The ‘Rocky’ saga has been one of the most popular in the history of cinema since its inception in 1976. Notably, the first film earned three Academy Awards, solidifying its place in popular culture alongside its central character, the boxer Rocky Balboa, portrayed by the indefatigable Sylvester Stallone. Nevertheless, the saga has experienced its fair share of ups and downs throughout its subsequent installments, leading to the emergence of a new franchise in recent years with ‘Creed,’ featuring Michael B. Jordan in the lead role.
However, there is one entry in the series that Sly isn’t particularly fond of, to the extent that he openly acknowledged what he believes to be the worst ‘Rocky’ film in an interview from a few years back.
Stallone admits worst Rocky movie
According to Stallone, his least favoured film in the ‘Rocky’ franchise is ‘Rocky V’ from 1990, directed by John G. Avildsen, who interestingly helmed the acclaimed first instalment, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director.
“‘Rocky V’ was bad. It was a failure. It definitely didn’t live up to expectations,” Stallone during an interview on the ‘Friday Night With Jonathan Ross’ programme in 2008, as shown below.
Rocky V gets zero rating from Stallone
According to the actor himself, ‘Rocky V’ gets a resounding zero on a scale from one to ten, with Stallone asserting that the fifth instalment was “poor” and “out of place.” It appears that Sly is not alone in his disdain for this particular ‘Rocky’ entry, as it holds a disappointing 31% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website, making it the lowest-rated film in the entire franchise.
In ‘Rocky V,’ we witnessed the decline of Rocky Balboa, nearly reduced to financial ruin due to mismanagement of his boxing career, leading to his estrangement from his son and eventual retirement after suffering severe injuries. The film culminates in a street fight against Tommy ‘The Machine’ Gunn.
However, Stallone returned to the franchise in 2006 with ‘Rocky Balboa’ to bid a fitting farewell to the character, paving the way for the current ‘Creed’ series in which he appeared in the first two films, this time, truly giving the character the send-off it deserved.