I don't wanna ruin the surprise, but Sly wins this one again
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
Clubber Lang is such a great villain..and awesome trash talk too..absolutely loved it as a kid..hes at his best when flirting with Adrienne hahaha hey wo-muhn..I bet you stay up late every night dreaming you had a real man hahahah..by far my favorite Rocky movie and who knew Sly and Carl did the classic 2 buff arms hand shake move first that Arnie and Carl made famous lol
Mr. T and Hulk Hogan in the same movie is almost too much. Still those are some of the best fights of the entire franchise. It took long enough for Apollo Creed and Rocky teaming up. That last shot is perfect.
Now the opponent is Mr. T.
The cracks in the Rocky formula are starting to show. More and more of the run time is taken up by what amounts to music videos and what little story there is, is underdeveloped and melodramatic (having just finished watching Rocky IV before writing this review, spoiler alert, that problem gets worse). In this case, I actually think the overall premise had potential. Rocky finding out that Mickey was setting him up with lesser contenders is a nice little twist. But the execution is too superficial, with Rocky's arc feeling rushed. Combine that with soapy dialogue (the scene on the beach with Rocky and Adrian in particular), and the movie just doesn't land its punches. On the plus side, Eye of the Tiger is still catchy as hell and Mr. T is pretty fun too.
Rocky III is a must-watch for one simple reason: Mr. T. His portrayal of Clubber Lang is the driving force behind this installment. With his charisma and presence, Mr. T elevates the film to a whole new level of excitement. If you're a fan of the Rocky series or just enjoy compelling villains, this is a good watch!
Fight scenes between Sylvester Stallone and mr. T are incredible.
Rocky 7/10
Rocky II 10/10
Rocky III 10/10
A sequel to a sequel that didn't need to exist is undoubtedly toying in dangerous territory. How to justify the existence of something that doesn't need to be here? The answer is once again nailed. It goes bigger in terms of villain and over the top-ness. While the plot is not as good as the original, Rocky III is as enjoyable as any of the films to date.
Rating: 3.5/5 - 8/10 - Would Recommend
The last part of the movie I was literally jumping on my chair, that was amazing, I like their friendship now and feel sad for the loss of him.
In every rewatch of the "Rocky" series, the third part is the one where I get the first signs of fatigue. Yet everything is still solid. The friendship between Rocky and Apollo works very well, and Burgess Meredith gets an appropriate farewell. Mr. T as "Clubber" Lang is also a good antagonist. His "I pity the fool" line, in particular, is legendary. This time, the training montage has an even higher level of homoeroticism (from today's perspective). The increased budget is visible here, as well as in the final fight. Negative, however, is once again Paulie, who this time is not only obnoxious but also racist. Furthermore, the same story repeats itself once too often for my taste. A new direction for the series was already overdue at this point, and it would come with the sequel.
The boxer vs wrestler scene hurts the movie a little bit. Since it goes along with the joke that wrestling isn’t fake. With Rocky in a real exhibition match with a wrestler played by Hulk Hogan.
Other than this is one of best sequels with plenty of heart and drama. Though as the movie goes on the Paulie jealous of Rocky scene in the beginning just becomes more pointless.
Mr. T. is a highlight though as a big mouthed boxer named Clubber Lang. Who has his sights on Rocky’s title.
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.
“It’s the eye of the tiger...” Rocky III comes out swinging; ramping up the action and moving away from the heavy drama. On the verge of retiring as heavyweight champion Rocky takes on up-and-comer Clubber Lang and loses, prompting Apollo Creed to come out of retirement to help Rocky win the title back. While the first two films were about the “big fight,” this one has all sorts of fights, training montages, and even a wrestling match. However, this new direction doesn’t live up to the previous films. Mr. T adds some new energy as a formidable opponent for Rocky, but he’s a one dimensional villain. And, the loss of Mickey is a devastating blow; but it does allow for the series to take Apollo’s story in a new direction. Rocky III is still a great film, but it’s a different type of film from the first two.
Mr. T is excellent (though I prefer him as a "good guy" like B.A. Baracus) and all the other actors perform amazingly. Stallone is a fantastic actor. The whole Rocky movie series is very emotionally charged with fantastic stories in each movie. However, this one wasn't as good as the first 2, the second movie being my favorite.
Shout by NoxBlockedParent2021-12-21T15:09:05Z
My favourite Rocky so far. Its got Mickey, Adrian got more to say, Creed. Good story and what I found is these movies got a lot of heart. How Adrian broke him down on the beach just so he could build himself up again with the help of his friends is what he needed. Final fight is coming up. I don't even care if Rocky wins, he already has in my opinion.