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Rocky V

Rocky V

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $13.45
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good Story, Depressing Movie
Review: Confused? Well, the movie itself was very well written. If you've watched the ROCKY series and truly understood it, then V's story makes sense in a linear way. The character of Rocky Balboa has come full circle, from bum to star to bum. Rocky's older now, and the boxing game is much different. After losing his riches to a crooked accountant, losing brain cells to years of repeated beatings (most notably by Ivan Drago in IV), and losing respect by a Don King-like promoter, Rocky feels every bit the loser he did back in the original ROCKY. He tries to continue living his boxing career vicariously through a new protege, with disastrous results. And although his boxing career is over, Rocky still proves he is the best there is at what he does (ala Wolverine) by returning to his street-fighting roots. Without giving away the ending of the movie, the point is that Rocky has his family, and the rest of life's troubles mean nothing when up against that fact.

So it was a well-written movie, but I personally didn't care for it all that much. Right off the bat, I hate it when the good guys get screwed. I don't mind seeing Rocky beat up, for whatever reason, but it really gets to me that after five films, he winds up in the gutter again, despite it being done realistically. Also, the soundtrack to the movie sucked big time. Rap music? For Pete's sake, what happened to "Eye of the Tiger"? What happened to Vince DiCola? And the climactic street fight wasn't corepgraphed well, I thought. It went on too long, and Rocky took beatings in thew wrong parts. When you hear that triumphant Rocky theme start to play (even if only fort a few seconds), you expect that fight to be over a few seconds later. Instead, every time it looked like Rocky won, his opponent kept jumping up like the killer in a slasher flick. And call me a sap, but I prefer an ending where the hero wins big, rather than just survives.

So, while not a great ending, it is at least a definite and plausible ending. ROCKY V may be the worst of the series, but it's still ok, and worth a viewing at least once for closure's sake. Go ahead and get the collection, you'll get 3 great movies, and two okay ones.

Fun fact: in a "rare" display of Hollywood nepotism, we find that Stallone's son can actually act. Although I will never figure out how that character manages to age so quickly. In III, he looked about 7. IV took place the day after, and he looked to be about 10. V took place soon after IV, and now he's about 14. What is Rocky feeding this kid?

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS A SIGN THAT THE ROCKY SERIES HAS DIED
Review: DUE T0 BAD BUSINESS DECISIONS BY PAULIE, WHO'S ADRIAN'S BROTHER, ROCKY ENDS UP BROKE AND HAVING TO MOVE BACK TO HIS OLD NEIGHBORHOOD. MEANWHILE, ROCKY TRAINS A YOUNG FIGHTER. THE CAST DOES THE BEST THEY CAN, BUT, UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS THE WORST MOVIE OF THE SERIES. THE ONLY THING THAT'S REALLY WORTH SEEING IS THE STREET FIGHT AT THE END. OTHERWISE, THIS IS JUST A BORING MOVIE. TAKE MY ADVISE, THIS SERIES IS DEAD. THERE'S REALLY NOTHING LEFT TO DO WITH THESE MOVIES.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A very good movie but....
Review: Here are the good things and bad things:
GOOD:
* Amazing acting!!!
* The relationship between Rocky and Tommy Gunn was cool.
* Rocky's son is Stallone's real son.
* Rocky is still the champion even if he doesn't fight again.

BAD:
* WAY TO EDUCATIVE!!!!!!!!! Rocky spend more time with Tommy than his son and money means nothing. (Must of the movie is like this).
* Rocky lose his money for a stupid reason!
* I dind't understand why Tommy had to betrayed Rocky.
* The colors of the movie SUCKS!!! (Rocky 4 have the best budgets)
* HORRIBLE fight choreoghraphy and Rap music at the end!
* The final fight was in the streets.

P.S: The director Jonh G. Avildsen always srew up the sequels. (Let's not forget Karate Kid part 3).

ADIOS!!!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: QUIT WHILE YOUR ON TOP.
Review: I loved Rocky 1, but why ruin a classic. I think fans of rocky were pleased with just 1 movie. In my mind producers should have known not to make even a second one let alone 4 more.And another thing, I always imagend Rocky being not wealthy, in this movie he has a "robot made". I don't know about you , but I really did not like this movie. I just hope they don't make a 6th one!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: It's Middle-school all over again!
Review: I remember the hallways of my Middle-school; it seemed at the time like a ticking time-bomb. If you bumped into someone, they would want to fight you. At the drop of the hat, people (and I mean the boys) would be ready to throw punches. I must have been challenged to a fight, on average, three times a day. "You wanna fight?" "Let's go" and "Hit me" are all I really remember.

