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Other than having the most overplayed non-Boston / Journey AOR song stuck in my head thanks to this, Rocky III delivered a third chapter that does everything it can to keep our legendary boxer alive and well. He's no longer the underdog, he's the washout. And the story it takes is just as realistic as before, but does that alone make it a good movie?
Rocky is defending his title with little effort. However, this all changes when a hotheaded rookie named Clubber Lang (Mr. T) wants his shot at Rocky. Angering our Philly friend to no tomorrow, Rocky accepts. But when he's humiliated by the new guy, guess who comes around to teach him in ways that Mick couldn't? Apollo Creed, who wants this Clubber Lang put in his place.
Believe it or not, I didn't even know that Mr. T was in this movie, let alone that this was the movie that made him famous. I thought A-Team was his big thing. But hey, this is pretty cool. Even though Rocky III isn't considered a great movie these days, it's still a piece of history. And Mr. t makes it history with his perfect performance. The guy's just being himself, and it works way too well. Even though his character is hardly developed, he's an incredibly convincing villain with great lines.
There's a different kind of heart used to tell Rocky III's story: the journey after success. Now everybody wants a piece of Rocky. And you know Rocky's gonna win, but the fun of the movie comes from how the fights play out. This is especially true for the boxer vs. wrestler match between Rocky and Thunderlips (Hulk Hogan).
Mick is also at some of his most philosophical here. The scene where he goes over all the reasons why Rocky's career should've ended was a perfectly-written heavy-hitter that eats at the heart of the Rocky fan. That was one of the best scenes in the entire franchise thus far! And the other scenes do everything they can to keep the spirit up with just as much realism as the first two and even more philosophy. This helps with the return of Apollo Creed, who makes for a great teacher.
However, the movie also makes the same mistake as the second. The characters are not largely lived up to. Seriously, we get a beginning scene where Paulie gets jealous of Rocky and gets arrested as a result of his drunken actions, and how does this play into the plot later? Trick question! It doesn't! So once again, most of the characters aren't growing with Rocky.
I liked Rocky III more than II, and I'm certain that I'm in the minority here. But there's more story to it and just as much heart. In all actuality, it was the addition of Mr. T and his character that makes this better than the second. Still, I wouldn't say this is better than the first. But as a director, Stallone, who wrote Rocky to begin with, understand swhat people love about him better than anyone.
= 75/100
Sylvester Stallone's Score (3 Good vs. 0 Bad)
Rocky III: 75
The Expendables: 73
Rocky II: 73
Average Score: 73.66 / 3
KEYSER CORLEONE'S ROCKY WEEK!
Rocky III
(1982) - Directed by Sylvester Stallone
--------------------------------------------
Boxing / Drama
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Rocky III
(1982) - Directed by Sylvester Stallone
--------------------------------------------
Boxing / Drama
-------------------------------------------------
"Hell, you ain't been hungry since you won that belt.”
Other than having the most overplayed non-Boston / Journey AOR song stuck in my head thanks to this, Rocky III delivered a third chapter that does everything it can to keep our legendary boxer alive and well. He's no longer the underdog, he's the washout. And the story it takes is just as realistic as before, but does that alone make it a good movie?
Rocky is defending his title with little effort. However, this all changes when a hotheaded rookie named Clubber Lang (Mr. T) wants his shot at Rocky. Angering our Philly friend to no tomorrow, Rocky accepts. But when he's humiliated by the new guy, guess who comes around to teach him in ways that Mick couldn't? Apollo Creed, who wants this Clubber Lang put in his place.
Believe it or not, I didn't even know that Mr. T was in this movie, let alone that this was the movie that made him famous. I thought A-Team was his big thing. But hey, this is pretty cool. Even though Rocky III isn't considered a great movie these days, it's still a piece of history. And Mr. t makes it history with his perfect performance. The guy's just being himself, and it works way too well. Even though his character is hardly developed, he's an incredibly convincing villain with great lines.
There's a different kind of heart used to tell Rocky III's story: the journey after success. Now everybody wants a piece of Rocky. And you know Rocky's gonna win, but the fun of the movie comes from how the fights play out. This is especially true for the boxer vs. wrestler match between Rocky and Thunderlips (Hulk Hogan).
Mick is also at some of his most philosophical here. The scene where he goes over all the reasons why Rocky's career should've ended was a perfectly-written heavy-hitter that eats at the heart of the Rocky fan. That was one of the best scenes in the entire franchise thus far! And the other scenes do everything they can to keep the spirit up with just as much realism as the first two and even more philosophy. This helps with the return of Apollo Creed, who makes for a great teacher.
However, the movie also makes the same mistake as the second. The characters are not largely lived up to. Seriously, we get a beginning scene where Paulie gets jealous of Rocky and gets arrested as a result of his drunken actions, and how does this play into the plot later? Trick question! It doesn't! So once again, most of the characters aren't growing with Rocky.
I liked Rocky III more than II, and I'm certain that I'm in the minority here. But there's more story to it and just as much heart. In all actuality, it was the addition of Mr. T and his character that makes this better than the second. Still, I wouldn't say this is better than the first. But as a director, Stallone, who wrote Rocky to begin with, understand swhat people love about him better than anyone.
= 75/100
Sylvester Stallone's Score (3 Good vs. 0 Bad)
Rocky III: 75
The Expendables: 73
Rocky II: 73
Average Score: 73.66 / 3