let’s hope he takes it cheesy early 90s/80s rap music out, kind of ruin the movie for me, but was a good movie to a point just needed better direction
Ken i know money is tight. But someday, consider at least a 2 channel audio system for you home theater. Maybe a sub. Dude, soundbars have come a long way, but my 2nd home theater is 2 channel, and i love it. Not as immersive as my 9.2 channel system. But its different and wonderful. Just a thought😊
@@midlevelmedia dude, watching Mad Max Fury Road or Top Gun Maverick in Atmos is a real experience. Atmos isnt always better than a great 5.1 or 7.1 mix, but when its great, its so amazing. If you are ever in my area, would love to give you a demo. But you are a family man with no time. But dude. Not knocking the soundbar, but you dont need to break the bank to have good surround sound. Cheers everybody
The intro fight scenes from the the previous films all the way through first 4 films were always rougher than they looked in the previous films themselves dating back to every iteration of these movies I've seen, being a lifelong fan of these films its something that I've always noticed, obviously as we go up in resolution it just becomes more obvious, it's baked in to the source and comes from film stock and or processes they used to splice these sequences into the newer films,so it's true to source, I'm still waiting for my set to arrive, but I have heard from people who have full audio setups and know movies well who have told me that audio issues were news to them,and until they heard about people talking about this they were of the opinion that the 5.1 tracks sounded perfectly in line with expectation.and reported no notable issues. The mislabelled mono track seems to be the only confirmed error on part of manufacturers.and having said that I don't know that it's something that was sought after or even exists in its original form,couldn't find any info on it,quite possibly when they started updating soundtrack for home video they might have re recorded it as a stereo track to make it easier to separate some of sounds for 5.1.I don't know anyone who saw it in cinemas in 1976,so we also can't comment on how it was intended to sound,we don't have frame of reference, possibly the blu rays were not correctly pitched or proper use of the channels.i look forward to judging these for myself. But I'm taking all of this with bag of salt,as I know people and certain review sites can often over blow these types of things,which will sadly leas to people not seeing and hearing it for themselves
Rocky 5 and Rocky balboa are owned by a different company I believe Amazon. Thats why they're not included. Directors cuts of those movies are just rumors
There are definitely conflicting reports on this. It’s a shame these details aren’t easy to learn on our own instead of all the months of speculation and frustration we put ourselves through.
These first 4 films are really where it's at, and the addition of the Rocky Vs Drago is a huge bonus. Parts V and VI i was never crazy about, especially VI, which can just get way too overdramatic for my taste. Wasn't ever really needed in general but it was a cute bonus for Rocky fans. I own the bluray collection and can always watch V there, but those definitely do not have the addictive quality of parts I - IV.
I'm def holding out here, they will release an ultimate boxset later on in the yr with all 6 films in. I put money on it. There is no way I'm going to double dip on this franchise . It always pays to wait
@@SumDumGy imo this will be the only way to make more money by including 5&6 in a new set so if ppl want all of the films they will have to buy the whole set again. I have this feeling they won't release 5&6 separately. I could be wrong here and they may possibly do. That's just my gut feeling here on this. Distributors aren't stupid because they know ppl will end up double dipping. Imagine how many pissed off ppl there are going to be if a whole new set comes out including 5&6 and the only way to buy them is in a complete set. So I'm waiting
@@davefilms345 If they don’t release them separately, they already lost two sales right here. I’m happy to live with the Blu-ray copies I already have. I don’t need to upgrade and I refuse to go in again for a six film set. It’s their call.
I could've sworn I heard that a set is coming out where there's different cuts of each movie I could be wrong lol. As someone who recently visited Philadelphia and went up the steps and went to other filming locations around the city , Can't wait to watch these movies again.
Yes you are right however i heard it coming from a youtube reviewer on the rocky 4k reviews saying that sly is going back and doing all the films as a director's cut how true that is is anybody guess. so after reading your comment might have some truth behind it
There’s a whole lot of talk and rumor with no basis out there. I hope that rumor is wrong. I’m glad you made it out of Philly alive. I’ve heard Rocky’s neighborhood is tougher than ever for people trying to visit his apartment.
