Rocky III (1982) Review

 

Rocky III (1982)

3 years after his upset title win over Apollo Creed, Rocky III follows Rocky Balboa, who after riding high through multiple title defenses, gets beat by loud-mouthed newcomer Clubber Lang. Rocky then, with the help of Apollo, must fight his way back to the top and regain the eye of the tiger. 

Rocky III, in my opinion, marks a new chapter for the Rocky franchise. II closed the book on the saga between him and Apollo, as well as with much of the hardships he had to face to get there and so naturally, III has him face new opponents and face different setbacks that will eventually befall a champion, especially in boxing. And like never before, this is a story about boxing. Rocky, after beating Apollo, is no longer the hard-nosed bruiser struggling to make it. He’s now a chiseled machine, running off of 3 percent body fat and very obviously not struggling to get by anymore. In Mick’s terms, he “got civilized”. Which led to him becoming lazy, overconfident, and complacent. Enter Clubber Lang, who preceded the success of Mike Tyson but it’s impossible to not see the parallels in pure strength and fury. 

So, importantly, Rocky must loss. That’s part of the journey and that’s always what will make him the underdog. Losing, and losing Mick, instills a fear in him that is only awoken through Adrian & Apollo’s help and boy I must say, I will never tire of the friendly rivalry that Apollo & Rocky share. It’s one of the things that make this such a good follow-up, is their pairing and Rocky’s battle back to the top, which is nothing short of exhilarating in the final act. 

We get another rock solid cast, starring Hulk Hogan, Burt Young, Tony Burton, Burgess Merideth, Talia Shire, Mr. T, Carl Weathers, and Sylvester Stallone. I mentioned it above, but the pairing of Stallone and Weathers as a team now is perfect, as Weathers really brings out the emotional and shut away sides of Rocky as he battles through his fears and shortcomings. 

Rocky III, directed by Sylvester Stallone, is another wonderful sequel that finally takes us into new territory and starts a new chapter for the Italian Stallion, forcing him to confront losing his edge as a fighter and finding the will to get up and keep swinging.

8.6/10