Flat, forgettable, uninspired and unnecessary.

Rating: 5/10 (22 December 2015)

No need for a long review on this one.
The acting was good for the most part all around. Thats about the only good part of the movie though.
The music just doesn't fit a "rocky" movie. Sure it's a young modern fighter who is black and from LA, so maybe when a song plays we're supposedly listening to his headphones. Seems a little too cliché, that pretty much every song is hiphop or rap. I like rap, but it doesn't pump me up all that much. Not too mention unless you know the songs, they don't sound much different from each other in the clips they play. A balance would have been good, instead its mostly just loud rapping which sorta punches you out of the movie. But then again, the story is so incredibly predictable and forgettable that perhaps a gust of wind would take you out and a punch isn't necessary.
The story is exactly what you think it is. Every scene will play out exactly how you think it will. When you're thinking "oh.. the big downfall is gonna be any minute now" it is. Then when you think, "the big upswing is coming any min now" it is. Whenever something is leading up to something you think will happen, you start thinking "tell me they didn't actually get this predictably cheesy" they did.
The training was boring. Rocky training scenes were always the best part of the movie, these ones were completely boring. The fights.. ugh. I loved Rocky for the fights looking real, little to no blurry, echoey, slomo, "deep thoughts" style scenes mid fight. Was always action, looked like a real fight. The main fight here looked like a joke. Completely takes you out of the fight and the emotion. No one ever really looks like they're in much danger. No strategy or turning points are ever present. It was boring in that there wasn't much sway back and forth which can be realistic in pro boxing. But for a movie, the fight should be fun, engaging and exciting. There was nothing but montage-like, flashy, effect ridden montage of fight clips with an obviously green screened backdrop.
You really don't care who wins by the end of the second round and the last minute of the fight is probably the worst acting/directing of an actor I've ever seen in my life. I'm assuming that wasn't Michael's decision but it looked STUPID. Horrible direction and choreography. The main opponent doesn't feel or seem like a "boxer" at all.
Story is far-fetched and extremely predictable, not just the movie but the writing as well. Oh and I almost forgot there's a love interest in this one for the star... I almost forgot because it adds nothing and it's hollow.
I didn't expect much from this since it's technically a revival and I know how those usually go. But I rather liked Rocky Balboa from 2006 for being actually entertaining and I thought I was going to be let down. This one delivered on the impending prediction of disappointment in that it wasn't really even entertaining.
Good:

acting

scenery

Bad:

story

music

choreography

direction

characters (other than Adonis and Rocky)