Couldn’t agree more I trust Jeff at Films at home more then any other reviewer. He said he didn’t even notice any sound issues on Rocky II and I didn’t either. Movieguy365 gave the audio an F. Come on man 😂😂😂
Stallone can’t work on a Director’s Cut if a film he didn’t direct. According to many reports, Amazon owns the right to the last two films while WB owns the rights to the first four, and that’s why they can’t be packaged together without some sort of collaborative deal. Tom over at Midnight’s Edge recently stated though that isn’t actually the case because the ownership of the MGM catalog, post 1986 that Amazon has, doesn’t include UA titles. If memory serves though, the last film is not a UA title because that studio no longer existed then. Either way, I’m not bothered anymore. If the other two get releases later, I’ll pick those up and make my own collection, packaging them together. My audio issues were with the second and third film, and all had to do with the music. Something was missing, like a lost channel or something. My Spotify workout playlist is based entirely around music from this franchise, and built upon from there. So much of these soundtracks gets a person pumped. The first film is the strongest transfer? I thought the consensus was the second film was. The first film was very cheaply made so there wasn’t a whole lot that could be done with it. It looks as good as it can but could never look great. This is also my favorite franchise. I’ve seen every film dozens of times each. I don’t dislike any of them. I have never thought the fight in the first film was the best of them. It’s not even the most emotionally compelling for me. Don’t tell people they’re lying to themselves for not agreeing with you, man. Come on.
@@midlevelmedia Could be. Ironically, I think it was also Tom from Midnight’s Edge who declared both at one time or another, so either could be true at this point.
OK, there is a lot to be said here, the first three Rockies should have been done better transfer wise, sound may not be improved by much but, we can all learn from which the loan did with the first three rambles, which came out around the same time rocky to Three and four dead, those transfers from the first two Rambo’s were amazing even for the budget they had in the 70s, I don’t know if Warner Bros. has gone back to the original 28:01 negatives but something does tell me they could’ve done way better on the first three transfers, yeah, good stuff Ken
Good review, Ken! If you don't have the Blu-rays already, this 4 movie set may be for you. I am a steelbook collector, so, went for those since they never had them to my knowledge. They look decent, but I think the transfers could have been better. First one is the best, original. With regards to Rocky IV, Stallone worked on it for the Director's Cut, so that probably had a lot to do with the newer look of that edition on 4K, Ken. Just my thoughts.
Stating your own honest opinion isn’t controversial, it’s how people react that turns it into a controversy. Anyway I agree with you that Rocky vs Drago is better than the original Rocky IV and it’s my 2nd favorite in the series. I know the audio issues were blown out of proportion, it’s simply people with too much time on their hands and yes THEY are the ones creating controversy. Like you I have a sound bar that works well and the sell of 4K is the picture and HDR itself, I’m not really that big on ATMOS like some are. I have no one to show off my stuff too. Great review and glad you enjoyed the transfers.
Too much time on their hands? For noticing something off and commenting on it? How is that any different than what you just did here? You’re having a perspective on these films and commenting on it.
There’s a difference between calling it like it is, and calling it like you see it. You’re calling it like you see it with the packaging. You call it bullshit. I call it preferable. Had these one in individual cases, I would have taken them out and made a set just like they released. For me, slimmer packaging is far superior to flashy packaging of it means I can save room for a larger collection on my shelves. In this instance, these movies replaced the first four in my Blu-ray set, then the case they came in is going to be used as a replacement for my Bourne Collection that did come in individual cases. I just scaled down how much room these movies take up considerably. I agree with your take in the steelbook designs. The third film bothered me in particular because nowhere on the case is Clubber Lang depicted. How does that even happen??
I was originally going to pass on this set and just pick 2,3,4 indivdually. However from a cost perspective that wasn't going to make sense. Ordered it from Amazon yesterday and will be delivered today. The best part was I had over $55.00 in Amazon points so my total out of pocket was 48 cents.
@@SumDumGy that's right. Apollo was a champion fighter organising an exhibition match. Even in Rocky II he was only wanting to defend his title and hold on to his reputation after what happened with the first fight. None of his actions could really be considered malicious.
@@burninator1983 The worst the man should be accused of is poor tactics once his ego got bruised, which even his own people cautioned him against. Deep down he knew Rocky was a threat to him but he had his image and his standing to protect.
Umm what's to talk about it's 4 Rocky's movies and as for the 4k bro I'm such a vintage dude if I can't turn the tracking on rocky then I don't care like the first time I watched dune the old one was in my room on a black and white TV so I never got to experience the blue eye thing so when I did see it in color it was annoying so I can now only watch it in black and white ..I'm a vhs junky
You do realize that Sylvester Stallone does not own Rocky, but Irwin Winkler Does. So when Sylvester Stallone worked On Rocky 4 the director's cut, he did it for free and he did it Alone basically, But he did not do all the films because they are not owned by him anymore. That is why the descrepesy in quality.
