Rocky III (1982)

Directed by Sylvester Stallone. Starring Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burgess Meredith, Carl Weathers, Burt Young, Mr. T, Hulk Hogan, Tony Burton. [PG]

Times have been good for Rocky Balboa since he defeated Apollo Creed in the rematch from Rocky II, and after a string of boxing victories, he’s ready to retire…but here comes a ruthless and disrespectful contender called “Clubber” Lang (Mr. T) who lures him back to the ring. Nothing new here, but it’s made with enough earnestness and manipulative skill to hold interest. Meredith gets a deathbed scene (where Stallone becomes as unintelligible as he was at the end of First Blood), Shire has nothing to do until her melodramatic speech shortly before the final fight, the Hulkster plays a hulking wrestler named Thunderlips who declares himself to be “the ultimate male,” and T pities the fool while accurately predicting the result of his big bout: pain. What you expect going in is what you’re gonna get. In case another reprise of “Gonna Fly Now” wasn’t enough, it also contains the cheesy, fist-pumping anthem “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor.

58/100