Rocky V: Different Doesn't Always Mean Bad

Rating: 6/10 (10 January 2015)

Rocky fans are sharply divided when it comes to this fifth and almost last installment in the Rocky franchise, many considering it the lowest point in the series. Whether it is or not, it's certainly the most unique. The story is not so focused on Rocky himself, but split between Rocky, the troubles of his son, and the rise of his protégé Tommy Gunn. That splintering as well as the change in format and the street fight ending are the biggest issues fans have with Rocky V. And of course, Tommy's mullet.
When people fall in love with a film, or film series, the last thing they want is something different. Most filmgoers want to see the same thing over and over with only very modest changes in characterization and story. Rocky through Rocky IV all had roughly the same storyline: Rocky wants to quit fighting, someone convinces him to fight, he trains hard, and finally he dukes it out in the ring with a bigger, stronger, larger-than-life opponent. Sometimes he wins, sometimes he loses. This is the Rocky film fans were used to seeing. Rocky V takes a new road entirely and shows our hero in a very different light.
Adrian's brother Paulie is definitely the antithesis of Rocky in the films. He mistreats Adrian, drinks like a fish, and at times shows extreme jealousy and aggression toward Rocky. At the beginning of Rocky V, Paulie tops all past shenanigans by gambling away Rocky's fortune, forcing the family to return to the dingy, crime-riddled Philadelphia neighborhood where they started. Why does Rocky keep putting up with Paulie's bad behavior? We all love Rocky in part because his heart is bigger than his brain, but this time around the Italian Stallion seems denser than usual. While it is explained early on that Rocky has actually suffered some permanent brain damage, he is a little too oblivious here.
During most of Rocky V, we just want to smack Rocky across the face and tell him to wake the heck up. We can sort of understand why he keeps Paulie under his roof despite his costly blunder, but what follows is nothing less than a string of bad decisions by a Rocky who's clearly asleep at the wheel. He ignores his son's obvious need for attention and guidance, he takes an ungrateful punk under his wing and lives vicariously through him, and he allows a slimy Don King-like boxing promoter walk all over him. Adrian, meanwhile, is wide awake but her repeated attempts to shake Rocky out of his fantasy are in vain because he just won't listen.
Probably the biggest complaint of Rocky V is the ending. All of the other five Rocky films spend their final fifteen minutes in the ring. Not this one. Instead, Rocky's former protégé Tommy challenges him to a bare-knuckle fist fight on the street. Since Tommy is technically the heavyweight champion now, and because the fight is relatively short and doesn't take place in the ring, it does feel a bit unofficial. It makes sense that the audience would want to see Rocky retain his title one last time and that doesn't happen. Furthermore, the film's closing credits are superimposed over a slideshow of memorable moments from the entire series, making it feel even more final.
Having said all of this, the truth is that Rocky V is still a pretty good movie. It may have some frustrating, even awkward scenes, but it's packed with real emotion and is generally well made. The best news of course is that Rocky V isn't the end anyway. Stallone wisely decided to make another film sixteen years later - the surprisingly great Rocky Balboa - which closely mimics the original and gives this spectacular series the ending it deserves.
I love the Rocky movies. Having recently bought the Heavyweight Collection on Blu-ray and watched them chronologically, I have nothing but respect for Stallone and love for his alter-ego. Each entry in the Rocky series is a worthy chapter and none of them stray too far from their origins. From that perspective, I'd go so far as to say the Rocky series is probably the most consistently good film series ever made. Every series has its black sheep and Rocky V is certainly that. But does that make it a bad film? I don't think so.