Without a doubt the best film of the series...

Rating: 10/10 (27 April 2005)

Rocky 3 is without a doubt the best film in the series. Rocky I and II are tremendous films that focus more on Rocky and Adrian's love for one another and their journey from unhappiness to complete fulfillment. Rocky IV while visually stunning, is verging on SCI-FI it is so unrealistic( I still can't get over 2000PSI!!) and Rocky V makes the whole journey seem almost worthless. But the third film in my opinion has the perfect blend. From the supercharged "Eye of the Tiger" opening to the classic Rocky v Apollo ending, this film just does not let up. All of the cast act their socks off here, none more so than Stallone himself. The scene of Mickey's death after Rocky's destruction at the hands of Clubber Lang is brilliant- you can feel the genuine emotion Stallone has for Mickey's character and the chemistry between Meredith and Stallone is there up to the very last scene they had together. But the Masterstroke here lies in making Apollo a far more central character after Mickey's death. Carl Weathers pulls of a huge feat in this film in that he fills Meredith's shoes so to speak- not an easy job when you consider just how important Mickey is to the Rocky films. WOW, all of this and I still haven't even mentioned CLUBBER! Clubber Lang is a great adversary for Rocky and the power and intensity his character displays in the ring is ferocious. The second fight between Rocky and Clubber is just breathtaking, the pace of the fight is electric, some of the camera work makes you feel like you are literally in the ring with these two warriors. And more importantly here we see Balboa at his absolute peak- technically and physically, he actually looks and fights like a man who is the BEST fighter in the world. Rocky evolves in this film into a boxer with speed, skill, intelligence and power. A triumph of a movie that I would recommend to anyone with the slightest interest in being entertained!