Certainly bad but it has its moments

Rating: 5/10 (5 November 2018)

As far as I'm concerned, the Rocky series ended in 1985 with Rocky IV. There didnt seem any place for the series to go that hadn't already been explored and IV was such a bombastic ending it just seemed right to end it there. Even the three year gap between each film was no more for five long years later we got Rocky V.
This time, he's back on the streets. But we've already seen him on the streets and poor in Rocky. We lived that with him and saw him grow to what he became over the years. But there is something off with this Rocky.
First off it's like a Stallone is doing a parody or imitation of Rocky. He really over does it. Paulie is borderline retarded instead of just stupid. Duke is played like a pantomime villain (will Rocky fight? Oh no he won't, oh yes he will), and the fight at the end turns out to be Rocky battering an already emotionally-battered twenty year old at the end of the day.
Also I'm pretty sure Rocky could have solved his financial problems by suing Tommy who had just asssulted his brother in law in public in front of a whole bunch of witnesses.
There are some good moments: the estranged son sub-plot which cultivated here and developed throughout later episodes, Adrian's goosebump-inducing speech about Rocky's son being lost...aaand that's all I can think of because they're far and few between. The Mickey scene doesn't work because it's supposed to be pre-Creed but Rocky is obviously post-Creed in that scene with his new face and steroid enhanced body and loyal Rocky fans are expected to ignore the obvious discrepancy between the pre-pubescent son he left in Rocky 4 and the angst-ridden teen that greets him on his return from Russia. How long was he out there?
It's worth a look now and then like an old friend but this and any Rocky movie that comes after is no really part of the canon. They're just weird anomalies made by Stallone for whatever reason compels him to do so.