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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.
