OK, fair play would have to say that Rocky I and II were better films... but this had Mr. T in it and given that he was one of my childhood favorites I feel horrible not giving it 10 of 10.

It was a decent film and Mr. T does a great bad guy (even though the kid in me hates to see him in a villainous role). And we get Action Jackson back, which always makes it feel like a Rocky film.

Where this differs from I and II is in the characters... they don't take much time to develop them further. The plot is centered almost entirely around the fight and that kind of makes me miss the depth of the first two... however, it is just as inspiring, it is just as motivating, and in a way that only Rocky films can really pull off.

And again we get to see Rocky as the perpetual underdog that has to fight and struggle and only rises to the top through will power and hard work... and that, the concept of a hero that has to struggle, is missed in modern movies.

While Rocky III may have the weakest story of the series thus far, it is still able to create unique and believable obstacles for Rocky Balboa as he nears the end of his boxing career.

To start off, the acting is very inconsistent in this film. Our leads, Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, and Carl Weathers, do an excellent job and improve with each entry. But our antagonist (Mr. T) is bad. He does not get very much screen time, and when he does, he is spouting generic lines in his weird-tempo talk. He was physically intimidating but lacked the emotional ferocity that Rocky and Apollo possessed.

The story is the weakest, but it still manages to deliver great moments of depth and character progression for our protagonist. It takes similar themes from the last film (lack of confidence and external pressures) and spins them on their head to create unique challenges for Rocky. The film starts off with a pretty rocking montage of Rocky’s boxing career as he racks up knockout after knockout. But with his discovery that the opponents were hand-picked by his management, Rocky finds himself in a downward spiral. He becomes that bum from Philly that he always was, and no matter how much success, money, and fame he gets, that past will always creep itself into his thoughts. After Mickey's somewhat rushed and cringe-worthy death, this conflict brings Apollo Creed back into his life. It is here that the two's dynamic blossoms, and we see Rocky earn Creed's respect. It was a great full circle moment and a fantastic way to lead us into the film's climax.

The score is still great, as the iconic Rocky theme echoes through various versions depending on the scenario. Eye of the Tiger was an excellent addition, and I had no idea Stallone requested this song be made for this movie. It seems as if every song that rings through Rocky’s halls turns to gold.

The cinematography is great once again, and Stallone proves that he has an excellent eye behind the camera by being able to film the boxing scenes very well. The pacing is superb, with the film being twenty minutes shorter than the previous two entries, which I quite enjoyed.

Overall, Rocky III is my least favorite film in the franchise but is still a great addition to the franchise. I envy those who were able to experience the fandom in the theaters during the 1970s and 1980s.

Score: 74% |
Verdict: Good

Now a heavyweight champion with multiple defenses under his belt, former street-level everyman Rocky Balboa has fallen into complacency, having extinguished the untamed fire that once propelled him to such unlikely heights. In a way, that metaphor works for the film as well as the man. Where the original _Rocky_ was an existential rumination, a study of self-doubt and critically flawed individuals set against the backdrop of a crumbling American metropolis, this third chapter is missing a certain raw edge, a grounding sense of confused humility.

If the first film is less about the fight than the sheer weight of its influence, _Rocky III_ finds the opposite position. It's all rock'n'roll training montages, baby-oiled biceps and cinematic haymakers. In that sense, then-unknown costars Hulk Hogan and Mr. T make ideal dance partners. Clearly, neither were recruited for their acting chops. They're here to grunt angrily and look intimidating opposite a ludicrously-shredded Sly Stallone, to give and take a few slow-motion slobberknockers as the story clumsily approaches its final bell. There were hints of it in _Rocky II_, four years earlier, but at this point the franchise has completely transitioned into a new genre. It's fist-pumping adrenaline whenever possible, with perhaps a few moments set aside for a quick dose of scrappy character intrigue. The charming lo-fi personality of the first film having completely given way to a posh, polished (if mostly soulless) Hollywood gleam.

It's not without moments. Carl Weathers is still around, now cast as an ally, and shares an unspoken chemistry with Stallone that's badly needed. The plot's key selling point - fear of replacement - has the inkling of something deep and meaningful, although that remains largely unexplored. The fight scenes all look appropriately powerful, if excessively reliant upon hard-hitting offense. Even as a standalone film, though, I'd see it as thin and watery, to say nothing of its relevance to the groundbreaking original. The big-screen equivalent of a throwaway episode from a long-running TV drama. The pieces are all in place, but they aren't really doing anything interesting.

There's a lot to cover in this review of my Rocky III rewatch, with a view to the arc of the character as a whole across the 8 movies.

Let's get to it...

- Stallone looks great. The chiseled body now that he was famous, wealthy and able to train with Franco Columbu - not to mention some fairly extensive plastic surgery and perhaps some training 'juice'. The way they explain it away is hilarious - and again when he looks like he'd struggle to weigh more than a light middleweight never mind a heavyweight.

- Mr T does an incredible job of portraying a frighteningly brutal opponent. And for perhaps the only time, he looks muscular not chubby. The fact Clubber Lang is long remembered means his performance was excellent.

- The choreography and camerawork in the final fight is fantastic. Kudos to Stallone for making some fantastic shots. The use of big cat roars for Clubber's noises made the whole thing intense. And the nods to real boxing matches and real-world thrown punches are excellent. (Think rope-a-dope. Hagler's comments about silk pyjamas.)

- However, this is the start of cartoon fight sequences. Whilst the first two films had over-the-top 15 rounders, these fights are homicide if they took place in reality!

- The plot and pacing for this one are a step up. You'll never recreate the gritty magic of the first film. The second proved that. But this one jams a load of plot in and fires at it really quickly.

- The acting ability of Talia Shire starts to creek. The beach scene is one-sided to Stallone for quality and believability.

Overall this is excellent though.

It's the start of Rocky the superhero and tellingly the first of the 80s Rockys... But it uses montages and flashbacks so well that it gets away with it. The emotions it pulls out of the viewer means it's one of the most rewatchable and effect instalments in the canon.

The Rocky saga mirrors Stallone's own life and its clear to see the parallels here. This is peak Rocky and peak Stallone. The good of the 80s was just beginning, not yet weighed down by the excesses of that decade.

Final note - the believers who question why Rocky gets smart in 3 and 4 and is thick in all the others, look again. He has a nice haircut here but his verbal abilities are no different to the first 2. It's just a guy exposed to more of the world and more comfortable operating in it.


7.75/10

I don't know what you want me to say. I mean, what happened? How did everything that was so good get so bad?

*** This review contains spoilers ***

Rocky is reigning World Champion and is dispatching all comers to his crown with ease. But looming in the distance is Clubber Lang, a young and hungry boxer intent on becoming the new champ.

Pretty safe enjoyment for anyone into the fantastical world of Sly Stallone's Rocky Balboa franchise. Into the narrative this time comes a new boxer, portrayed with relish by Mr. T, a revelation that cuts Rocky to the quick, and personal grief when his mentor and friend Mickey (Burgess Meredith) dies (Stallone doing brilliant believable grief). Back comes Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed, only this time he wants to train Rocky to beat the mighty Clubber Lang. Rocky's heart isn't in it though! Can he get that Eye of the Tiger back? Well of course he can and thus we get the obligatory training montages and a ferocious fight to crown the story.

It's comfortable film making with comfortable acting performances and it's often very exciting as well. 7/10