Captain_Couth
"Just how punchy is Rocky?"
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"Drrr Adrin wut happind ind ere?"
-
Aug 18, 2011
- by TheJohn
- posted in Movie Hype
Rating:
"You got your ass kicked honey."
-1
Really, I don't think I can sum that up better then faux Adrian. Rocky V in 1990 effectively ended the Rocky series with an entry so weak and so uninvolving it wasn't even funny.
In the movie, we pick up right after the big fight in Rocky IV with Rocky rattled and hurt talking to Adrian. Something is wrong with him that we will learn later. Upon coming home to America, Rocky is immediately accosted by a slimy Don King lookalike to challenge his charge Union Cane (with bad Mike Tyson Tweety Bird voice) but Adrian tells Rocky to hold off after coming home still feeling the effects of the last fight.
Getting home and seeing they're son, we learn that Paulie has made a bad money decision giving power of attorney to the wrong people and Rocky's money and robot is gone and it's back to the slums with no hope of fighting in the ring again since the last fight has left Rocky even more brain damaged then he was before. Never mind any money that Rocky might have made from his fight with Drago or even doing some kind of endoresment deals for money.
So if the eye issue in Rocky II wasn't enough of a reason that Rock shouldn't be in the ring, this is and Rocky needs to find something to do now. Re-opening Mickies old gym, Rocky finds Tommy Gunn (love the names in the Rocky series) a promising new face who could go to greatness but Rocky can only get him so far before the Don King lookalike sinks his claws in him, not to mention Rocky's relationship with his son is affected by Rocky spending more time with Tommy then him.
This movie really falls in a few regards. One Tommy Gunn is really charisma free. He's too easily manipulated that you don't truly hate him but you don't care about him that much even when he's with Rocky. The subplot involving Rocky's son is mish mashed with dealing with bullies at school and his relationship with dad who is still carrying on over Gunn and the whole movie just kinda meanders around. With Rocky more or less out of action, he does feel out of place in his own story. The movie only really kicks in with a street fight at the end with Rocky and Tommy tearing up an alley outside of a bar to settle they're differences and that is at the finale and too late to make an impact.
Rocky V isn't a horrible movie but it is the weakest of the Rocky movies. It's heart is minor compared to the first one and even the second and third and the entertainment value is low compared to III and IV. Rocky V does bring the dignity back to the series that IV robbed the series of and the movie isn't BAD but it really is a shame that the movie series ended on such a subdued and worn out way. Maybe that makes it more real, but after the first movie ending on a high and with it's sequels ending similarly high or happy, the way Rocky V hits you like a fist in the face with the way we see our character's broke and ill it's a little disheartening. Maybe that makes it more real, maybe the important thing is that the characters are happy but it somehow still feels sad. Thankfully there is another..........
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woopak_the_thrill
August 31, 2011
THis was the weakest of the Rocky movies that I was kinda happy that Sly came out with "Balboa"
TheJohn
September 08, 2011
I think everyone is. That movie blows this one away.
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JSMaresca
August 20, 2011
Some of the boxing is very theatric.
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JSMaresca
August 18, 2011
These movies are for boxing enthusiasts not theater critics. Rocky 5 didn't do badly. "Rocky V however made almost twice as much overseas and thereby a total of $119.9 million worldwide." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_5 The fans are accustomed to seeing Rocky actively participate in a world title match. For most of this movie, he's on the sidelines trying to handle an up-and-coming Tommy. Nonetheless, the viewers paid for the action in the movie not the theme.
TheJohn
August 18, 2011
Rocky V opened around the same time as Home Alone did too and that didn't help ticket sales either. Rocky being on the sidelines hurts the movie cause he feels like a spectator the way we are in the movie when events should be more around him then they are. Boxing movies are fine and they don't need to be good to be entertaining (Rocky IV is a great example) but entertainment is important too. From an artistic standpoint, V is good but for entertainment it's kinda weak. I've heard interviews with boxers who say they actually hate some of the Rocky movies because of how ridiculous some of the boxing is, but thats not here nor there. Thank you for reading.
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Quick Tip by TheJohn.
August 18, 2011
Rocky goes back to the slums cause of bad money decisions and bad beatings to the head. Has some heart but you are never truly invested in what you see. Ends on a quiet note.
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review by Captain_Couth.
July 30, 2009
Rocky has finally did it, he did the possible and has his brain turned into mush to prove it. After the severe beating he took from Drago in Part IV (any normal human would've perished from acute trauma of the brain) he now must face life outside the glamorous lifestyle of being a rich and successful boxer. Poor Rocky also has to come to terms with several things one of them happens to be the sudden growth spurt of his son. As usual the deck is stacked up against Rocky. Will he be able to overcome … more
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About the reviewer
John Nelson (TheJohn)
Ranked #7
Ranked #7
Born in Wausau Wisconsin. Move at an early age to Ventura California and lived for 8 years. Growing up in a big city landscape didn't prepare me for my next move: Archbold Ohio with a population of … more
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About this movie
Cast:
Sylvester Stallone,
Tony Burton,
Burgess Meredith,
Kevin Connolly,
Michael Pataki,
Tony Munafo,
Richard Gant,
Burt Young,
Billy Lucas,
Sage Stallone,
Mark Thompson,
Richard Wright,
James Binns,
Michael Williams,
Stu Nahan,
Talia Shire,
Michael Sheehan,
Mel Scott-Thomas,
Jodi Letizia,
Jane Marla Robbins,
Don Sherman,
Lou Filippo,
James Gambina,
Lloyd Kaufman,
Charles Hines,
Clay Hodges,
Jeff Langton,
Dale Jacoby,
Bob Vazquez,
Nicky Blair,
Gary Compton,
Helena Carroll,
Patrick Cronin,
Brian Phelps,
Leroy Neiman,
Michael Buffer,
Mark de Alessandro,
Bob Giovanne,
Tommy Morrison,
Deila Sheppard,
Thunder Wolf,
Lauren K. Woods,
Elmer Smith,
Hayes Swope,
Henry D. Tilman,
Stan Ward,
Chris Avildsen,
Jonathan Avildsen,
Al Bernstein,
Caro Jones,
John J. Cahill,
Paul Cain,
Frank Cappuccino,
John P. Clark,
Clifford C. Coleman,
Daniel Epper,
Jennifer Flavin,
Julie Flavin,
Tricia Flavin,
Alex Garcia,
Ben Geraci,
Tommy Gunn,
Stanley R. Hochman,
Kent Johnson,
Katherine Margiotta,
Meade Martin,
Albert S. Meltzer,
Albert J. Myles,
Susan Parsily,
Elizabeth Peters,
Carol A. Ready,
Cindy Roberts,
Robert Seltzer
Director:
John G. Avildsen
Genre:
Drama
Release Date:
November 16, 1990
MPAA Rating:
PG-13
Screen Writer:
Sylvester Stallone
Runtime:
1hr 45min
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