Rocky + Mr. T = Typical Rocky Sequel, good and bad. Enjoy!

Rating: 6/10 (21 September 2009)

Rocky III may be the Rocky Sequel that time forgot, but it's not that far off from other Rocky sequels in terms of quality and emotion. Rocky movies usually have a moral overtone, and this one is no different. Rocky get's complacent and loses his championship as a result. He also has to deal with loss in the characteristic Rocky formula when Micky dies. In the end, as usual, he trains hard and comes back to overcome his opponent. Throw in a few appearances by Hulk Hogan and Mr. T and you have yourself an 80s movie. It's hard to know how to feel about this movie. Then again it's hard to know how to feel about Rocky in general. On the one hand, the fight scenes are totally unrealistic. But Stallone pulls you in with his emotional and pityful character. The acting is never bad. But the writing is meant to be more soap opera than serious drama. If you were to see this movie on it's own, it's pretty cheesy. But in the context of Rocky films in general, it's actually not that bad. Mr. T actually gives one of the best performances of this movie. He is very believable as the bitter and cruel Clubber Lang (try to ignore the ridiculous names of characters like these). Tony Burton doesn't get as much face time as "Duke" in this picture, but in my humble opinion he is the best actor out of the entire cast. As for Burgess Meredith, Carl Weathers, Burt Young, and Talia Shire, they all give their consistent decent performances. Stallone really makes you feel for him, truly mastering the "gentle giant" character. It is heart wrenching watching him get his face beat in, even if the fighting is totally unrealistic. Overall, this is a typical Rocky movie. Nothing compares to the raw emotion of the original Rocky, but if you like the series and you have a few hours to kill, this is an entertaining movie.