Rocky IV is the most overrated of the Classic 5 movies. I agree. I love it, but it is kind of a bad movie if you really start analyzing it. They leave an 8 year old kid home alone on Christmas Day, save for a robot, so Rocky can risk his life for a sporting event. What if he dies on TV and the kid is there home alone? And then what if the "Evil Russians" imprison or kill Adrian and Paulie? A new Batman is born? It's still a fun movie with an awesome soundtrack, but yeah, it's not the best.
Robert wasn’t home alone. He’s clearly shown staying with friends for Christmas. Better that than to be dragged into the snowy wasteland of Soviet Russia. The film has problems but the only big one to me is the final fight. Rocky takes less damage in nine rounds with Drago than he did in 15 rounds with Apollo, but Drago killed Apollo in less than two rounds.
@@SumDumGy He wasn't staying with friends. They were staying with him and his robot. He didn't take the robot to the friends' house. More bad parents let his friends visit. And Rocky and Adrian didn't even come home for 4 years, as shown in Rocky V, as the kid is 12.
@@johnpublic7796 There’s no indication Robert is staying at home, especially alone without adults present. It’s far more plausible that he was staying with friends for the holiday. As for how long they were gone, it was very well established tin Rocky V to be no more than a couple months. Rocky was still bruised from his fight when he came home. Robert just had a genetic condition that causes premature aging.
@@SumDumGy The fact that he's in his own living room with Paulie's robot is proof that he's home. There are never any adults on screen with the boy once Adrian has arrived in Russia. You may wish to make up adults that aren't there all you want. Someone should've called DSS/CPS on Rocky and Adrian for abandoning their boy to be raised by a robot for four years. Granted, the robot is a better parental figure than Paulie. Then, the kid loses his robot parent after Rocky and Adrian make the genius move of giving Paulie power of attorney so he can make them lose everything. The kid's only parental figure for four years gets repoed, then he even has to give his room up to some homeless guy. Hard knock life.
I'm personally not crazy about Rocky VI. No Adrian or Paulie. It's the saddest of the movies because of that. And it's just so far removed from the first 5 that it doesn't really feel like a Rocky movie to me. Creed I was ALRIGHT, watchable, but I'm also not much of a fan of it. Creed II was a joke imo and I wouldn't bother with Creed III or anything else they may try to put out, especially since Stallone himself condemns it. I figure they'll try a stupid reboot that'll flop after they're tired of Creed movies. I don't care, I have Rocky I-VI and I'm content with those for now. I'll pick up 4Ks eventually, but I'm waiting for now.
4K picture quality aside this box set is awful...Pitch problems no new extra features etc....They could not get the pitch right?...I’ll stick with Blu ray which are way way cheaper...Glad I didn’t buy this crap.
Carl Weathers is so good. The series could never have been so good without his charisma.
Yes i like his performance as Apollo creed when i first watched rocky 1 back in the early 80's i hated his character being cockyness and arrogant along with rocky 2. That's how good of an actor he is playing as creed. Now he's in the mandalorian and in season 3 we see more of him in a big scene it put a smile on my face as i only watched him in the rocky films and The predator
The Rocky 5 and balboa steelbooks have been posted on Amazon but not for presale yet, but had a release date in December of this year (2024)
Ive seen these movies so many times. Vhs, dvd, bluray 4k.. didnt notice the audio issues. Just me.
My three favorite music videos of all time:
Michael Jackson’s Thriller
Top Gun
Rocky IV
They're sending out replacement discs finally. You just need to email WB. There's also a new box set up to part VI coming out which should also have the corrected discs.
Which is the department to email at WB? And what product code numbers has the sound faults please?
Hi, Just to make you aware, I have this 4k boxset and when I went to watch the 4k bluray of Rocky vs Drago the ultimate cut, I was expecting the Dolby Atmos remastered audio, which is on the 4k Apple TV Stream...which I purchased a while back.
But for some reason it was not on the 4k bluray, just DTS-HD MASTER AUDIO 5.1, I must say that's a glaring omission on Warner Bros part, as it should have the updated Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Dissapointing to say the least.
Agreed.
