WISHING YOU ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HOPE THE NEW YEAR BRINGS YOU LOTS OF JOY AND GOOD FORTUN...
WISHING YOU ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HOPE THE NEW YEAR BRINGS YOU LOTS OF JOY AND GOOD FORTUNE X X
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I have never really been a fan of Sylvester Stallone but I have to say he did do an amazing job with the Rocky films. I have watched them all several times over the years but only just got the DVD, this one being the first.
Stallone plays the role of Rocky Balboa who is a boxer but failed to make t to the big time. He fights in small matches and if he wins he only makes just over $40 so he also works for a debt collector. He uses a gym which is run by Mick but as Mick is angry that Rocky never tried to make it big he looses his locker and the pair have a fight.
In his private life Rocky likes Adrian who works in the local pet shop and he tries to talk to her ever day but she is just too shy. Rocky is friend with her brother and he arranges a date for the pair.
Apollo Creed, the heavy weight champion of the world is due to fight to keep his title in a few months in Philadelphia but his competitor has to pull out so instead of loosing all the money they have put into the advertising they decide to give an unknown a chance for the title. Apollo looks through the book which has all of the unknown boxers in a decides he likes the look and sound of the
Italian Stallion, Rocky and requests that he fights him.
Rocky agrees to the fight and soon he has Mick on side and helping him train and he looks to be getting into shape. Will Rocky be able to prove himself against Apollo and win the title and what will happen with his love for Adrian?
I was very surprised with this film as I was expecting it to be mainly about boxing and as I am not too much of a fan of either boxing or Stallone I was not looking forward tow watching this. I can honestly say that I did enjoy this and thought that Stallone did a fantastic job in the role of rocky. He managed to show so many different sides to his character and show me that he was not just a thick boxer who was going no where. He did have me feeling so many different emotions throughout the film and I thought he worked extremely well with the character of Adrian. I thought that the way Stallone came across was sincere and despite think the sound thick when he talks he did actually manage to make this a benefit for his character. I did find his use of the bouncy ball annoying and thought he looked very stupid in his black hat but apart from this then he did a good job.
The supporting actors in the film were also good and I enjoyed the role of Mick and thought he was great. I liked how he seemed to be a father figure to Rocky at times and never really gave up on him. The character of Adrian’s brother, Pauly was not one which I liked and though that he used Rocky for his own gain and I did not like how he treated his sister. Adrian was a very strange character for me as she was just to quiet and timid at the start of the film but I liked how she learnt to trust Rocky and how she soon began to open up to him and play a larger part in his life and in the film.
The film was set in the 1970’s in Philadelphia and I think that the costumes and the scenery was very authentic to the year. I did find Adrian’s glass though extremely funny and some of the hats which she wore, but these were apparently the fashion in the 70’s. I did at times feel that when Rocky was walking home he always looked like he was strolling off a film set and thinks that a little more effort could have been put into making to look a bit more authentic but maybe it was just me who felt this as hubby did not notice. I found the music to the film to be excellent and I must confess that for years I thought the lyrics in the song which Rocky trains to were ‘running water’ but it has now been bought to my attention that they are in fact ‘training hard now’! (yes I know I am thick!) I found the soundtrack did help with the setting of the film and the emotions for the places which it was all used.
There were no really effects to speak of in this film, well apart from the fight scenes and I found them to all look amazing and very realistic. Some of the punches really did look nasty and very painful. The way the fight scenes were put across on camera did show just how boxing used to be and how the men really would fight for their lives. This would not be allowed to happen now a days and both me and hubby both sad that this fight really would have been stopped no later than the second or third round with some of the punches and falls which were happening. Rocky and Apollo really did work together amazing well in these scenes and made then excellent viewing.
The DVD which we have does not have any bonus material but this is no great loss to me as I am not a fan of this. The running time of the film is 1 hour and 59 minutes which I found to be a good length and the certificate is a PG and I do agree with this.
We bought this DVD for just £3 in Tesco which I felt to be a great price. F you are still undecided about watching this film then don not pay, just wait for it to be shown on the TV as it is on quite often.
Well suppose I better now go and find Rocky 2 for hubby to watch next, even though he says Rocky 3 is his favourite! I do recommend this film to all as it has great acting, a great story and does show that Stallone can act.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Action/Adventure - Director: Peter Jackson - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Andy Serkis
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Advantages: A true classic, well worthy of its three Oscars Disadvantages: Some of the fight scenes are very violent (if you dislike that sort of thing!)
the_mad_cabbie 02.10.2004 (03.10.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Rocky (DVD)
Advantages: fairly good acting, finished off the story, great soundtrack Disadvantages: weaker than the previous ones, lack of fighting with Rocky, Pauley was annoying
sewbizzie 08.10.2009 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Rocky 5 (DVD)
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