Rocky III

At some point when a single successful movie becomes a successful movie franchise, there's a point where studios should just call it quits.  More sequels become unnecessary, and in a lot of ways painful to watch. Even The Godfather movies hit a major road block by the third movie.  The Rocky series is one of the weirder ones to look at in that way.  Rocky and Rocky II are classics, but after that the series went more in favor of entertainment as opposed to the drama of the first two.  None of that is to say the other four movies aren't good (okay, Rocky V sucks), but they're just not as good. Still quality but not on par with its predecessors, 1982's Rocky III.

What carries the franchise through its less-impressive efforts is basically the will-power of star, director and writer Sylvester Stallone.  In the early 1980s, he wasn't quite the cliched action star, the punch line yet that he became in later years.  I'm a fan so cliched action star isn't necessarily a bad thing, but through his ups and downs, Stallone knew what audiences liked and wanted.  High up on that list is underdog stories, the little guy getting a crack at the big time. Rocky Balboa has to be one of the most beloved characters ever in movies so even when the story is a quasi-rehash of what we've seen before, we're still rooting for him when the chips are down.

After beating Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) for the heavyweight title, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) defends the title for three years, beating any opponent put in front of him. His trainer, Mick (Burgess Meredith), breaks down and tells him he's been beating fighters just not on his level, making Rocky want to take on the top contender for the heavyweight crown, an up and coming, viciously brutal fighter, Clubber Lang (Mr. T). The fire, the passion just aren't there though so Rocky trains but ends up getting knocked out.  After someone close to him dies following the fight, Rocky is left to question, what next?  With some help from Apollo, Balboa goes for the rematch with Lang.  If he stands any chance of winning though, he's going to have to relearn everything he knows about fighting, reinventing himself as a boxer.

The first two Rocky movies are both on their own classics in my mind, and the end of the second one with Rocky narrowly defeating Apollo in a brutal fight was an ideal ending for the series.  Any more sequels were just unneeded.  It's like Michael Jordan coming back after hitting the game-winning shot in the 1998 NBA Finals.  Don't come back, close on the highest note possible.  Thankfully where Jordan's comeback with the Washington Wizards was a disaster, Rocky III is still an above average, very entertaining movie.  It follows an almost identical formula as all the Rocky movies do, and all the familiar faces are back with a few new, interesting ones thrown in to liven things up.  Not on par with I or II, but still quality.

The key to everything of course is who else? Mr. Stallone as America's favorite underdog turned champion Rocky Balboa.  There's still something endearing about this character who has finally hit it big and wants to enjoy himself.  With wife Adrian (a less shrill Talia Shire than usual) and son, Rocky has carved out quite a name and a life for himself.  Trying to keep the drama going, Stallone's script adds a darker feel to Balboa here.  SPOILERS STOP READING SPOILERS When Mick dies after the first Lang fight, Rocky questions everything he's done, everything he's made for himself.  Even when he starts training with Apollo, he doesn't give his full effort until a heated conversation/discussion with Adrian re-lights his fire.  It's a great scene that works well because one, Stallone is a better actor than he's given credit for, and two, he has great chemistry with Shire.

On to the old and new stuff, starting with Meredith as Mick, Burt Young as the always obnoxious Pauly, and Tony Burton as Apollo turned Rocky trainer Duke. Meredith is as perfect as ever as crotchety, tightly-wound trainer, Mick, pushing Rocky wherever and whenever he can.  For the big positives though, I'll start with Weathers as Apollo Creed. He was a great foe, a great enemy in the first two, but there was still something likable about Apollo.  Team him up with Rocky as opposed to against him, and you've got a great fighting duo. Plus, Apollo becomes more than just a cardboard cutout of a character as we get to see more of him.  Hulk Hogan also makes an appearance in a charity match, playing wrestler Thunderlips (Everything that is MAN!) who throws Rocky around like a rag doll -- briefly that is. And then there's the best addition to Rocky III, Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, a song meant to be played over a training montage if there ever was one.  As for Clubber, Mr. T is perfect, the ideal overexaggerated opponent for Rocky to fight.

If you've made it this far into the review, it's safe to say you're a Rocky fan.  There's just something basic about these movies that you either love or hate with no middle ground.  If hearing the Rocky theme (listen HERE), doesn't get your blood flowing, these aren't the movies for you. If you don't smile at the ridiculously cool -- and slightly homoerotic -- training montage (watch HERE), steer clear. As a sports fan, you love to see the underdog story. As a movie fan, you love the characters and the drama. The final fight is a whopper, an epic fight that should and will have you cheering.  That's the whole point of these movies.  As sports flicks, they're hard to beat.

Rocky III <---trailer (1982): ***/****