Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Rocky's lost the "Eye of the Tiger", and this film is about him getting the Eye back., 2 Nov 2007
ROCKY III, released in 1982, is a much different film than the previous two ROCKYs. While the first Rocky featured Balboa as a down-on-his-luck thug with a heart of gold, and ROCKY II trying to another title shot, here Rock has got it all. And it's not primarilty bound to Philly.
While the first two Rocky films are about pre-fame Rocky and more localised to Philedelphia, ROCKY III is very much a pop-culture film. Anyone who grew up in the 1980s will undoubtly become rather nostalgic in viewing this film, especially the opening montage of all of Rocky's product endorsements. We have Stallone with the Muppets, all three of that era's Presidents (Ford, Carter, Reagan), and a whole litany of commercials. That's a very memorable matchup against Hulk Hogan as "Thunderlips". Anyone who followed him in the 1980s is bound to smile at this appearance. He is absolutely enormous compared to Stallone, and it just shows how impressive Terry Bollea truly was back in the early 1980s.
And then there's Mr. T. His first major film role, Mr. T. truly excels at the part. Still, however, I can't help but think A-Team and "I Pity the fool" whenever I watch ROCKY III. Of all the Rocky films, this is the one most tied to the pop-culture of the its time.
For the third installment of the ROCKY series, Stallone shows us Rocky at ultimately what is the height of his success. He's defended the heavy-weight title for ten matches. He's made endorsement deals and television appearances, active at charity events, and having quite the high profile career. Rocky's come a long way from the rough streets of Philadelphia, and he has gotten a very good life now.
That is, until Clubber Lang (performed memorably by Mr. T) appears at a recognition ceremony and calls out Rocky, saying he wants a shot at the belt and Mick tells him to get the hell out of there. Rocky is shocked at Mick's reaction, and says he wants to fight him. Mick says don't do it, but Rocky sets up the fight and loses.
Clubber Lang is the newest up and coming fighter, and he's making a lot of headway in the boxing arenas. He's been tearing men apart, and no one has really been able to stand up for him. When asked about his predictions for this match with Rocky, he very memorably said "Pain."
Just as before he loses, Mick dies, and so leaves him without a trainer. Now filled with self-doubts, unsure of his worth as a fighter, he takes up with Apollo Creed, and Apollo begins a rigorous training session with Rocky. Along the way, Rocky has to come to grip with his doubts, something Adrian helps him with. Couple of memorable scenes involve Apollo and Rocky jumping up and down in the surf hugging. They then have a second fight with Clubber Lang, where Rocky exploits Clubber's overzealousness and finds a way to recapture the title.
The Rocky series is one you must watch in chronological order to really follow the characters. While the first two films Rocky was pursuing the belt and coming to terms with fighting Apollo a second time due to Adrian's health issues, this is the first time we've seen Rocky had to adjust to fame. And he's not the only one who has to adjust. Paulie is having a really hard time adjusting to Rocky getting all the attention, and Rocky has to bail Paulie out of jail at the beginning of the film, and ultimately gets employement with Rocky.
The central conflict is all the success has gone to his head. Mickey says it the best in that Rocky has lost the "hunger", that overall desire to win and be the best. Mickey didn't won't Clubber Lang to get the title shot because he knew Clubber would win.
Knowing that Mickey began handpicking the fighters Rocky faced radically altered Rocky's life, sending him into a tailspin of confusion and pain. He doubts Mickey, since Mickey was booking fighters that weren't at the top of their game. He doubts himself, he doubts everything. When Rocky goes to Apollo Creed's training facility (a dingy gym in a rough neighborhood in LA), Apollo comments on the same hunger, because all the no-name fighters in the gym want to make a name for themselves. Apollo calls this the "eye of the tiger".
And that's really what ROCKY III is about. It's about Rocky dealing with fame, and still staying hungry, still wanting to press himself onward in his chosen profession. It's Rocky wanting to stay vital and not stagnate. It's an important warning for any professional, whether they are sports professionals or otherwise.
In many ways, ROCKY III is a personal favorite for me in the Rocky series. It's not the best, but it's quite a worthy installment in the franchise, and it makes for an interesting movie to see how the bum who made it big contend with fame and all that cruel mistress entails. And anyone who grew up in the 1980s will relate to the pop-culture references of the time.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A scaled down Production, 18 Feb 2007
The third part of the hugely successful Rocky franchise, is a scaled down production described at best. Rocky III shows the birth of a new decade, which was edgy, stylish and shiny and emphasised the term of the cold war and the yuppie periods.
Rocky, after winning the title over a knockout, has a career on top of the world, he is now the most popular accessory in Boxing. When his manager, Mick dies suddenly from heart failure in Rocky's eyes, it takes more than money to prove he still has the heart to be champ.......
Not a lot can be said about this, unless you are familiar with the two previous films, but this one is only to show Rocky wound near rock bottom as he cannot understand what has happened and how the celebrity culture is eating at his career, leaving him unexpected for the future, until it happens suddenly. It doesn't outline much more than that, a desperate idea to continue the franchise. The emotion is becoming commonplace, the acting seriously declining and the story slowly reveals the cracks.
The series continued, for two parts after this one, so obviously it still touched the heart of the audience. Best suited, for "Rocky" fans only, it might not have the same appeal or affection if you weren't.
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2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
my prediction......PAIN!, 6 Feb 2007
I have thought over whether to give rocky 3 four or five stars and the truth is its another 5 stars because once again i can watch this until the cows come home,this is a shorther film than the previous two rockys and deals with rocky who is now a success after defending his title 10 times with success and getting all the plaudits,lose his hunger as he has all that he dreamnt off,but a younger,nastier boxer called clubber lang played with ease by mr T teach rocky some manners by taking the title from him,so roccky can either accept that his days are over or train and get the hunger back that he had in the first two films so with the help of apollo creed rocky learns to change his style of fighting and instead of brawling brings speed to his armour.
Along the way he fights with hulk hogan who is brilliantly camp and rocky learns that money isnt everything when an important cast member dies,the training sequences and the use of the song eye of the tiger are all brilliant here,so with all that rocky 3 is yes,you guessed it,another masterpiece.
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