听 As entertaining as "Rocky II" is, it seems only to merit a curiously indifferent DVD release.
As with "Rocky", the sequel was equally keen on shadows and gritty dark photography that may have looked great in the cinema but just looked hellish on video. The DVD goes some way to addressing the problem with a reasonably bright image, but then lets it down with a non-anamorphic transfer, (a process which carries extra coding to create a more detailed picture on a widescreen TV). This allows grain to creep into the layered greys and blacks. It's tolerable, but a disappointment after the "Rocky" disc.
The sound mix goes some way to redeeming this DVD. Sadly it's not a 5.1 effort, but it's a reasonable Surround track that uses the front speakers well. Bill Conti's funky take on his original score sounds good and once the fight is on, so are the rear speakers for maximum atmospheric effect.
The one extra feature is the original trailer.
Chapters: 32
Region: 2
Ratio: 1.85:1 and 1.33:1 (fullscreen
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0
Extra Features: Scene selection, trailer, multiple languages, subtitles.
Read a review of the "Rocky" DVD.
Read a review of the "Rocky III" DVD.
Read a review of the "Rocky IV" DVD.
Read a review of the "Rocky V" DVD.
