Rocky III (1982)
Directed by Sylvester Stallone
Following Rocky Balboa's intense battle with his most powerful adversary yet – the ferocious Clubber Lang – Rocky joins forces with former rival Apollo Creed in an effort to get back his fighting spirit.
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What critics compared Rocky III to
Cars 3 es básicamente Rocky III, con vehículos sustituyendo humanos y las carreras de coches sustituyendo el boxeo.
And it’s hard to ignore the parallels between Cars 3 and Rocky III, of all things (more on that in a bit).
The latest installment in Pixar’s NASCAR-approved franchise, Cars 3 owes almost as much to Rocky III as it does to the previous two entries in this lucrative series.
On the surface, it is a thoughtful and occasionally poignant mid-life crisis film, with an underdog sports hook that recalls Rocky III and especially Rocky Balboa.
With retirement suddenly looming after a bad crash, McQueen endeavors to train his way back to the top, ala “Rocky III.”
As all Rocky III fans know, this is where Lightning must begin his quest to get back the eye of the tiger, and occasionally encounter a subplot that suggests over-merchandising is the sign of a moribund franchise (there’s not even a hint of irony in the delivery).
But before Billy faces his ultimate foe — Miguel is a less memorable version of Mr. T’s scene-stealing Clubber Lang from Rocky III — he must go on that defining personal journey: being banned from boxing for a year, losing his home and family, and one upbeat song (Eminem’s “Phenomenal”) that champions his indomitable spirit in the face of such adversity.
“Southpaw” is, like most fellow boxing movies, a shameless melodrama, one that mixes “Rocky III” with “Rocky V,” plus bits of Franco Zeffirelli’s unwatchable 1979 remake of “The Champ,” in which Jon Voight and Ricky Schroeder tussle over who can mug more.
Rocky III's rebuilding-the-champ drama meets Cinderella Man's Daddy struggles, with a dash of The Fighter's neighborhood grit and some Eminem on the soundtrack for the beefcake training montage.
The plot takes a turn toward “Rocky III” territory when he’s goaded into a confrontation by upstart contender Miquel Escobar (the terribly unlikable Miquel Gomez), and tragedy ensues.
If you’re familiar with the wide world of boxing movies, you’ll notice that this is basically the plot of Rocky III.
It's clear that Coogler loves the franchise — even some of the bad bits — peppering in nods to the previous films wherever he can, be they references to Rocky and Apollo's third and final fight in Rocky III or that famous training montage.
Every movie in the Rocky series is referenced in ways both minor (Rocky’s turtle!) and major (who won the secret fight at the end of Rocky III is finally revealed).
Apollo (Carl Weathers) had made the unlikely transition from unbeatable foe (“Rocky”) to beatable foe (“Rocky II”) to training montage buddy (“Rocky III”), rendering his demise both unexpected and traumatizing, putting not just Apollo’s legacy on Rocky Balboa’s back, but America’s!
And even once Apollo Creed and Rocky become best friends in Rocky III, there’s still the matter of Clubber Lang (Mr. T), an even flashier and cockier black guy he has to contend with.
So instead of something along the lines of Rocky or, hell, Rocky III, what we end up with is Over the Top crossed with E.T.. Goyo's less annoying that Stallone's son in that movie, but it's close.
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Instead though, this world becomes his training ground for a Rocky III-like comeback, as he sheds his "soft" self and re-emerges as the rough, tough Fightin' Furyan we met in Pitch Black.
A movie this silly—and we’re talking Rocky III strongman Dolph Lundgren in Strawberry Shortcake pink hair level silly—should not be so long, portentous or one-note.
The problem with most Hollywood action movies is that their general sense of action is limited to the “Rocky III” style of choreography, where every blow is a haymaker, and every kick a back breaker.
It's not exactly "Flashdance" or "Rocky III" but it's got a surprisingly softer-than-nails feel to it all.