Runtime: 99 minutes
Directed by: Sly Stallone
Starring: The usual Rocky people, plus Mr. T
From: United Artists
How did I forget the one scene where Paulie suddenly becomes a bigot... or rather, shows everyone he is a bigot?
While this isn't to the extreme like what was got in IV, III is still amazingly 1980's... the presence of several iconic figures from the decade will do that, but there's a scene in an arcade and then there's the clothing, the music, Rocky in a print ad for Delorean... this is definitely from the decade of excess.
This is less serious than the first two movies yet is still pretty entertaining. Rocky Balboa is now rich and he is beating challengers... who aren't that great. The over the top Clubber Lang goads the champ into a match despite Mickey's fears over his health. Things do not go well as Balboa has become soft so it takes Apollo Creed training him via his methods for him to stand a chance in the rematch. Rocky doesn't have the eye of the tiger anymore, a statement that is stated at least a dozen times in the film.
Mr. T will never be a master thespian but he was at least memorable with the character he portrayed. The same goes for Hulk Hogan as THUNDERLIPS in that preposterous wrestler vs. boxer charity match. The main cast did swell with their roles and it was nice to see Adrian be assertive in one scene and help Rocky get over a big event in the film. Paulie will always be Paulie, I suppose... I'd be lying if I said that character's one scene where he made some racial comments was the only time that Paulie has ever thought that way-Burt Young was always memorable in that role, along with Burgess Meredith as the cantankerous Mickey.
The boxing in this franchise has never been the most realistic, yet that is fine for me as I am not a big fan of the sport anyhow. What you see is exciting and the stories of each fight is different and easy for anyone to follow. While I am sure Rocky suffered brain damage in his two Clubber Lang bouts even before he got to Ivan Drago with all the punches he took right to the skull, you're not supposed to think about what we know now as CTE... instead you can be amused at how the relationship between Rocky and Creed seems rather homoerotic by today's standards.
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