Rocky V Reviews

Even though I tend to think that ‘Rocky’ is somewhat overrated (It won the Best Picture Academy Award against such classics like ‘Network’, ‘All the President’s Men’ and above all ‘Taxi Driver’), I still thoroughly enjoyed it and it was one hell of an underdog tale. However, it is such a shame that Sylvester Stallone went on and on with those sequels. I mean, to start with, one of the biggest assets of the first movie is that Rocky Balboa, even though we root for him, still loses at the end concluding this dramatic story with a huge emotional punch but, right away with the first sequel, the whole effect was undone since he eventually became the new champ. Fast-forward 10 years later and Stallone comes now with a bewildering 4th sequel and the end-result has become really pathetic. I mean, it was actually a pretty good idea to have Rocky to become a trainer but Tommy Morrison was a bad choice and there was no chemistry between him and Stallone. Eventually, the whole thing was just terribly tedious and the last fight in the street between Stallone and Morrison was quite ridiculous (as if the makers couldn’t let go, Rocky absolutely needed to fight at the end and, of course he had to win). To conclude, this movie was pretty bad, even Sylvester Stallone was embarrassed by the whole thing and it is not really worth a look.

After finding Rocky a successful franchise until Rocky IV and reading about the negative criticism that the fifth instalment received even more than the fourth film, I didn't have very high expectations for this one. After watching it, I understandably realise why people hate but despite it had its bad and cheesy moments, I don't really see what is so awful about Rocky V. I think where it really went out of proportion was the fact it was more of a drama about family than a drama involving boxing like all of the other Rocky films were. I mean, although most people didn't like it or even find it necessary, I rather enjoyed the street fight and that is pretty much the only physical time we get of Rocky.


Rocky Balboa is forced to retire after having permanent damage inflicted on him in the ring by the Russian boxer Ivan Drago. Returning home after the Drago bout, Balboa discovers that the fortune that he had acquired as heavyweight champ has been stolen and lost on the stockmarket by his accountant. His boxing days over, Rocky begins to coach an up-and-coming fighter named Tommy Gunn. Rocky cannot compete, however, with the high salaries and glittering prizes being offered to Gunn by other managers in town.


Sylvester Stallone, what are you playing at?! Once you were an actor who portrayed Rocky Balboa with strong passion and made him a rather badass character but I think the fact that he was in the Rambo series and his acting in that was pretty crap, that made it worse for him and he earned his second Razzie nomination for playing Rocky. What bewilders me is that he earns an Oscar nomination for playing Rocky in the first Rocky and then earns a Razzie nomination in Rocky IV and then another for Rocky V! I wasn't that fond of the Rocky Balboa character in this one at all especially the fact that Rocky wasn't even in the ring at all due to retirement and brain damage he received fighting Ivan Drago really made me feel put off by it when that scene came along as I was watching it. This is the last time we see Talia Shire in the franchise as Adrian Balboa. In a way, thank God because her character pretty much died after Rocky III. I liked how Sylvester Stallone's real-life son Sage Stallone portrayed his son in this film although his acting on occasions wasn't great. Shockingly, I found the acting atrocious in this film overall; even from Burt Young who is my favourite actor and delivered the best performance in the entire franchise and he wasn't very good in this either.


John G. Avildsen returns to the Rocky franchise but unfortunately it had to be for this one! It is hard to believe that this was directed by the same guy who directed the first Rocky! John, if you were actually planning on coming back to direct another Rocky film, I would have recommended any of the six except IV and V. I mean, after such a successful first film that he directed, how could he have not noticed the fact that Rocky V is more of a drama than a boxing film? I am going to state the same thing in this review as I did in my review for Rocky IV: what a cheesy script! And that is all I have to say about that.


Overall, Rocky V is a bad film that I didn't find entirely awful like Rocky IV almost was so that doesn't make Rocky V the worst in the franchise. This as well as the fourth film will most likely either become a guilty pleasure to other viewers or just a bad film. The Rocky franchise was almost dead but thank God that the franchise didn't end with this and ended with a much better sixth installment.

"As long as they've got Balboa on the brain he'll always be champ. The man fought wars in the ring!"

