Rocky III

The presence early on of Hulk Hogan as Thunderlips heightens the feeling that with this third Rocky movie you are merely watching a World Wrestling Federation-style soap opera in which alliances switch and change simply to continue the melodrama, and so Rocky aligns himself with former rival Apollo Creed, takes on new rival-in-the-ring, boxing up-and-comer Clubber Lang (Mr T), and poor Adrian begins her demise, turning into the sad onlooker she becomes in Rocky movies evermore...but then "Gonna Fly Now" starts, there's some slow-mo muscle montages, Apollo Creed appears in a crop-top, and at least for the last half hour the appeal of the original Rocky returns.

★★★☆☆

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Rocky IV (1985)

Trading in his scantily clad beach runs alongside Apollo Creed in Rocky III for runs through Soviet snowfields with his new-look goatee, Balboa heads to Russia to fight a drug-enhanced Russian giant, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) in this more-rudimentary-than-ever Rocky episode that is nine-tenths rock video training montage and only one-tenth boxing scenes cut with shots of what are quite possibly just cardboard cutouts of poor Adrian and her brother Paulie, both with nothing better to do than sadly watch on as the series inexorably worsens.

★☆☆☆☆

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Rocky (1976)

Written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, this feelgood schmaltz delivered with a grubby working class credibility introduces Rocky Balboa, a boxer with a heart of gold who would feature in seven subsequent movies, who wanders Philadelphia being called a 'creepo' and being yelled at by his trainer, best friend and the heavies who employ him until he finds Adrian, a timid pet shop store owner whom Rocky brings out of her shell and in return is boosted with a self-respect that enables him to give boxing champion Apollo Creed - and Life - a long overdue uppercut.

★★★★☆

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