You can't fault the Rocky films for being so similar to each other. They had a tried and true successful formula with a likable protagonist in a setting where the underdog had to overcome long odds to come out a winner. It's no different here, and Stallone manages to get it all done in under two hours. The fresh aspect offered in this film involve the Hulk Hogan appearance as a pro wrestling heel, and the presence of Mr.T in the flick that would propel him to 'Pity the Fool' stardom. I would have liked to see Burgess Meredith carry on as Mickey, but death in movies isn't always what it seems. You've got "Rocky V" to attest to that.

So this is the Rocky film in which Stallone is really ripped due to a personal training regimen, and perhaps owing somewhat to that 'Eye of the Tiger' theme song that we hear repeatedly. It's overly done in my estimation, but it worked for this entry in the series. I know that by this time a lot of folks were panning the series and Stallone personally, but there must be something to it as the Rocky films are a ubiquitous presence today on a variety of cable channels. My favorite would still be the original "Rocky", but in sequels, the franchise has enough to offer for viewers if taken one at a time, each with it's own message of hope and inspiration.

Another excellent feel-good film in the ROCKY saga that had showed no signs of slowing down by this stage. In fact, I enjoyed it more than the first film and feel that it comes only just behind the second in terms of pure entertainment. Once again, the story takes a new angle, showing how Rocky's fame has changed his life and also put him out of touch with reality. During the course of the film he loses nearly everything, and is then forced to go on a journey of discovery to try and capture what he's lost. The fight at the climax has an inevitable outcome, but perhaps that's why I was looking forward to it so much.

The actors are wonderful again. Stallone directs himself with aplomb, focusing on another side of his hero this time around: for the first time ever, Rocky finds himself afraid, and must battle to dispel that fear. Talia Shire and Burt Young don't have much to do, but they provide the stable backbone that Rocky himself requires. Burgess Meredith is excellent once again as the sympathetic Mickey, and Carl Weathers' Apollo Creed undergoes a significant and appealing character shift that sees him switch sides from enemy to ally. Mr. T is so tough as the bad guy Clubber Lang that he's almost a caricature of himself, but that doesn't stop him being thoroughly entertaining, and he's matched by a hulking Hulk Hogan in a brief, crazed turn as an over the top wrestler.

The film is well made, has great music – the old favourites as well as new hit Eye of the Tiger – and the training sequences are as fun as ever. The boxing matches are slicker and more stylised than before, but no less enthralling, while Stallone's careful to keep the human drama as his first priority as always. As a result, this is another great film in the series.

Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is enjoying great success as the defending world champion. His manager Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith) has been picking fighters for him until he is challenged by the arrogant Clubber Lang (Mr. T) at the unveiling of his statue. Lang is exactly the one that Mickey has been avoiding. Rocky not only loses the fight but also Mickey and only Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) can help him recover from the loses.

First Rocky fights Hulk Hogan and then he fights Mr. T. It doesn't get more cheesetastic 80s than that. The story has all the iconic Rocky formula. He is put into an underdog position and he has an insurmountable hurdle to overcome. And Rocky has to have an opponent above all. Mr. T serves that purpose. The movie's big move has to be killing off Mickey and bringing back Apollo as now a good guy. It's a brilliant move. This is a mix of good 80s cheese and a broadly written sports movie.