Review Detail

I already loved this movie but this edit made me love it even more. The changes made here are not too drastic but they are crucial in representing the best version of this film possible. Everything I did hate in the official release is gone, namely the way the sports media relentlessly insults and demeans Rocky leading up to his comeback fight. He feels more like the boxing legend he is supposed to be in this cut. The flow of the final fight really is so much better without Marie shouting over the rest of the crowd. She's a fine character but her presence was an imposition in that fight and distracted from it a lot, so I'm glad the editor agreed. I also appreciated the deleted footage that has been added back in because it gives important context to the development of the characters. For those reasons, I'm considering this version of the film canon. This is the best way to edit movies that are already good.