Underestimated
By Yahoo! Shopping User Jul 5, 2001
Aside from the emotion and outstanding performances that make the original Rocky the best, I'd like to argue that Rocky III is highly underestimated and is my second favorite of this heartful series.I'd previously seen only the end of this film when ...Rocky beats Mr.T.After I watched the full movie, though, it became my favorite until I watched the original. (Rocky II and IV seem to be the most shown on TV.)Why is this my second favorite? Because it is the first movie with the theme of the "Eye of the Tiger."At the beginning of the film, Rocky is on top of the world. He defends his title successfully 10 times, and has numerous lucrative endorsement deals. Then, his most powerful opponent since Apollo challenges Rocky to one more fight before he retires.Mr. T gives a fabulous performance as vicious Clubber Lang. During the '80s, no star was known for his colorful comments more than Mr. T. In Clubber Lang, T plays a character tailored for his big mouth. (Don't get me wrong, I like Mr. T, but only he had the mouth and personality to portray a challenger to Rocky.) Clubber is fast, powerful, and a southpaw like Rocky. This takes away the advantage Rocky had over most opponents who were better boxers.One of the best scenes of the whole series was Mickey's death scene. Rocky essentially quits after Clubber's pounding because he wants to get out of the ring and back to his mentor.Don't miss the emotional final conversation between Rocky and Mickey before Mick's heart stops. Rocky loses it, and is broken after burying a man who was the closest thing Rock ever had to a father. To make matters worse, Rocky realizes that Mickey had been protecting him all along by arranging fights with inferior opponents.Rocky loses faith in himself because he believes Mick carried him, and Clubber showed him he was a 'paper' champion.Here, the series takes a dramatic twist. Rocky ends up at Mickey's old gym when he rides his bike around town to reflect on what has happened. Apollo Creed, of all people, tracks Rocky down here, and tells Rock that he needs to recapture the "Eye of the Tiger," the will to do whatever it takes to win and be the best.Rocky goes to LA with Apollo to "train old" and try to find the Eye of the Tiger again. Rocky puts no effort into his training at first because he is still upset about Mickey, Clubber, and his own loss of confidence.It isn't until Adrian confronts him that Rocky realizes that he was the champ and did what was right. She screams at Rocky that he needs to fight Clubber to prove to himself, no one else, that he IS the best. If he loses, at least he loses with no excuses and no fear, which she knows he can live with. Adrain finally shows her inner toughness in this scene.Inspired, Rocky trains hard, reinventing himself. Apollo teaches Rocky how to box, not just brawl. The rematch with Lang is arguably Rocky's best 'boxing' match. This is the only film where Rocky displays a boxer's style and rythm. All his other fights are more like slugfests than pugilistic contests.Most casual fans overlook this film because it is outshined by the underdog stories in the first two films, and the cold war theme of the fourth. In fact, most of these fans only know Rocky fought Mr.T because of the opening of Rocky IV. Also, most people don't know that the song "Eye of the Tiger" was first in Rocky III, not IV.Next time you feel like watching a Rocky film, see this one if you haven't yet. Some of it is corny in the beginning, but you won't regret watching the whole thing. Read more Less
Was this review helpful? Yes - No