Mediocre

Rating: 5/10 (30 November 2018)

The 5 stars I've credited this movie all go to Dolph Lundgren. He's the only reason I went and saw this. And unfortunately he's not given enough screen time. (His role is sinister & vindictive in a Bold and the Beautiful Bill Spencer kind of way, but, without saying much.)
They've cleverly tried to intertwine parts 2 & 4 into this 2018 offering. (When they announced that the final fight was going to be in Russia I honestly thought, "Hello, Rocky IV, here we go out in the snow again." But instead they train out in the barren Nevada desert. Guess that had some link to Tommy Gunn wanting water but one must feel the fire burning inside of you instead and you're to utilize it to your advantage? I dunno - At least it was better than that woeful bike scene in Creed 1.)
Sadly there's the lack of a score throughout the movie at times where I found myself thinking on more than one occasion, "Man, this is boring." No trumpet solos like Adrian's Theme in part 3 - none of that! Not only that but I find the lead actor Michael B. Jordan one dimensional. He has none of the charisma that Apollo Creed displayed. The same could be said for all movies today - they lack atmosphere and no longer have any feeling.
The baton is definitely handed over to Adonis Creed after the end fight with Rocky's blessing in a touching moment.
And what's lacking in ALL these modern new Rocky movies are the forgotten characters - Paulie, Adrian, Tony and Mick. I mean - what's a Rocky movie without Paulie? Come on! It shows that Rocky's character alone can't hold his own and that the strength of parts 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 came from other players. Even Bill Conti's score is sadly missed.
Want silly? Try this on for size! How's this for silly? Adonis' girlfriend finds out that she's pregnant and gives birth only 3 days later! Things move fast in movie world. Or how 'bout Adonis himself? He suffers 2 broken ribs and a ruptured kidney yet recovers in 3 days' time as well and starts training again. (Movie magic, man! I bet if you were given a life sentence in a Hollywood movie you'd be out in 5 minutes?)
And what happened to all the other contenders from Creed 1? Did they just suddenly retire or aren't in contention anymore for the sequel? I mean - wasn't there one undefeated guy from Creed 1 who was #1 ranked but broke his hand in a scuffle with the British guy? Hmm.
As for Brigitte Nielsen - why was she even in it for? (She won't be winning an Oscar for that performance let me tell you.)
Should have killed Rocky off in Creed 1 with that touching bed scene illness subplot - who knows he may have went close to winning an Oscar for it had they done so? Today's movies can't ensnare the late 70's or 1980's anymore so I say leave alone what came before and try to create something new for today's generation. (You can't keep relying on the past for your spring board today. Give today's generation something they can be proud of and call their own. Sadly the trend will continue.) No more please. P.S. Whatever happened to Cuff & Link in the modern Rocky movies? Or the groovy robot of Paulie's from part 4?