It seems an undeniable truth that, the more advanced these formats get, the lazier the studios are getting with the simple things in putting them together.
Re-Caped sequences often look much worst because the studio will not provide the original camera negative to be duplicated, but rather a second generation 'interpositive' or more often some weird stock print copy to the editor.
The Rocky Knockout Collection 4K from Warner Bros. has released with several errors, making it a slightly botched release. The actual transfers by all accounts seem to be great, but several audio and one visual issue are worth noting.
Purchase at your own discretion, but thought I'd give a heads up regarding the set's errors which have been found so far.
1. Rocky I - 2.0 track is actually a stereo downmix of the 5.1, rather than the original theatrical mono, which was present on previous blu-ray releases. Pitch is also roughly 4% too low.
2. Rocky II - Both the 5.1 & 2.0 audio tracks are pitched too low, not an issue on the blu-ray release.
3. Rocky III - French, German, Italian, and Castilian Spanish dubs are pitched too low.
4. Rocky IV - At the 10:17 mark, the film incorrectly changes its aspect ratio from 1:78:1 to 1:85:1 for 7 seconds, before reverting back.
To the average person, these are fairly minor/perhaps unnoticeable flaws, but I thought I'd give a heads up anyway.
Right on Ken. Was waiting to hear your thoughts in this. I was slightly disappointed, but not upset or pissed. I think the source material for rocky 1 and 2 are presented as well as they can be. But its still dissatisfied. 2001, clockwork orange and the shining all look wayyy better. All from the 70s and 80s All from Warner bros.
I’ll get it….. when V and Balboa are added in a big 4K set! Hopefully the extended Drago vs Rocky cut is still there
The sound issues would probably require headphones or dedicated speakers to hear...but once theyre heard they are annoying.Fact is....if some companies could remaster dvds in 2000, 4ks should be pristine!!
Fantastic review of this collection, Ken!!
Thanks Huck!
Wish Rocky Vs Drago was available on Blu Ray.The Best Buy steelbook has the old Blu Ray so only the theatrical
cut..People who only have Blu Ray are out of luck with Rocky Vs Drago on physical.
I’ve always perceived the beginning of Rocky 2 (recap of Apollo fight) to be more of a flash-back. Which follows the usual thematic change in resolution or added effects to a ‘memory’ being shown to the audience. Know what I mean?
I’m collecting the steelbooks for these. Rocky II is my favorite in the franchise.
Rocky 2 is so good!
When I watched Rocky (1976) 4K last night I had visual issues and audio issues it started happening at the Training montage and happens also in the final fight towards the end but digital static appears on the screen audio completely gone then returns to normal by the end of the fight what type of quality control does Warner bros and MGM but I hope my set is not like this for the entire rest of the set
The rocky 1 fight used in the beginning of rocky 2 was made by splicing in a copy of the film, not the original camera negative. That's why the quality is much lower than the rest of the film.
But when going infor a restoration, there’s nothing preventing them from replacing that footage with newly restored footage from the previous film.
Ive been trying to figure out recently why so many people insist on adding a “1” when referring to the first film in a franchise, as opposed to just calling it by its title. Why do you do it?
@Tim Walden but it's original. That's how it looked when it was first shown in the theater.
And I only used 1 for clarification purposes. I don't call it Rocky 1.
@@Eazy-E-40 If they’re going to restore, let’s restore. I don’t necessarily need theater fidelity.
I understand you may not call it Rocky 1 but you do here. That’s a practice that baffles me. If you refer to the film and call it Rocky, who in their right mind would confuse that with anything else?
The restoration for Rocky vs Drago looks better than the regular cut because the transfer was done a lot more recent for the Stallone director's cut. The original restorations of the rest were done 8-9 yrs ago.
How? I wasn’t aware the 4K format even existed that long ago.
@@SumDumGy a lot of Blu-ray releases were based on 4K remasters long before 4K UHD discs became a thing. Studios already knew that the higher resolution looked better in theatres using digital projectors than 1080p does and it makes more sense for film preservation purposes.
@@burninator1983 I was not aware. Thank you.
They should have taken a cue from the karate kid box. That was awesome even without steelbooks
That's Sony. They care about the packaging. Slipcovers and all in the Boxsets.
What kind of cue do you think they should have taken, why is that collection superior in your eyes?
@@SumDumGy Awesome artwork, higher quality material, and each movie has an individual case and Slip. All comes down to personal preference though I guess.
