Ahead of rewatching the Creed movies, one Rocky installment that simply cannot be skipped is also considered the worst in the franchise. Many of the individual Rocky and Creed movies are ranked among the best boxing movies of all time, but not all of them get such a warm reception. The installments mentioned among the best Rocky movies tend to be the first two, as well as Rocky Balboa.
Where Creed is concerned, the first is often regarded as the crown jewel. That said, all three films are highly regarded as a solid continuation of the Rocky franchise, to the point where the story of Creed 4 is highly anticipated. Although Creed 4 is confirmed, it is unclear when the film will enter production. Moreover, it is unclear whether Rocky himself will be in Creed 4. Regardless, a rewatch of the entire franchise will likely be on the cards, and there is one Rocky movie that cannot be skipped, even if it is regarded as the worst entry.
Rocky V Is Easily The Worst Rocky Movie
The Fifth Installment Is The Weakest
The movie in question is Rocky V, which many would agree is the worst movie in the franchise. The first two movies are fairly beloved, and while Rocky III and Rocky IV have their issues, they are mostly exciting, fun movies. Rocky Balboa was considered one of the stronger entries, largely due to the immensely disappointing Rocky V. Of all the movies in the series, Rocky V has the most inherent issues and, above all else that went wrong, suffers from being simply boring in a way that its predecessors and successors were not.
Firstly, Rocky V‘s plot is driven by an illogical decision from Paulie. The lapse in judgment that saw the Balboas lose their wealth kickstarted Rocky V‘s entire nostalgia-based story, with the latter suffering from being uninteresting and the former being made worse as a result. The focus on Robert was also not compelling, and Tommy Gunn is one of the least interesting Rocky villains. Rocky V is also the only movie without the narrative tension of building to a climactic fight, with the final street fight only proving why the film is the worst in the series.
Rocky’s Story In Creed Only Makes Sense If You Watched Rocky V
Big Elements Of Rocky’s Later Life Stem From Rocky V
Despite the film being the worst in the series, Rocky V is vital to understanding the тιтular character’s story for his appearances in the Creed movies. For this reason, Rocky V cannot really be skipped when rewatching the entire nine-movie marathon. Without the film, important context that ties to Rocky’s arc is missing and makes both Rocky Balboa and the Creed trilogy less rewarding as a result. Where Creed is concerned, the film focuses on Rocky being a famous retired boxer, but one who does not live a lavish life and instead runs his restaurant, Adrian’s, alone.
Regardless of how bad Rocky V may be, no one can deny how important it is to the overall series…
Rocky does not speak to his son and does not seem to be someone living in luxury after a successful boxing career. Therefore, skipping Rocky V and going straight from Rocky IV to Creed, for example, will make little sense. Creed II then explores the fallout of Rocky and his son Robert and their subsequent reconciliation. Without Rocky V and the storyline of Rocky and Robert’s relationship beginning to fall apart, this plot from Creed II would be less impactful. Regardless of how bad Rocky V may be, no one can deny how important it is to the overall series.
Rocky Balboa & The Creed Movies Helped Redeem Rocky V
By Treating Its Plot Points With Reverence
All of that being said, Rocky V is still a weak movie, but Rocky Balboa and the Creed trilogy certainly went a way to redeem it somewhat. Thankfully, the four movies that followed Rocky V chose to treat the developments of the characters and overall franchise with respect rather than dismissing them. A common trope in modern Hollywood is for rebooted franchises to disregard lesser installments and follow on from more beloved entries, be it Terminator: Dark Fate following on from T2: Judgment Day or 2018’s Halloween being a direct sequel of the original of the same name.
When Creed was being developed, it would have been easy for the film to only address Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, and Rocky IV. However, Ryan Coogler took even the less intriguing developments of Rocky V and implemented them into Creed, just as Stallone did when making Rocky Balboa in the 2000s. In doing so, elements of Rocky V have certainly been redeemed, even if the film itself is still underwhelming. Regardless of its individual quality, the worst Rocky movie has to be rewatched before Creed.
