Rocky III Review

MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 1982

Rocky III sees the people's hero face a nemesis, Clubber Lang, who possesses an unexpected fury and strength, both in conviction and raw physical power. Confident with having won the championship from Apollo Creed and having defended his title from unremarkable challengers since, Rocky Balboa believes this unknown upstart will just be another notch on his string of successes.

But Rocky pays the price for his arrogance and loses his title when Clubber Lang soundly defeats him. Shattered in spirit, Rocky is ready to give up… but his ex-nemesis Apollo Creed works to bring forth the fighting spirit again, leading to a second showdown against the strongest foe Rocky has ever faced.

The legend of Rocky Balboa has spanned three decades, and it's interesting to watch the imprint the decades left on each individual film. The 70's saw gas shortages, a poor economy and rising inflation, plus Americans were still coming to terms with the aftermath of Vietnam and all the divisions the war caused. It was a time of uncertainly, one that America would ultimately rise from and regain its strength and pride. Comparisons can be made to the first two Rocky series, for Rocky and Rocky II were stories about a poor underdog street fighter that tries to escape from the uncertainly and despair of his life with hard work and determination, ultimately defeating his nemesis, Apollo Creed.

In the 80's the economy took a sharp upturn and Americans became hopeful and proud of their nation's status once again. Everyone gladly strived to become part of the American dream, relishing in his or her excesses. Rocky III taps into this excessive lifestyle and sense of complacency that overcame America during the 80's, while Rocky IV proudly invokes the patriotism Americans were feeling during the Cold War.

Of course this decade of exploding prosperity, patriotism and optimism couldn't last forever. The 90's arrived, and with it we experienced a decade that was quite simply uninteresting and uninspiring – a complete contrast of the 80's positivism. And wouldn't you know it, the final entry in the Rocky saga stunk just as bad as the decade that spawned it.

In Rocky III Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is living the American dream, having defeated Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) and a string of unimpressive challengers since then. Unfortunately his quick rise to the top, lack of fierce competition and national fame has made him complacent and overconfident. A street thug named Clubber Lang (Mr. T) sees that Rocky has lost his fighting spirit and publicly challenges him to a fight, one that Rocky haughtily accepts despite the warnings of his manager, Micky Goldmill (Burgess Meredith).

During their first confrontation Rocky learns that his manager was correct when he is brutally beaten by the challenger. Not only does Rocky face the loss of his championship, he faces the loss of his beloved manager who dies shortly after the match. This burden is too much for Rocky to bear and he calls it quits, but his ex-nemesis Apollo Creed isn't going to let him off that easily. He returns Rocky to the streets and his origins in an attempt to flush out the weaknesses his excessive lifestyle brought about.

Can Rocky regain "the eye of the tiger" once more and rise to the challenge the indomitable Clubber Lang presents? Well, considering there have been two sequels since this one I guess we all know the answer to that question, but it's darn entertaining to watch nonetheless!

This sequel is more of a popcorn movie than the previous two entries, but by no means is that a bad thing. A good popcorn movie is thoroughly entertaining, and in this aspect Rocky III doesn't fail to deliver.

Mr. T was always a character on the A-Team – his short-tempered performances were always a delight to watch. In Rocky III his deliciously over-the-top character steals the scenes, whether he's trash talking menacingly or pounding the stuffing out of his opposition. We can fully understand why Rocky Balboa would be scared to step into the ring a second time with this maniac.

All the returning stars don't fail to impress either; they're clearly comfortable with their roles and they help this movie to propel along at a fast pace.

Cheesy? Perhaps, but I'll be darned if Rocky III wasn't one of my childhood favorites, and it's a movie I still very much enjoy to this day. Perfect for an afternoon where you want to sit back in a comfortable recliner, munch on some popcorn and cheer on America's favorite underdog.

Movie rating: 7 stars

If you enjoyed Rocky III you may also find the following films to be of interest:

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