@@midlevelmedia I agree, it does. I definitely prefer what we got out of a Rocky over The Karate Kid as far as packaging. Art wise? Yeah, I think something better could have been offered. But the box and cases for my Karate Kid set went away for space saving. I appreciates doing prefer what they offered but space dictates other priorities.
I'm getting the feeling that MGM will release a steelbook collection later down the road with all 6 films
Part 5 and 6 have Steelbooks coming out.
I gotta tell you that when you first reported that these films were coming to 4k, I got emotional. I was so glad to hear that this boxset was happening. I completely agree with you About the packaging. I was expecting a Godfather type of set, and I was disappointed with they gave us. There are so many great images that go with this franchise, and they didn't use any of them. What about the image of Rocky in the championship belt that was the original poster for Rocky 3 for example?
They could have done so much with this set.
This release should of been perfect. This is a cash grab. I'm gonna continue to enjoy my blu ray collection of rocky which I only paid £25.
There's far worse releases and nothing is perfect, but it should have been better quality, I agree.
@MidLevelMedia Very true actually, I hate it when they rush things out because we are paying a premium to have them on 4k.
I do think Rocky is getting more harsh feedback because its a very popular franchise and many have watched it many times so they notice differences more.
I'm commenting negative but the funny thing is I haven't watch them in 4k yet so my opinion isn't really valid lol. I'm gonna wait for till they release a box set of all 6 rocky movies in 4k and maybe they will update the discs but not holding my breath
Still happy to have the set, as it is an ugrade. Just not wow factor upgrade😊
I honestly don't know what to do.i have the best buy steelbooks and I don't know if I should take them back or not. I wanna to keep them but after what you said I'm not sure. I've seen every one like 100 times so im thinking I might notice the audio issues.
My ranking of the first four Rocky movies in is reverse order of release, 4 down to 1 which makes for an incredible viewing experience every time I do a marathon. Each movie just builds and builds on the previous and for me gets better and better. 2,3, and 4 are all in my Top 50 all-time. Definitely my favorite franchise of all-time, can't get enough of Rocky!
Just finished the set. Rocky 4 directors cut worth 50 bucks alone . Rocky 3 my God so much grain like watching dvd at times. It was a hard watch for me Ken. It's a shame how bad it looked. I do agree some of the close ups looked great and the fight scene was great looking. But my God so much heavy grain most part of this movie.
I'll pick up this set at Black Friday for 30 bucks!
Not a bad idea
I'll wait until there is a complete Rocky 4k box set Ken but great video anyway 👍👍🆒🆒
Thank you!
@@midlevelmedia You're welcome 👍
Had first two on steelbook but I did notice the audio issue…sent back and will wait until they sort the entire set…and the iv aspect ratio blip is
clearly evident…great review as always 🏴
Thank you!
I bought all 4 on steel-books. I've been seeing this trend of releasing. Hate when they release inferior version on physical disc.
Inferior to what?
@@SumDumGy To Digital. Disney is a prime example to this
@@joshuabonorino9561 I can see that with them for sure. That’s why they put very little content on physical media and, when they do, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them be inferior. They want you streaming and they want you “buying” digital copies you’ll never actually own.
@@SumDumGy I doubt people will bend to the knee for Disney+.
@@joshuabonorino9561 They already are.
Also, can we have to remember, one or brothers did not on them originally so they might not have full rights to put all the features or maybe request Stallone to do commentaries, and we also have to remember Balboa was done by Sony pictures/Columbia, so there might be May be some kind of distribution dispute that they have to go through takeout Balboa, and I don’t think anybody really wants to own part five, or if he does the directors conversion. Let’s hope he takes it cheesy early 90s/80s rap music out, kind of ruin the movie for me, but was a good movie to a point just needed better direction
I almost bight it today but I stopped myself
Why?
Ken i know money is tight. But someday, consider at least a 2 channel audio system for you home theater. Maybe a sub. Dude, soundbars have come a long way, but my 2nd home theater is 2 channel, and i love it. Not as immersive as my 9.2 channel system. But its different and wonderful. Just a thought😊
I have a subwoofer, but yes, would love to do an upgrade at some point to full atmos
@@midlevelmedia dude, watching Mad Max Fury Road or Top Gun Maverick in Atmos is a real experience. Atmos isnt always better than a great 5.1 or 7.1 mix, but when its great, its so amazing. If you are ever in my area, would love to give you a demo. But you are a family man with no time. But dude. Not knocking the soundbar, but you dont need to break the bank to have good surround sound. Cheers everybody
But whatever you do, dont piss off the wife. She seems really cool.
