New on Blu-ray: Rocky: The Undisputed Collection

The once invisible beads of sweat that sheath Rocky’s and Apollo’s gloves as they exchange blows. The flecks of saliva that fly from the Russian’s mouth as he hits the mat. These were the tiny details missing from the Rocky collective experience, but the Blu-ray release of the six-film box set has changed all that.

Rocky is the ultimate underdog story written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. Struggling to survive, Rocky (Stallone) is given the golden opportunity to fight the heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). The five sequels that followed included a championship re-match, the overcoming of self-limiting fears, endless demonstrations of passion and strength, and workout montages that leave viewers in awe. Rocky is supported and thwarted by fantastically thought-out characters, including his wife Adrian (Talia Shire), her brother Paulie (Burt Young) and his tough as nails manager (Burgess Meredith). Even Mr. T got in on the fight in the third installment.

This is a collection every movie lover should own rather than rely on television broadcasts of the films. A bonus disc includes over three hours of special features: a three-part “making of” documentary; a behind the scenes featurette; three boxing featurettes; tributes to Meredith and James Crabe; video commentary with Stallone; Interview with a Legend: Bert Sugar; Stallone’s appearance on Dinah!; and an exclusive to Blu-ray interactive game: Feeling Strong Now!.