Continued the decline

Rating: 4/10 (19 November 2006)

Like many others, I became a complete fan of the "Rocky" saga from original film on. All who have followed boxing know that the original was inspired by the New Jersey club fighter, Chuck Wepner, who fought the great Muhammad Ali and knocked the champion down. However, Wepner was also known as the "Bayonne Bleeder," because of the amount of punches he absorbed, with his propensity to cut easily.
The original took this a step further, made the fight a "split decision," and "II" portrayed Rocky's successful rematch with the "Ali" figure, Carl Weathers' Apollo Creed. After losing the title and regaining it from Mr. T in "III," number "IV" turned pretty ludicrous. The death of Creed at the hands of the Soviet "super-human" indicated a lack of information and forethought on the part of those involved, even in the more secretive Cold War period. And Rocky's training on the Russian steppes in the dead of winter, and the whole bout in Moscow were also outrageous.
However, "V" here, in my opinion, missed the mark others have accorded it. First, even allowing for Stallone's acting style, and some intended exaggerations in the Rocky persona, it is too far beyond belief that Rocky would undergo such extreme metamorphoses as his fortunes rise and fall.
In "III," continuing after he won Creed's title in "II," his dress, demeanor, speech, and overall sophistication, are on a level with, Pierce Brosnan wearing the $7,000 suits, in his Bond flicks. Rocky's grammar and speech patterns also seem to have improved from the original goon/dropout to those of somebody who may possess a degree from the Ivy League.
But in "V", his financial fortunes have taken a reversal. Rock seems to believe he has no alternatives between plush living and luxuries, Saville Row tailoring, and good diction and grammar --- and looking like his clothes came from Goodwill, living in a tenement, and speaking like a street person from "Oliver Twist," sans accent, or William Bendix, the Brooklyn lug in an old WW II movie.
Even a modicum of consistency in the lead character should have been maintained, despite his varying circumstances.
I'd give the original 10*, "II" 9 or 10*, "III" 8 to 9*, "IV" 4* and this one the same. From what I've heard, the new film ("Rocky Balboa"), recently shown in advance premier, to be released several weeks hence, gets well back on-track. Hope so!