The intro fight scenes from the the previous films all the way through first 4 films were always rougher than they looked in the previous films themselves dating back to every iteration of these movies I've seen, being a lifelong fan of these films its something that I've always noticed, obviously as we go up in resolution it just becomes more obvious, it's baked in to the source and comes from film stock and or processes they used to splice these sequences into the newer films,so it's true to source, I'm still waiting for my set to arrive, but I have heard from people who have full audio setups and know movies well who have told me that audio issues were news to them,and until they heard about people talking about this they were of the opinion that the 5.1 tracks sounded perfectly in line with expectation.and reported no notable issues. The mislabelled mono track seems to be the only confirmed error on part of manufacturers.and having said that I don't know that it's something that was sought after or even exists in its original form,couldn't find any info on it,quite possibly when they started updating soundtrack for home video they might have re recorded it as a stereo track to make it easier to separate some of sounds for 5.1.I don't know anyone who saw it in cinemas in 1976,so we also can't comment on how it was intended to sound,we don't have frame of reference, possibly the blu rays were not correctly pitched or proper use of the channels.i look forward to judging these for myself. But I'm taking all of this with bag of salt,as I know people and certain review sites can often over blow these types of things,which will sadly leas to people not seeing and hearing it for themselves
Makes sense on the intros and yes I agree, some tend to overblow these issues.
You’re right about those intros.
Rocky 5 and Rocky balboa are owned by a different company I believe Amazon. Thats why they're not included. Directors cuts of those movies are just rumors
I've heard conflicting things on the ownership.
There are definitely conflicting reports on this. It’s a shame these details aren’t easy to learn on our own instead of all the months of speculation and frustration we put ourselves through.
Does the 4K enhanced version of the original Rocky IV theatrical cut have the same lighter blue-ish tint in the final fight like Rocky Vs. Drago does?
These first 4 films are really where it's at, and the addition of the Rocky Vs Drago is a huge bonus. Parts V and VI i was never crazy about, especially VI, which can just get way too overdramatic for my taste. Wasn't ever really needed in general but it was a cute bonus for Rocky fans. I own the bluray collection and can always watch V there, but those definitely do not have the addictive quality of parts I - IV.
I'm def holding out here, they will release an ultimate boxset later on in the yr with all 6 films in. I put money on it. There is no way I'm going to double dip on this franchise . It always pays to wait
You may be right.
Even if such a set is released, I can’t see them not releasing the two films on their own, so waiting doesn’t really accomplish anything in my eyes.
@@SumDumGy imo this will be the only way to make more money by including 5&6 in a new set so if ppl want all of the films they will have to buy the whole set again. I have this feeling they won't release 5&6 separately. I could be wrong here and they may possibly do. That's just my gut feeling here on this. Distributors aren't stupid because they know ppl will end up double dipping. Imagine how many pissed off ppl there are going to be if a whole new set comes out including 5&6 and the only way to buy them is in a complete set. So I'm waiting
@@davefilms345 If they don’t release them separately, they already lost two sales right here. I’m happy to live with the Blu-ray copies I already have. I don’t need to upgrade and I refuse to go in again for a six film set. It’s their call.
It's coming and they fixed just about every issue for the complete set
I could've sworn I heard that a set is coming out where there's different cuts of each movie I could be wrong lol. As someone who recently visited Philadelphia and went up the steps and went to other filming locations around the city , Can't wait to watch these movies again.
Yes you are right however i heard it coming from a youtube reviewer on the rocky 4k reviews saying that sly is going back and doing all the films as a director's cut how true that is is anybody guess. so after reading your comment might have some truth behind it
There’s a whole lot of talk and rumor with no basis out there. I hope that rumor is wrong.
I’m glad you made it out of Philly alive. I’ve heard Rocky’s neighborhood is tougher than ever for people trying to visit his apartment.
The issues are so minor that the average person won't even notice. This sound issue is way overblown.
Couldn’t agree more I trust Jeff at Films at home more then any other reviewer. He said he didn’t even notice any sound issues on Rocky II and I didn’t either. Movieguy365 gave the audio an F. Come on man 😂😂😂
@@jcraider6621 I couldn't agree more. Lol
Shockingly, I have never seen these movies.
