Rocky Balboa Theatrical & Director's Cut (4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray + Digital) Steelbook

When I first moved to Las Vegas in 1986, I lucked out and got a two-week job as an extra in the Sylvester Stallone movie, Over the Top. The filming took place at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel and dealt with the arm wrestling contest that Stallone's character enters so that he can win enough money to take care of his son. I was a member of the audience in the arena. Before Stallone would come onto the set to film a particular scene, the Assistant Director would rev the audience up by playing the theme to Rocky, "Gonna Fly Now." Of course, the audience didn't really need to be revved up for Stallone. I, and the hundreds of other people sitting in the stands, saw Stallone as his fictional character, and we would stand up and loudly cheek out of pure admiration. To us, Stallone was Rocky. Things haven't really changed much since that moment in time over twenty years ago. For me, Stallone is Rocky and will always be so. I still get a big, goofy grin on my face whenever I hear the theme to Rocky. So for me, Rocky Balboa was a dream come true. It was a chance to relieve the original "Rocky" movie and to reach a better understanding of the last thirty years of my life. More than that, however, it gave me hope for the future. Rocky Balboa is a true spark of life for all of us in my age bracket who are having trouble moving ahead. This is a movie about not giving up and being able to take the hits that come your way. It's certainly true for the character of Rocky as well as its creator, Sylvester Stallone and what he had to go through to get Rocky Balboa made. Let me just say this. The budget for Rocky Balboa was around twenty-four million dollars, which is extremely low for a movie in today's time. For a film to break even, it has to make at least three times what it cost, which also covers distribution and the percentage that the theaters get from the sell of each ticket. To date, the worldwide gross is right at $148,000,000.00. Stallone did what was originally thought to be impossible by many others--he gave new life to Rocky and made another hit movie!In Rocky Balboa, our lead character is now living in South Philadelphia and is struggling to recover from the lost of his wife, Adrian, who died of cancer. His only friend appears to be Paulie (played by Burt Young), who's still working at the meatpacking plant. Rocky and his son, Robert (played by Milo Ventimiglia), have grown apart and see very little of each other. Though Rocky owns and operates a small Italian restaurant called Adrian's, his heart isn't into it. He has little to look forward to and sees his life as nearly over. The only pleasure he gets is from visiting Adrian's grave. Everything begins to slowly change for Rocky when two important events take place. The first is when Rocky runs into Marie (played by Geraldine Hughes), a person from his past who gives him a reason to keep going forward with his life. The second thing that happens is when a sport's show does a virtual reality computer fight between him and the new world champion, Mason Dixon (played by Antonio Tarver), displaying that Rocky, though older, would win the bout without any problem. This creates in Rocky the desire to want to fight again, but only on a local level. Dixon's people view the computer fight and immediately see a way to make a great deal of money. After Rocky renews his fighting license, he's asked to do a celebrity fight against Mason Dixon in Las Vegas with part of the proceeds going to charity. Though hesitant at first to get back into the ring with a heavyweight champion, Rocky finally agrees to do so with Marie's encouragement. Robert, however, is totally against his father fighting again. He's lived in his father's shadow for years and this will only make matters worse. Rocky explains to his son that this is something he has to do in order to feel alive again. He also tells Robert that he has to stop blaming others for his problems and to learn to deal with life by not giving up when things gets tough. Of course, all of this leads to the preparation for the big fight and then to the fight itself. I still get goose bumps when Rocky runs up the steps to the Philadelphia Art Museum with "Gonna Fly Now" playing in the background.What Sylvester Stallone was able to do with Rocky Balboa is to return to the roots of the original movie in the series and tap into its heart and soul. You see it in the streets of Philadelphia, the poignant music of Bill Conti, Rocky's old home and Mickey's gym from the first movie, the shadows and dark overtones of the film, the return of Burt Young as Paulie and Tony Burton as Duke, and the haunting presence of Adrian (played by the lovely Talia Shire) throughout the film. Stallone put his own heart and soul into the making of this movie, fighting an up-hill battle against the studios who thought his career was over and never giving up, knowing that this film was a reflection of his own life and struggles. Rocky Balboa is definitely the way the series needs to be ended. It's a direct mirror of what can be good in a person's life if he's willing to put forth the effort. I don't know about other people, but when I saw this movie in the theater last December and then again of DVD last night, it brought tears to my eyes, but in a good way. This is the last Rocky movie. Stallone knew that he was finally saying goodbye to his most famous character and to an intricate part of his own life. As the final credits roll in the movie, dozens of everyday people are shown running up the famous steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Each year thousands of people run up these steps and throw their arms victoriously up into the air just like Rocky. That's how powerful the impact of this series has been on the mass public. I used to live outside of Philadelphia during my early teens. If I still lived there, you'd see me running up the steps, too. Well, maybe halfway up the steps. I'm not in as good of shape as I used to be. But, all is not lost for us "Rocky" fans. There will be a Director's Cut coming out before the end of the year. My guess is that it will be a Two Disc Special Director's Cut Edition, which will include the twenty minutes of deleted scenes that were originally cut from the film. That's something to look forward to. With regards to the DVD extras on Rocky Balboa, there's a fifteen-minute featurette on the making of the movie, another fifteen-minute featurette on doing the big fight scene at the finale, twenty minutes of deleted scenes with an alternate ending, bloopers, and a great film commentary by Stallone. This is definitely a movie that the fans of the "Rocky" series will love, and as the last words in the film say, "Yo, Adrian, we did it!"

Fantastic movie loved it!

Great movie

This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. There is nothing undone, left out, or unfinished. Sylvester Stallone brings back to life the heart and spirit of Rocky as no one else can do. All the love, faith, hope, desire, and raw guts are presented in this film to stir the heart and inspire the soul for a life time. Growing up with the Rocky films, I found this one to be particular dear to my heart and soul because, reaching middle age, this picture shakes up the indominable spirit within to remind me (us) that it ain't over till it's really over. Sly does all his stunts and choreography in the fight scenes plus brings in some spontaneous adrenalin filled punches that has him and opponent going at it. There is bonus features like the stuff behind the scenes including boxing sparing and Sly's weight lifting routines which would normally kill other people. The movie makes no pretenses, and does not try to make an old guy look young like so many other movies do when they have old stars come back with their hair dyed and gut sucked in. No, in this movie, Rocky IS Rocky, a guy in his sixties, gaunt, beat up and wracked by life's pounding, but full of heart, courage and a rekindled fire. This movie isn't about an old guy trying to prove himself to the world but about a fighter who rediscovers himself, revisting himself back to his roots as a fighter, and doing the only thing he knows how to do and what he was made to do- fight! In fact, there are no villians in this movie as we see that both Rocky and his opponent, Mason Dixon (a real professional boxer by the name of Antonio Tarver) are driven and motivated for different reasons which leads them to the final battle field of the boxing ring. Sly did it again and did it well. Great writing, great casting, great directing and acting, this is one of the best movies out there ever. This is unfortunately the final chapter in the Rocky series - unfortunately the final bookend. Wish it weren't so!