Rocky: Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Rocky: Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Second round K.O.?

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 21, 2024

Assuming you can forgive the total misfire of last year's Knockout Collection (a rushed release of the first four Rocky films on 4K UHD that was loaded with audio mistakes and a few other errors), this year's Ultimate Knockout Collection is both a solid all-around set and the one we should've got in 2023. Featuring corrected versions of those four earlier 4K discs -- which were finally offered to Knockout Collection owners beginning last April by e-mailing whv@wbd.com -- as well as the fifth and sixth films (the latter of which also now gets its own Director's Cut like Rocky IV) and the same 2023 bonus disc, this is now likely as almost-complete a collection as we'll get for quite a while... maybe ever. So at the risk of sloppily mixing my sports metaphors, let's just call this new seven-disc set a Mulligan, OK?

As for our thoughts on all six (eight?) included films, a quick search of our database shows they're not as plentiful as you might think. I already put together basic summaries of Rocky I-IV (as well as IV's then-new Director's Cut) in my 2023 review of the Knockout Collection, whereas a longer appreciation for the original and best Rocky can be found in Casey Broadwater's review of MGM's 2006 Blu-ray. The sixth film in the franchise, 2006's Rocky Balboa, was handled by Ben Williams in his coverage of Sony's 2007 Blu-ray. That only leaves two unaccounted for: the mostly maligned 1990 film Rocky V and the brand-new Director's Cut of 2006's Rocky Balboa, which I likewise reviewed below.

Rocky I-IV (Also includes Rocky IV: The Ultimate Director's Cut)

Rocky V

Rocky Balboa: Theatrical Cut

Rocky Balboa: The Director's Cut

Rocky: Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from Blu-ray editions of the films, which are not included with this set.

This Ultimate Knockout Collection includes eight Rocky films on six discs, all of which run the gamut of quality in 4K. Simply put: a few are excellent, many could use at least some improvement (especially in the area of disc encoding and overuse of DNR, which affects some more than others), but all are at least watchable. They've all been reviewed by me already, either as part of last year's Knockout Collection or, in the case of Rocky V and Rocky Balboa, as separate 4K Steelbook editions. My comments still stand regarding all of these, with the only exception being that Rocky IV's theatrical cut no longer features the brief aspect ratio error that occurred on thatnon-corrected 4K disc.

Rocky I-IV (Also includes Rocky IV: The Ultimate Director's Cut)

Rocky V

Rocky Balboa (Also includes new Director's Cut)

Rocky: Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, my reviews below offer details about each film's audio options. Again, as mentioned in the first link, please note that the older 4K discs for Rocky I-III suffered from several audio issues: the original Rocky had a 5.1 mix-down mono presentation, while Rocky II and III featured problems with pitch on one or more audio tracks. These have all been corrected, leaving fans with solid all-around lossless audio for each film that sounds about as good as its source materials will allow. Obviously, the long journey from Rocky to Rocky Balboa will yield gradual improvements in the areas of overall fidelity, dynamic range, and natural channel separation, but that's how it should be.

Rocky I-IV (Also includes Rocky IV: The Ultimate Director's Cut)

Rocky V

Rocky Balboa (Also includes new Director's Cut)

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during all eight films and the extras listed below.

Rocky: Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This seven-disc set ships in a double-width hinged keepcase with hubs for each disc; a matching matte-finish slipcase and Digital Copy redemption code are also included. And no, that's not Sly's leftover hair gel slathered inside the case... it's "off-gassing", which has plagued home video releases for several years but is particularly bad here.

Assorted bonus features are scattered throughout: only Rocky and Rocky Balboa feature any extras on their respective movie discs, while the rest are relegated to a bonus Blu-ray that's 100% identical to the one on the Knockout Collection and features a handful of odds and ends related to the first four films only. Keep in mind that since the older Blu-ray movie discs are unfortunately not included with this collection, you'll be losing a few legacy bonus features.

DISC 1 - ROCKY

• Audio Commentary #1 - A group track with director John Avildsen; producers Irvin Winkler and Robert Chartoff; actors Talia Shire, Carl Weathers and Burt Young; and Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown.

• Audio Commentary #2 - Boxing trainer Lou Duva squares off with sports historian Bert Sugar.

• Audio Commentary #3 - A solid solo track handled by writer/star Sylvester Stallone.

DISC 6 - ROCKY BALBOA (Theatrical and Director's Cut)

• Audio Commentary - Featuring writer/director Sylvester Stallone.

• Deleted Scenes - Only the unused alternate ending and "Paulie's Girlfriend Moves His Things" are featured here, since all the others are now part of the included Director's Cut.

• Skill vs. Will: The Making of Rocky Balboa (17:47)

• Reality in the Ring: Filming Rocky's Final Fight (15:37)

• Virtual Champion: Creating the Computer Fight (5:08)

• Fight Makeup (1:33)

DISC 7 - ROCKY I-IV COLLECTION BONUS FEATURES

• 8mm Home Movies of "Rocky" (12:32) - Described as having "commentary by director John G. Avildsen and pre-production supervisor Lloyd Kaufman" (which actually describes a great collection of footage that debuted on the 2014 remastered Rocky Blu-ray), this is instead an older montage of less interesting 8mm clips introduced by Avildsen that's we've seen countless times before. It's a real shame this couldn't have been fixed.

• 3 Rounds with Lou Duva (4:34)

• Steadicam: Then and Now with Garrett Brown (17:26)

• Make-Up! The Art and Form with Michael Westmore (15:11)

• Staccato: A Composer's Notebook with Bill Conti (11:30)

• The Ring of Truth (9:37)

• A Tribute to Burgess Meredith (7:53)

• Stallone Meets Rocky (3:00)

• The Making of "Rocky vs. Drago": Keep Punching (58:29)

• Trailers (14:05 total) - Trailers for Rocky I-IV, plus of course Rocky IV: The Ultimate Director's Cut (or Rocky vs. Drago, as it's called here). Obviously, Rocky V and Rocky Balboa aren't included. Nice going, guys!

The obligatory list of missing supplements from earlier releases -- most notably, the Heavyweight Collection -- includes the feature-length, three-part making-of documentary "In The Ring", a tribute to Rocky cinematographer James Crabe, Sylvester Stallone's 1976 interview on the TV talk show Dinah!, a featurette on Rocky's opponents, a separate interview with sports historian Bert Sugar, and various TV spots and other promotional material. Too bad the bonus disc couldn't have been expanded for this set, as there are probably a lot more missing extras from the last few decades.

Rocky: Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite my overall solid ratings above, I'm a little torn on this new "Ultimate" Knockout Collection: it's certainly better than last year's hasty Knockout Collection in that it fixes a number of technical issues and actually contains all six films in the franchise. The A/V quality is decent to outstanding, and of course the two new Director's Cuts are at least worth a once-over. That said, the bonus features are a bit sloppily put together, several legacy extras are missing, and no Blu-ray movie discs are included... not to mention that, as a whole, it feels like a lazy rehash of what's come before rather than a truly definitive celebration of this fan-favorite film franchise. The Ultimate Knockout Collection is nonetheless recommended to die-hard fans, but probably a much tougher sell for casuals at the current price point.