Rocky III (1982)

After winning the ultimate title and being the world champion, Rocky falls into a hole and finds himself picked up by a former enemy.

From memory: It's the same per aspera ad astra story all over again; not really bad, but quite redundant.

Halliwell (no star): "Unnecessary regurgitation of bits and pieces from the first two Rocky movies."

Maltin**1/2: "Stallone's got a winning formula, but enough already."

Rocky II (1979)

Rocky struggles in family life after his bout with Apollo Creed, while the embarrassed champ insistently goads him to accept a challenge for a rematch.

From memory: More mediocre remake than sequel is at times rather saccharine, but the boxing match is well staged.

Halliwell (no star): "Over-inflated but under-nourished sequel with absolutely new to offer."

Maltin***: "Officially a sequel, this slightly silly film is more of a rehash, but the climactic bout (and build up to it) hits home."