Okay, let's talk about Rocky V... (it's complicated)

Alright squad, just finished watching Rocky V with the crew and... woof. It's definitely the black sheep of the family, right? Like, after the high of Rocky IV, this one just felt...deflated. I get what they were trying to do, stripping it back to the roots of Rocky, focusing on him as a trainer instead of a fighter. But something just didn't click for me. Tommy Gunn was just... annoying. I never bought him as a legit threat, more like a whiny kid Rocky picked up off the street. The whole 'Rocky loses all his money' plot also felt kinda forced. Like, seriously, a crooked accountant? Couldn't they have come up with something a little more creative? I did like the scenes of Rocky back in his old neighborhood, reliving his memories, and the street fight at the end had a certain gritty charm to it, even if it felt a little out of place after the big arena fights we're used to. And Mickey's ghost? A little too on the nose for me, ngl. Honestly, my biggest issue is probably that it just undoes so much of Rocky IV. He goes from national hero back to broke has-been in like, five minutes. It kinda cheapens the triumph of beating Drago, ya know? Still, it's Rocky. I'll always have a soft spot for the Italian Stallion. It's not bad, just...disappointing after what came before. What did you guys think? Am I being too harsh? And can we talk about Rocky Jr. being a little turd? I mean, I get it, he's a teenager, but c'mon! He was so much cuter in the first three movies - lol.