Rocky III

"This guy is a wrecking machine, and he's hungry!"

About halfway through Rocky II (1979), Rocky Balboa went from relatable man to godlike pugilist. The next step from chicken-chasing and child worship is Rocky III (1982), a cornball comic strip thrusting Rocky into the cinematic '80s. It's big, loud and stupid, but strangely entertaining.
Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) becomes heavyweight champion, defending his title against myriad challengers while growing rich off celebrity endorsements. Enter Clubber Lang (Mr. T), a hungry young fighter demanding a fight with Rocky. Despite Mickey's (Burgess Meredith) warnings, Rocky accepts Clubber's challenge and promptly loses. Rocky's humiliation is compounded when Mickey dies. Along comes Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), now retired, who trains Rocky for the inevitable rematch.
Rocky III sets the tone immediately with a music video montage. Rocky hocks candy bars and appears on The Muppet Show while Clubber Lang trains in rat holes and fights in dives. Scored to Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger," it's an electrifying sequence that immediately hooks viewers. It's also a sign that Stallone's given up trying to restrain Rocky's fantasy elements. It's the '80s now, an era where only Merchant-Ivory films deal in restraint.
And Rocky III is basically a live-action Saturday morning cartoon. Rocky not only hangs with Muppets but boxes a wrestler named Thunderlips, played by Hulk Hogan. Watching Paulie (Burt Young) bust a chair over Hogan's back WWF style deals dignity a TKO. We also wonder how Rocky and his opponents could survive blows that would kill an elephant in real life. But the bouts are so outlandishly enjoyable that it's like critiquing Commando's portrait of guerrilla warfare.
Thunderlips is nuanced compared to Clubber Lang. Since Rocky's the world champ, he's only sympathetic fighting a slime-dwelling malefactor. Accordingly, Mr. T plays Clubber like a skid row Bond villain, wearing Mohawk and feather earrings, shouting insults and uttering dread pronouncements. Asked his prediction for the rematch, T sets his jaw and growls: "PAIN." T's boundless charisma earned him a spot on The A-Team and decades as a B-list celebrity.
Even so, Stallone remains invested in Rocky's character. He's better-spoken than before, swimming in money and enjoying celebrity too much: Philadelphia's mayor dedicates a statue to him! An element of self-criticism creeps into Stallone's portrayal. His complacency makes him an easy mark for Clubber, an underdog with skill and desire. Stallone gets one excellent scene arguing with Adrian (Talia Shire), vomiting self-doubt until Adrian bucks him up. It's such a raw, well-acted scene that we forget how much Adrian nagged Rocky in the last film.
Carl Weathers lands his biggest role of the series. No longer the villain, Weathers dials up the charm as he trains Rocky into peak condition. Cynics claim their training montage is homoerotic, but there's nothing unbecoming about half-naked musclemen groping in the surf. Burgess Meredith's passing seems curiously ineffective; much as we like Mickey, his death's too obviously an emotional ploy. Talia Shire suffers whiplash navigating Adrian's whipsawing support; Burt Young's biggest contribution is busting a pinball machine.
Rocky III came the same year that Stallone finally scored a non-Rocky hit, First Blood (1982). Bolstered by the success of that serious-minded drama, Stallone swore that he'd put the Rocky franchise to bed. Three guesses how that worked out.