Rocky III

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith, Mr. T
Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
Rating: PG
Genre: Sports
1982

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is now a household name after his victory over Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). He continues his winning streak until he meets with Clubber Lang (Mr. T), who completely destroys the Italian Stallone. After Mickey (Burgess Meredith) dies, Rocky turns to Apollo to train him for the rematch against Clubber.

Review:

Tim: Call me crazy, but I truly believe Rocky III is better than Rocky II. It is amazing to me that "Eye of the Tiger," the famous theme that everyone associates with the Rocky movies, didn't even appear until this film, the third installment of the series. It is a great song... actually, it is an incredible song, and this movie is better for having it in it.

Rocky faces his most formitable opponent to date. Mr. T is in unbelievable shape and Clubber Lang is a more impressive opponent than Apollo Creed was, which is saying a great deal.

Having Apollo Creed team up and train Rocky was a stroke of genius by Stallone. This reaches back to the first film and pulls all the strands together. It says a lot about the character of Apollo.

You can tell that Stallone as a director feels more comfortable behind the camera. Rocky II was only his second directorial effort. Here, he has a little more experience and does a much better job.

This film evokes the same feelings as the first two. Stallone knew he found a perfect formula with the first film and has followed that to the letter. The concluding fight scene is once again exciting and crazy to watch. Perhaps more than the first two films, the fight result is more satisfying.

Despite what some may say, I believe Rocky III is an improvement over the first sequel. It is too bad that this is the last sequel in this series for which that statement is true.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky IV, Rocky V, First Blood, Raging Bull