I think you'll be surprised. Especially the first one
Grab this set and watch them! You won't be disappointed!
Whoa. That’s something you should remedy.
Stallone can’t work on a Director’s Cut if a film he didn’t direct.
According to many reports, Amazon owns the right to the last two films while WB owns the rights to the first four, and that’s why they can’t be packaged together without some sort of collaborative deal.
Tom over at Midnight’s Edge recently stated though that isn’t actually the case because the ownership of the MGM catalog, post 1986 that Amazon has, doesn’t include UA titles. If memory serves though, the last film is not a UA title because that studio no longer existed then.
Either way, I’m not bothered anymore. If the other two get releases later, I’ll pick those up and make my own collection, packaging them together.
My audio issues were with the second and third film, and all had to do with the music. Something was missing, like a lost channel or something.
My Spotify workout playlist is based entirely around music from this franchise, and built upon from there. So much of these soundtracks gets a person pumped.
The first film is the strongest transfer? I thought the consensus was the second film was. The first film was very cheaply made so there wasn’t a whole lot that could be done with it. It looks as good as it can but could never look great.
This is also my favorite franchise. I’ve seen every film dozens of times each. I don’t dislike any of them. I have never thought the fight in the first film was the best of them. It’s not even the most emotionally compelling for me. Don’t tell people they’re lying to themselves for not agreeing with you, man. Come on.
Yeah. I heard about that Amazon ownership being a false report.
@@midlevelmedia Could be. Ironically, I think it was also Tom from Midnight’s Edge who declared both at one time or another, so either could be true at this point.
Hey Yo! Great review Kenny!! Rocky is one of the greatest franchises!
Thanks Dude!
OK, there is a lot to be said here, the first three Rockies should have been done better transfer wise, sound may not be improved by much but, we can all learn from which the loan did with the first three rambles, which came out around the same time rocky to Three and four dead, those transfers from the first two Rambo’s were amazing even for the budget they had in the 70s, I don’t know if Warner Bros. has gone back to the original 28:01 negatives but something does tell me they could’ve done way better on the first three transfers, yeah, good stuff Ken
Good review, Ken! If you don't have the Blu-rays already, this 4 movie set may be for you. I am a steelbook collector, so, went for those since they never had them to my knowledge. They look decent, but I think the transfers could have been better. First one is the best, original.
With regards to Rocky IV, Stallone worked on it for the Director's Cut, so that probably had a lot to do with the newer look of that edition on 4K, Ken. Just my thoughts.
Great review of this boxset Ken thanks!!
Thanks Michael!
Great review on the rocky collection.
Rocky 2 has the best fight, R 4 has the 2nd best fight.
Stating your own honest opinion isn’t controversial, it’s how people react that turns it into a controversy. Anyway I agree with you that Rocky vs Drago is better than the original Rocky IV and it’s my 2nd favorite in the series. I know the audio issues were blown out of proportion, it’s simply people with too much time on their hands and yes THEY are the ones creating controversy. Like you I have a sound bar that works well and the sell of 4K is the picture and HDR itself, I’m not really that big on ATMOS like some are. I have no one to show off my stuff too. Great review and glad you enjoyed the transfers.
Thank you man!
Too much time on their hands? For noticing something off and commenting on it?
How is that any different than what you just did here? You’re having a perspective on these films and commenting on it.
There’s a difference between calling it like it is, and calling it like you see it. You’re calling it like you see it with the packaging. You call it bullshit. I call it preferable. Had these one in individual cases, I would have taken them out and made a set just like they released. For me, slimmer packaging is far superior to flashy packaging of it means I can save room for a larger collection on my shelves.
In this instance, these movies replaced the first four in my Blu-ray set, then the case they came in is going to be used as a replacement for my Bourne Collection that did come in individual cases. I just scaled down how much room these movies take up considerably.
I agree with your take in the steelbook designs. The third film bothered me in particular because nowhere on the case is Clubber Lang depicted. How does that even happen??
I was originally going to pass on this set and just pick 2,3,4 indivdually. However from a cost perspective that wasn't going to make sense. Ordered it from Amazon yesterday and will be delivered today. The best part was I had over $55.00 in Amazon points so my total out of pocket was 48 cents.
Nice man! Great deal!
Paulie might be more of a villain than Apollo when you think about it...
In some movies yes.
I’ve never seen Apollo as a villain or even as an antagonist.
