Obviously the third film in the 'Rocky' franchise, Rocky III was released in 1982. The film stars all of the keys actors from the first two films; Sylvester Stallone, Burgess Meredith, Talia Shire, Burt Young, and Carl Weathers, as well as introducing Mr. T as Clubber Lang (a character that only appears in this film).
The film picks up where the previous one left off, with Rocky being the Heavy-Weight Champion having recently beaten Apollo Creed in a rematch. However, this entry marks a bit of a turning point in the series for two main reasons; First off, Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers) isn't Rocky's opponent like he was in the previous two films, and second, Rocky's friend/manager/trainer Mickey Goldmill dies in the movie. Rocky early on loses a fight to a trash-talking challenger Clubber Lang, after being distracted by Mickey having a heart-attack. Afterwards, and for good reason, Rocky is pretty down, demoralized, and has lost the will to go into the ring and box without Mickey in his corner. However, his old rival Apollo tells him that the he can beat Clubber Lang if he gets back the "Eye of the Tiger" (a hunger and passion to win). So, Apollo trains Rocky, a friendship between the two starts to form, and pretty soon Rocky is ready for a rematch with Clubber. What follows is a middle of the road fight sequence with Rocky, of course, emerging victorious.
Overall, this one isn't my favorite 'Rocky' movie but I do enjoy it. Mickey's death is emotional, Mr. T is an entertaining foe, and the song "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor gets stuck in my head after each viewing.
I give this one a 4 out of 5.
...and if you want to read my ranking of all the 'Rocky' movies, you can by clicking here.
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