Directed by:
Sylvester StalloneScreenplay:
Sylvester StalloneCinematography:
Bill ButlerComposer:
Bill ContiCast:
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith, Tony Burton, Mr. T, Hulk Hogan, Bill Baldwin, David R. Ellis, Frank Stallone (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
As Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) fights his way into the hearts of millions, life couldn't be better. He scores ten consecutive wins, lands lucrative endorsement contracts and becomes famous throughout the world. But when Clubber Lang KOs Rocky in a humiliating defeat, it becomes apparent that the "Italian Stallion" has lost his edge. Considering hanging up his gloves, Rocky receives encouragement from an unlikely ally: his old nemesis, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). With Creed's help, Rocky strives to regain the "eye of the tiger" before confronting Lang in a grueling rematch for the world heavyweight championship. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (6)
The third entry is disproportionately more action-packed than the previous two, but there is no wonder about it, because it would have been hard to attract attention in any other way. Unfortunately, however, many icons have departed for eternal hunting grounds. The grayness and filth of the streets in poor neighborhoods have been replaced by a fancy house, plenty of colors, and well-ironed clothes. At times, it seems that even Rocky has undergone a brain operation and is no longer that unique dumb guy with a good heart. He dispenses wisdom wherever he goes and really does not look good in a perfect suit. The Hulk Hogan subplot is laughable, but Mr. T is an unbelievable machine. As a person, he is completely unrealistic – such a monster might not even exist in the real world – but as a charismatic antagonist he is very cool. The action is reliably solid, and the music is brilliant. Unnecessary, yet watchable sequel.
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A sad departure from the series, at first glance I can only sigh sadly. There seems to be no reason for its existence apart from the obvious financial gain, as it is missing heart or any other justification. Most likely Ivan Drago's arrival three years later was one of the happiest decisions for Sylvester Stallone's career.
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Rocky and his mild PTSD in action. It's pretty weak until Apollo comes on the scene (the "fight" with Hulk Hogan is absolutely dreadful), then when Rocky gets back into shape and the training sequences with the amazing music kick in, it's much better. This drop in quality after two almost perfect installments is redeemed, fortunately, by the iconic fourth. [60%]
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Actually, I can understand a bit the criticism that "it's the same thing the third time", because Rocky, like other series, does repeat one popular template, but it would be unfair not to see how cleverly it changes this template. The protagonist has changed since the last episode - in the process of constantly winning, he has become a celebrity, gotten rich, settled down and gotten a bit comfortable without knowing it (and also learned how to make commercials). So a blow comes (actually, more like an avalanche of blows) and he has to fight again, wake up what has fallen asleep, and so on. You know how it is. Rocky is the quintessential hero and the audience's fingers are crossed for him. Once again, Stallone wrote, filmed and played what people and he wanted to see, and once again he succeeded. Plus, presumably to lighten the brutality of Mr. T., this time he worked humor into the script (the Hulk Hogan fight is wonderfully funny, and Burges Meredith and Burt Young are also great), and the ending is a straight up ode to friendship.
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It's mostly about the sport now, focusing a lot on what happens in the ring and how the match turns out. It's not as strong of a human drama as in the previous two films, and the series here rides on the popularity of Rocky as a beloved character, which Stallone himself wanted to leverage. Personally, I prefer Rocky over Rambo, and that is reflected in my assessment as well. These are the movies I grew up with. Moreover, the new development in the relationship with Apollo Creed still moves me deeply.
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