So it is with Rocky V; easily on the top-ten list of worst movies made in the 90's. They intended this film to be a gritty return to the original "Rocky" realism and imagery; especially when a freak financial accident leaves them broke and living back in the Philadelphia projects. The film tackles one issue heavily; what it means to be real. Let's look at the criteria:

To be real you have to be the following. 1. Poor 2. have a stunted vocabulary 3. be able to pound anyone who challenges you to a fight 4. have the acceptance of everyone around you

And while the majority of the film is Rocky trying to tell his protege Tommy Gunn (a real-life fighter at the time) to stick with him and not let the wolves of a huge boxing-promoter (a Don King homage if ever there was one) destroy his career by taking him away from Rocky, all this movie ends up proving is that to be a man, to be legitimate and true, you have to pound someone into a bleeding mess. And you yourself have to endure massive amounts of damage in the process.

The only acting points in this movie come from Talia Shire as Aaaaa-drian!!!! and Burt Young as indolent brother-in-law Paulie who constantly seems like he's simply being himself (the equivalent of Jason Mewes playing the character Jay). Stallone for all his exploration of Rocky Balboa, cannot make him come across as genuine. Perhaps this results from Stallone's inability to ACT??

Other than that, there's not much to say. The final scene is a brutal, Mad-Max Thunderdome depiction of justice (two men enter, one man leave). The blue-collar hero Rocky punches out the rich, punk kid who has forsaken his roots. He also punches out the rich, Don King character who uses the ready-made, rich-man villain line; "touch me and I'll sue." Rocky's response? "Sue me for what?"

How about assault and battery? Not to mention disturbing the peace, destruction of public property, inciting a riot, etc. Nah; but how about we have the Catholic priest bless the bloody, bruised Rocky as the crowded street people cheer him on? I'm sure any priest would condone his behavior as Christian: instead of turn the other cheek, how about cave in the other cheek? Yes, they actually show a priest blessing Rocky after a street fight, as if it's some kind of prize to be won. But what about the loser? I guess he's excommunicated for not being a man.

The movie also leaves out the last fifteen minutes of the movie where police show up, dispurse the crowd with batons and pepper-spray, arrest Balboa, Gunn, his promoter, and cordon off the area as a crime-scene. Nevermind though; Rocky won. He beat up the other guy, therefore his behavior is perfectally natural, acceptable and not associated in any way with a severely militant personality. Somebody send this kid to the school counselor!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Welcome back my long lost friend...
Review: I saw this movie when it first came out a decade ago and thought it was a fitting epilogue to the Rocky series. Though I hear a fifth sequel is in production, I won't judge until I see it, but assuming this is indeed the final Rocky film I think it was a good return to the elements that made the first film so memorable. Also, the director and cast of the original film return here. I was disappointed at first about the main characters' losses at the beginning of the film, but they became closer as a femily and returned to a neighborhood where they are loved. I appreciate the film's emphasis on family and the importance of sharing wisdom with the right people. Though the fight at the climax of the film takes a detour from the typical boxing finales of the previous films, I personally enjoyed it. And the end credits with Elton John's "Measure Of A Man" playing in the background is enough to bring a true Rocky fan to tears...excellent film!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Shamless Way to End the Rocky Series...
Review: I though after the greatest victory of Rocky's life against Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, it should have all ended there with Rocky Balboa on top as the greatest fighter of all time. Also I felt that the last photo of Rocky at the end of Rocky IV with the American flag behind him was the monumental way to end the story as it represented the picture to remember Rocky by. To some extent I can see how there would need to be a Rocky V, but the way this movie came out wasn't the Rocky V I was imagining.

After returning from Russia after his greatest triumph, Rocky returns to American realizes his millions has been stolen by his theif accountant. Rocky now has now been diagnosed with permanent brain damage from all those years of fighting (Ivan Drago a big reason). Rocky, Adrian, Rocky Jr (Sage Stallone) and Paulie are left broke and must return to the old low-rent neighborhood where they started out in Philadelphia. The only thing that Rocky can do now is take over Mickey's Gym that was left to him in 1982 when Mickey died.

