Rocky III

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 The grayness and filth of the streets in poor neighborhoods have been replaced by a fancy house, plenty of colors, and well-ironed clothes.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. (04/27/2007)

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. (03/18/2014)

In Rocky’s story, everything is there for a reason. So when it comes to the third movie, I guess there’s a reason for Mr. T to be a second-class challenger doped up with some sort of a Himalayan mistletoe or something, and for Rocky to be doing the lamest training I’ve seen in his movies. At times, I was wondering whether Sly was serious with the trainings in front of the reporters, because it made for the lamest possible scene in the Rocky saga. Then I realized that Sly had to show Rocky’s arrogance and, in the end, he didn’t really do a bad thing. Just like when he returned Apollo Creed into Rocky’s life, because it started a beautiful male-male relationship that’s unparalleled in boxing movies. When I think about the positives and the negatives, I keep thinking… then again and again… I realize that the third movie isn’t all that bad. On the contrary. It has a significant impact on Rocky’s character development. (04/15/2018)

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. (01/03/2016)

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. (03/17/2006)