Directed by Michael B. Jordan, Creed III follows Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) who is dominating the boxing world and thriving in his career and family life. When Damian (Jonathan Majors), a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy resurfaces after serving time in prison, he’s eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damian, a fighter who has nothing to lose.
The Rocky franchise has certainly been on a very interesting cinematic journey that had its share of highs and lows over the years but has remained a mostly solid series, especially in its revival era with the Creed films. The first two Creed films were really good but it did feel a bit like the titular lead character was remaining in Rocky’s shadow for both installments and not being fully allowed to spread his wings in his own story. All of that changes with this third installment, which has Rocky completely absent from the story after concluding his arc in the previous film, and completely focuses on Adonis Creed and his past, allowing a breath of fresh air to be brought to the franchise.
On top of that we also have Michael B. Jordan taking the reigns as director in his big debut behind the camera, following in the footsteps of Sylvester Stallone who also directed several of the previous Rocky films.
Even with these big changes I can say with the upmost certainty that this film absolutely rocks! This is the most personal and emotionally driven film of the Creed trilogy, having a lot of passion put into it both in front and behind the camera. It follows a few familiar routes but it stands out massively on its own due to new choices to the narrative and the style. This film is hugely character driven and powered by incredible performances across the board by the main cast.
Michael B. Jordan plays an older and more mature Adonis Creed who earned his way to the top but has a past that he never has been able to face head-on until it comes back to haunt him in the form of his former childhood friend. He carries this guilt that’s been bottled up for so long and with the return of Damian this guilt begins to surface, showing a new vulnerable side of Adonis. Michael B. Jordan shows this vulnerability perfectly in his performance, allowing us to see how it affects him and his family in various ways, leading him to put everything on the line to let go of this guilt and move forward.
Always there to help him is Bianca, once again reprised by Tessa Thompson who delivers a strong emotional performance and again shares perfect chemistry with Jordan. We also get a very surprising performance from Mila Davis-Kent as their daughter Amara Creed. She’s an absolutely wonderful addition to the film, adding heart and serving as another standout in the rise of deaf representation in the film industry.
But truly the ultimate standout is of course Jonathan Majors as Damian who may quite possibly be my favorite antagonist in the entire Rocky franchise based on both performance and writing. Rather than choosing another old enemy from Rocky’s previous films or some random one-dimensional figure from the world of boxing, they picked an antagonist with personal ties to Adonis alone, making the fight feel much more personal than what has come before.
Majors once again proves himself to have incredible range as an actor, bringing nuance and emotion to a character who could simply be a bitter man. He is hungry for a chance to be a boxing legend and carries a big chip on his shoulder that reveals itself in the way he fights.
While Adonis has bottled up guilt, Damian has bottled up rage that he is willing to unleash upon anyone in the ring and is willing to go to great lengths to get what he wants, without diving into extremely cheesy territory as other Rocky antagonists have done in the past. He truly was the perfect choice to make this character feel real and like a true threat without needing to overdo it.
The story is straightforward and includes similar routes we’ve seen in previous installments, but this one felt much more focused, personal, and cutting deep on an emotional level with the way it’s written, and uplifted even more by the performances. This is Adonis Creed’s story through and through.
There’s very little to no mention of Rocky in the film which at first seems a bit odd to take in but makes sense given that this story is trying to get away from his shadow. There are no subplots distracting from the main focus and it all feels extremely grounded, making this film my personal favorite of the trilogy for being something very different that did not have to rely on the past to make it good.
Michael B. Jordan proves himself to be an absolute force behind the camera as well as in front of it, bringing his own kind of directing style to this franchise, similar to how Ryan Coogler brought his in the first film.
The most notable showcase of Jordan’s style comes in with the action, featuring the most ferocious and analytical fight scenes in the franchise. Jordan makes it clear that boxing is more than just a physical battle between two sweaty bodies but a mental one as well, where the fighters are tackling their personal emotions during intense moments and are constantly observing their opponents for any weaknesses they can exploit. When there are severe hits made on either fighter in the ring Jordan makes sure that the audience really feels the hits, making you feel the pain through excellent cinematography and editing.
But perhaps the biggest surprise was the choice Jordan made with the final act battle where he chose to do something completely different from what other installments have done. There is a fight sequence where the entire audience, flashing lights, and blaring music get completely blocked out and we instead focus entirely on Adonis and Damian intensely fighting and clearly displaying how emotionally and physically draining this fight is. It’s truly a unique and marvelous sequence that ends on one hell of a shot that was clearly inspired by Jordan’s love for anime.
On top of that, we get a strong score from composer Joseph Shirley and a great soundtrack from black artists, giving this film more of an identity compared to the previous installments.
Creed 3 is another knockout sequel and a truly fantastic debut for Michael B. Jordan in the directing chair. This hits all the emotional beats in the right ways and doesn’t pull its punches, especially when delivering more intense action and a newly introduced style. I’m going to give Creed III an A = 96.
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