A Civilized Rocky Meets Mr. T

Rating: 7/10 (27 December 2001)

A lot of people didn't care very much for this movie, but personally I rather liked it. It isn't without its weaknesses, but I thought overall that it was better than Rocky II, and certainly worth watching, if one likes the "Rocky" series.
Sylvester Stallone plays a much more civilized Rocky Balboa in this picture. Rocky has been champion for three years and has had ten title defences - unfortunately, as we discover from Manager Mickey (again played well by Burgess Meredith), against "hand-picked opponents." "Good fighters," Mickey insists, but fighters he knew Rocky could beat. "My job was to keep you winning, and to keep you healthy," he explained to Rocky by way of justification. But a new, hard, lean and mean fighter ("Clubber Lang," played perfectly by Mr.T) has appeared as the top contender, and Mickey wants nothing to do with him. Rocky has become soft, and not up to the challenge. He lives in a big mansion, fights wrestlers ("Thunderlips," played by Hulk Hogan, in what I thought was a very amusing performance) for charity, and even speaks in a more cultured voice. But Rocky accepts the challenge from Clubber, and the movie goes from there.
Clubber Lang is a very different opponent for Rocky than Apollo Creed ever was. I just couldn't dislike Creed. I rooted for Rocky, of course, in those fights, but Creed was not unlikable. He was a showman, and even when a nastier side of him appeared in "Rocky II," it was understandable. I felt sympathy for him. But Clubber is just thoroughly mean and unlikable. An opponent like Clubber was probably necessary to make this movie worthwhile. Carl Weathers was decent as Apollo Creed, who now accepts the responsibility for getting Rocky ready for Clubber. Aside from that, though, the performances were a bit lacking. Not because of bad acting, but because the movie was very short (just over an hour and a half) and a lot of it was taken up with training shots. Talia Shire was for me an exception to this, though. I thought her performance as Adrian was very good, especially a powerful scene on the beach when she convinces Rocky that he has to do this just for himself, and not for anyone else.
There were weaknesses here. The dialogue (never particularly a strong suit in the "Rocky" franchise) left much to be desired, and a piece of atrocious over-acting by Sylvester Stallone at Mickey's death scene left me laughing rather than crying, but I liked this movie. And, as always, the fight scenes were magnificent.
7/10.