The original Rocky from 1976 was a masterpiece. Its first follow-up, 1979's Rocky II, was a strong sequel that retained the charms of its exceptional predecessor. Rocky III and Rocky IV followed in subsequent years, and the series deteriorated into a generic, cheesy action movie series without the heart or soul that initially characterised the franchise. For Rocky V, Sylvester Stallone cut down on the '80s excess and attempted to bring the titular character back down to earth. In an attempt to guarantee success, Stallone even hired John G. Avildsen - helmer of the original Rocky - to direct. But alas, this manufactured endeavour to capture the spirit of the original is a cloying, silly, awful cinematic abortion which completely lacks everything that made the Rocky series so endearing. Rocky V is not fun, nor is it uplifting, inspiring or motivating. As a drama it falls flat on its face, and as a piece of entertainment it's a dismal failure.

Fresh from his upheaval of the evil Soviet empire in Rocky IV, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) returns to the United States to discover that his plane took ten years to land, and his son Rocky Jr. (played by Sly's son Sage) is now a teenager. Also, Rocky soon learns that he has irreparable brain damage and that all of his money has been lost by an unscrupulous financial advisor. Rocky is thus forced to retire from the ring and move back to his old low-rent neighbourhood in South Philadelphia with his wife (Shire) and son. Soon, Rocky begins coaching an up-and-coming boxer named Tommy "Machine" Gunn (Morrison).

For lack of better word, Rocky V is a piece of shit. Those unfamiliar with the franchise will find it to be a naff, badly-written, boring drama, while Rocky fans will simply be depressed about how far the series has fallen. For starters, Balboa is never in the ring - he coaches (WTF?!) while Tommy Gunn does all the boxing. Even worse is the fact that the contrived plotline about Rocky losing his insurmountable fortune boils down to Paulie mismanaging their finances. Rocky and Adrian put Paulie in charge of their money?! Plus, what the fuck happened to the characters we used to know and love? Rocky is reduced to a pathetic shell of himself, living vicariously through a young punk boxer while his son - who is hurt and confused - stands by and watches his father become an asshole. A few films ago, Rocky was a lovable, humble, kind and gentle soul. Here, his behaviour is frequently embarrassing and his verbal bluster is no longer endearing. Rocky is an idiot here who ignores his family and gets duped along the way. Unlike the other Rocky films, this entry is dark and depressing throughout, with no redeeming payoff at the end.

Due to the shift in focus and the decision to mangle the proverbial formula, all of the elements from prior Rocky movies - the underdog tale, the training montages, and the big climactic boxing fight - are absent, and the picture is worse for it. Without this stuff, the film is utterly flavourless. Even Bill Conti's score is terrible here - the trademark Rocky music was entirely excluded. Incorporating formula elements would have rendered the film by-the-numbers, sure, but at least it would have been fun. Worse, instead of a climactic boxing match, there's a street brawl that's as contrived as it is unsatisfying and cringe-worthy. On top of all this malarkey, there's a subplot about Rocky's son getting bullied at school. It's unrealistic, silly and poorly handled - essentially, kids steal Rocky Jr.'s lunch money and nobody does anything about it, so Rocky Jr. trains himself and dishes out brutal payback. Wouldn't there be consequences of such violence? Both parties could be charged for assault. Adding insult to injury, Rocky Jr. befriends the bullies after beating the snot out of them. What...the...fuck?!

It's easy to understand why Stallone chose to cast his real-life son Sage as Rocky Jr., but the boy is far older than Rocky Krakoff (who played the role in Rocky IV), and it's obvious. This film takes place immediately after the events of its predecessor, but it's impossible to believe this because of the boy's age. In addition, Sage's performance is strictly average, and the silly earrings he adopts when he turns rebellious are just laughable. And, unfortunately, Sylvester Stallone's performance as Rocky ranks among his worst as an actor. For his work here, Sly copped a wholly deserved Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actor. Talia Shire was also nominated for a Razzie, and it's not difficult to ascertain why. Shire is simply awful here - she's shrill and annoying as Adrian. Meanwhile, boxer-turned-actor Tommy Morrison is serviceable as Tommy Gunn, and Richard Gant did a reasonable job as the arrogant boxing promoter.

On the bright side, Rocky V was at least well-crafted by director Avildsen. However, the film still sucks due to the awful Razzie-nominated script that's beset with WTF moments and abysmal, cringe-worthy dialogue. While writing the script, Stallone chose to return Rocky to a life of poverty...which is exactly why this film is so wrong. What is the point of the entire series if all of Rocky's wealth is taken away at the end of it? In 2008, Stallone told BBC interviewer Jonathan Ross that if asked to assign a star rating to Rocky V, he would give it a zero. Surely that's a red flag? If you are a Rocky fan, Rocky V will drain your will to live. Give it a miss, trust me. Instead, after Rocky IV, go straight onto the far superior Rocky Balboa.

1.8/10