Returning to Philadelphia, Rocky discovers a hungry young fighter named Tommy Gunn (Tommy Morrison). Rocky decides to manage Tommy and turn him into a the number-one contender. Along the way, Rocky now begins to neglect his family more and more causing more resentment by Rocky Jr against his father. After Tommy becomes the top contender, he betrays Rocky and decides to go with a unscrupolous promoter, Mr. George Washington Duke. Now that Tommy has become the new heavyweight champion, the fans and the press hound him for betraying Rocky. Duke convinces Tommy that to get respect, he must fight Rocky.

I have to say, the final fight between Rocky and Tommy was pretty good due to the fact that it was a street fight this time. Rocky proves once again that even with brain damage, he can still finish on top.

This movie had an okay plot, and the fight was good. But I do strongly feel that as a major Rocky fan, the series should have ended after Rocky IV or Rocky V should have been a lot better. In my opinion this was a shamless way to end four great movies. In a way the circle was completed in the process from bum to star to bum all over again. It is my least favorite of the 5 "Rocky" moveis but for those of you Rocky fans, buy this DVD to complete your Rocky collection and you may love or just like it. Either way, this movie is worth buying no doubt.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Spartan Hero
Review: Perhaps this film expresses the lost possibilities of Khan. Maybe not. All I know is that Tommy is the last chance we've got of attaining hope. Good on Rocky. The first four films were ensconsed within the first fourness of a trilogy, whereas this baby is free as a bird. When we appreciate that Rocky and Raging Bull set out the ropes for the boxing movie, how then are we to believe - tolerate - this fight procedure without a heavy yawn, a bored reach for the remote, an effort at opening our eyes when all we gawp at are stereotypes of hero/villain idolatory that our generation thought were done with. rocky!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Great Closing Turn for the Full Rocky Circle.
Review: Sage Stallone is natural and great.

Sylvester Stallone began to show that HE WAS THE WILL SMITH OF HIS ERA. What did he do in Rocky series? He was just showing an autographic series of his own story in the fighting for a seat of the big screen acting.

Misfortunes in his personal life was well seamed with his then focused and concerted efforts of winning his son to his side, whom was left alone most of the time to seek out own ways to earn a position in his own life. Who also was in a dire need of knowing that a father as powerful as Sylvester Stallone was not going to leave him alone not paying attention to his growing.

Lightly touched issue, like many of Sylvester Stallone's personal life points, like facing son after dividing and separating in real life, is rewardedly completed by Sylvester Stasllone's complacent smile dotted on the stage where Rocky Balboa statue was erected where Museum of Art stands always at Philadelphia.

Tommy Gunn, might be a symbol of many who have taken a portion of Sylvester Stallone's life, love, and training in his own path to successes, turned his back against Sylvester STallone to swallow him. A star as geat as Sylvester Stallone let him do it as he did in many occasions of his life. Earning big $ returns seems to have made Sylvester Stallone unnecessarily humble and ready to receive any humiliations. What a clown, when one chose to be a male actor? What a clown's life lay around him? One would wonder until when would this abuse cease?

It is nice in movie that Sylvester Stallone did not get swallowed by Tommy Gunns, but returned suredly and safely to the protection of his own child and his own wife--thanks to Paulie, that wife was often on the brinks of becoming financially, and perhaps emotionally drained.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MY RINGS OUTSIDE
Review: this is by far one of the most underated films in the history of the world. most people dont like it because they expect it to follow the same format that the previous rocky movie's did. those people dont understand that this is the reason why its the best one of the series.rocky 5 did an outstanding job of getting the viewers to know more about rocky the man instead of rocky the boxer.complex family issues and financal diffaculty affect the once great boxer not to mention a little bit of brain damage so he is forced to move back to the ghetto. where he discovers a talented amature boxer and trains him. at a certin point rocky's own son takes a backseat to tommy gun "rocky's protege". and when the buisness of boxingturns tommy against rocky. rocky discovers what is really important. the last fight is awsome it takes place in the streets and rocky says some of the most memorable one liners ever "i didnt hear no bell one more round" do your self a favor and watch this movie.


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