All the Rockys are the same movie, mix it up for once; terrible!

Rating: 1/10 (24 November 2018)

You know a movie is bad when you can predict the plot from start to finish. If you had to ask someone to write down the plot of this film with the sole guideline that it not be edgy, this is what you would get from most people. It basically was a remake of the Rocky with Drago without Apollo Creed dying. Whoever wrote the script for this movie should be ashamed of themselves. There was zero attempt to be original, zero attempt to make the film nuanced, zero attempt to develop characters. The Ukrainians/Russians were the worst. This is 2018, not the eighties. It felt like the Soviet Union never fell in this movie.
I didn't like the Drago subplot specifically. It was beyond lazy. There was no point bringing Drago's ex-wife back. Develop the character if you're going to do that, don't just put her in the movie without a good reason for her to be there. We're also meant to assume Drago's dad was completely shunned by everyone after the first movie, which just wouldn't have happened. There was no rematch? He didn't continue his career? He didn't move to Little Odessa, NYC, join the mob, train fighters? London? Come on. His mom just gave the younger Drago up, apparently?
One last thing, Michael B. Jordan was the weak point of this movie. It's official, he can't act. His performance in this film was embarrassing. It had to be said. He used to try before, but now it seems like fame has gotten to his head. I wouldn't be disappointed if Creed was recast for the third movie. TBH, I'd rather see a proper film about Drago and his son, just with a better actor. There's more of a story there than with Adonis Creed.
Can't recommend. Don't even bother on video, it's that bad. The audience at my showing loved the movie and even clapped, but they must have never seen a Rocky movie before because it basically was a carbon copy. A shameless one.