Rocky Redeemed

Rating: 8/10 (24 July 2019)

After the embarrassing trash-fest that was "Rocky IV," which was a sledgehammer that destroyed a franchise known for having the perfect balance of action and drama, by morphing the characters into cartoons...we get a return to form. "Rocky V" seems to be an apology for that veering off course, by bringing back the raw emotion that made the world love these iconic characters. Slammed for being "depressing," even though life can be depressing, and no matter how high a person climbs, they can always fall back into the sludge that they crawled out of. I'm guessing people didn't want to think about that, or anything, while watching something that must have looked like a throwback in 1990.
Returning to his Philly roots after losing his fortune, (by way of a far-fetched plot device but it's a MOVIE and it was necessary to tell the story it wanted to tell), Rocky and Adrian must rebuild their lives from zero. Having grown up in privileged wealth, Rocky's son, (played by Stallone's real-life son, Sage) doesn't adjust too well to life in a rough Philly slum. The kid needs to develop a thick skin when confronted by a jealous bully at school, and the fact that his dad is wrapped up in reliving his old dreams, by training the next big boxing champ, doesn't help his son cope. This is basically a father/son relationship story, and it wasn't what the "Rocky IV" crowd wanted. But those who remember the original, were mostly happy to see a return to reality. And maybe the film makers were aware that more people could relate to hard times and poverty than mansions and Maserati's, but looking at some of the criticisms here, they overestimated the intelligence of Rocky fans. Seeing the "old neighborhood" is such a nostalgia trip for those who grew up watching "Rocky" and "Rocky II" that any flaws can be forgiven. Seeing Mickey return in those emotionally charged dream sequences was another high point, as was seeing Sly acting with his real-life son, who was really good in the role. In the end, the message behind "Rocky V" is a simple one, that family is more important than wealth and fame. The movie's final fight did not take place in some big boxing ring with lights and celebrities, but rather in a dirty Philadelphia street, with Rocky in a brutal, bare knuckles street brawl with his nemesis, Tommy "Machine Gunn" Morrison, the up and comer that turned on him after being trained by the champ and then selling out to the sleazy world of professional boxing, which is exposed here in a very honest way. The fight is raw, and as hard as that brawl with Clubber Lang in the also excellent "Rocky III," only this time it takes place in the real world. Why so many people didn't like this movie is an absolute mystery to me.