@@SumDumGy that's right. Apollo was a champion fighter organising an exhibition match. Even in Rocky II he was only wanting to defend his title and hold on to his reputation after what happened with the first fight. None of his actions could really be considered malicious.
@@burninator1983 The worst the man should be accused of is poor tactics once his ego got bruised, which even his own people cautioned him against. Deep down he knew Rocky was a threat to him but he had his image and his standing to protect.
I found the transfers extremely dark.
Umm what's to talk about it's 4 Rocky's movies and as for the 4k bro I'm such a vintage dude if I can't turn the tracking on rocky then I don't care like the first time I watched dune the old one was in my room on a black and white TV so I never got to experience the blue eye thing so when I did see it in color it was annoying so I can now only watch it in black and white ..I'm a vhs junky
You do realize that Sylvester Stallone does not own Rocky, but Irwin Winkler Does. So when Sylvester Stallone worked On Rocky 4 the director's cut, he did it for free and he did it Alone basically, But he did not do all the films because they are not owned by him anymore. That is why the descrepesy in quality.
Yes. I did realize that.
I think he ownes Balboa, not sure.
@@midlevelmedia Right, So. Sylvester Stallone remastered his own movie for Rocky 4 the director's cut. Not any others.
💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽
Thanks for the review into 👍
Thanks Ken!
The off gassing is my only complaint! Hate that shit!!
Ridiculous
Sound is 50% of the film.
And it sounded good to me!
I don't like those stupid collectors editions. It just takes op a lot of space.
Rocky IV is the most overrated of the Classic 5 movies. I agree. I love it, but it is kind of a bad movie if you really start analyzing it. They leave an 8 year old kid home alone on Christmas Day, save for a robot, so Rocky can risk his life for a sporting event. What if he dies on TV and the kid is there home alone? And then what if the "Evil Russians" imprison or kill Adrian and Paulie? A new Batman is born? It's still a fun movie with an awesome soundtrack, but yeah, it's not the best.
Haha. They do leave him Home Alone. Never thought about that. Lol
Robert wasn’t home alone. He’s clearly shown staying with friends for Christmas. Better that than to be dragged into the snowy wasteland of Soviet Russia.
The film has problems but the only big one to me is the final fight. Rocky takes less damage in nine rounds with Drago than he did in 15 rounds with Apollo, but Drago killed Apollo in less than two rounds.
@@SumDumGy He wasn't staying with friends. They were staying with him and his robot. He didn't take the robot to the friends' house. More bad parents let his friends visit. And Rocky and Adrian didn't even come home for 4 years, as shown in Rocky V, as the kid is 12.
@@johnpublic7796 There’s no indication Robert is staying at home, especially alone without adults present. It’s far more plausible that he was staying with friends for the holiday.
As for how long they were gone, it was very well established tin Rocky V to be no more than a couple months. Rocky was still bruised from his fight when he came home. Robert just had a genetic condition that causes premature aging.
@@SumDumGy The fact that he's in his own living room with Paulie's robot is proof that he's home. There are never any adults on screen with the boy once Adrian has arrived in Russia. You may wish to make up adults that aren't there all you want. Someone should've called DSS/CPS on Rocky and Adrian for abandoning their boy to be raised by a robot for four years. Granted, the robot is a better parental figure than Paulie. Then, the kid loses his robot parent after Rocky and Adrian make the genius move of giving Paulie power of attorney so he can make them lose everything. The kid's only parental figure for four years gets repoed, then he even has to give his room up to some homeless guy. Hard knock life.
I'm personally not crazy about Rocky VI. No Adrian or Paulie. It's the saddest of the movies because of that. And it's just so far removed from the first 5 that it doesn't really feel like a Rocky movie to me. Creed I was ALRIGHT, watchable, but I'm also not much of a fan of it. Creed II was a joke imo and I wouldn't bother with Creed III or anything else they may try to put out, especially since Stallone himself condemns it. I figure they'll try a stupid reboot that'll flop after they're tired of Creed movies. I don't care, I have Rocky I-VI and I'm content with those for now. I'll pick up 4Ks eventually, but I'm waiting for now.
I love Balboa
Paulie is in Rocky Balboa quite a lot.
4K picture quality aside this box set is awful...Pitch problems no new extra features etc....They could not get the pitch right?...I’ll stick with Blu ray which are way way cheaper...Glad I didn’t buy this crap.