This series should've ended after Rocky IV...

Rating: 1/10 (29 August 2004)

This movie was just all wrong. There's no other way to say it. Reading some reviews on here I'm suprised to see that some people can watch this movie and really like it. Now I'll admit, I see what they were trying to do by, in a way, revisiting the atmosphere and grittiness of the original Rocky...but this was just not the way to do it. Rocky gets injured and is forced to retire: I'm okay with that idea...seeing that he wasn't really prone to blocking during his fights.
The reason this film spoils the series is because it simply shatters everything that was built up in the previous four parts. Parts I through III all had good stories, making them pretty good drama/sports films. In pt I he's coming up just trying to get a chance, and does. In pt II he had gotten so close, he gets a rematch and finally wins the title. In pt III (my favorite) he stays on top but loses his hunger and his edge....so a hungry fighter coming up defeats him (Clubber Lang) and he has to go back to basics and regain the edge to climb back to the top. I was okay with those 3. Rocky IV was propaganda at its worst...USA vs the evil Russians, tasteless and preposterous. Here in pt V, Rocky can't fight anymore, but what's worse is that he loses all his money due to his deadbeat brother-in-law, so he's forced to go back to the 'hood where he came up; his wife, used to expensive jewelry and fur coats and sports cars now has to work in the same pet store she did in the original. Why was Paulie still allowed to hang around Rocky & Co after blowing all their money away? How did Rocky's son age 5 years between pt IV and pt V?? It was bad enough we were losing key characters as the series went along (Mickey, Apollo, hell we almost lost Adrian in pt II), but now in pt V we gotta see Rocky right back where he was in the original, wearing the same black leather jacket and hat, except he's more of a nutcase. That is VERY hard to accept after we went on a long ride hoping he succeeded...it's just very hard to swallow as a fan. If he had a couple more fights and then had to bow out gracefully for fear of greater injury and retire is one thing. Close out the series with him on top. But Sly and Co. somehow found it would be cool to strip away everything the Rocky character built in the previous 4 films, and this is what's most uncomfortable about Rocky V. Like Terminator 3, I just refuse to acknowledge Rocky V's existence in my mind. The most unnecessary sequel of all time along with T3 & Godfather III.
* out of **** stars.