Review: Creed III

Creed III (2023) marks the ninth overall film in the Rocky series and is Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut. Jordan shows he is as impressive a director as an actor, delivering an exciting and sturdy sports drama. However, with the lack of Sylvester Stallone’s iconic character, the film does lack some of the heart of its precursors.

The first two Creed films were both commercial and critical successes, revitalising the Rocky franchise with some fresh blood and a modernized sense of vitality

In previous Creed instalments, we follow the rise of Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) from the illegitimate child of a boxing legend to becoming heavyweight champion, under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), the former rival of his father. The first two Creed films were both commercial and critical successes, revitalising the Rocky franchise with some fresh blood and a modernised sense of vitality. Far from being the conclusion to an excellent trilogy, the third film plays as a smaller and simpler story concerning Adonis’ conflict with an old friend. The story simply does not have the same emotional or dramatic weight as the first two movies, which focused on Adonis dealing with the legacy of his father and the ramifications of his heritage, that concluded in Creed II with his victory against the son of Ivan Drago (Florian Munteanu).

Creed III is very much a typical Rocky sequel in this sense. Attempting to retroactively add to the character’s mythology by implementing a childhood friend never mentioned before is admittedly some lazy writing. Furthermore, there’s not much sense of real progression with Adonis’ journey, aside from the development of his family from the previous film. The family aspect is truly well-executed within the narrative and does its best to fill the empty space left by Stallone’s departure, attempting to replicate a similar sense of familial warmth. Tessa Thompson and Mila Davis-Kent as wife and daughter both offer excellent performances in representing the softer side of Creed’s life, often acting through American Sign Language due to the fact they play characters with hearing disabilities.

However, it is Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors), Creed’s boyhood friend, that truly stands out in his role as a former fighter returning from prison with a vengeance. Majors outshines much of the other cast members, bringing a real sense of physicality and intimidation whilst remaining sympathetic in his motivations. As lazy as the implementation of his character may be, Majors makes him believable as an individual with his own personal history with Adonis.

Much of the action is underlined with an elevated, impactful sense of violence, treading the line between over-the-top fun and bloody realism

The direction of Creed III is another of its strong suits. In interviews, Michael B. Jordan has expressed his love of anime series such as Naruto and Dragon Ball Z and how they helped him develop the fight sequences within the film. The anime influence is certainly evident within the finished product; much of the action is underlined with an elevated, impactful sense of violence, treading the line between over-the-top fun and bloody realism. In each of the three main fights, Jordan makes powerful use of slow motion, close ups, and subjective imagery to emphasise the sheer intensity of the conflict as the fighters attempt to one up each other. The extent to which he commits to this is admirable – especially for a first time directorial effort. In this way, Jordan does much to improve on the simplicity of the script, adding his own unique stamp on the franchise.

Even so, the story here still feels rushed and could do with a few more dramatic scenes to pad out the conflict between the main action sequences and training montages. Perhaps that wasn’t what Jordan was most concerned about, but it would have helped significantly in explaining some of the more questionable plot points and building on the primary emotional arc established at the beginning of the film

Verdict

Certainly not without its flaws, the third Creed instalment proves to be an enjoyable entry. The film isn’t exceptional by any means – aside from the performances and some moments of directorial brilliance – yet this kind of sequel doesn’t have to necessarily be a cinematic masterpiece. For what it is, Creed III is a lot of fun with some standout, innovative fight sequences that make it worth admission price alone. Whatever future the franchise may have, this certainly doesn’t spoil it, instead building on the foundations of the past and gracefully continuing the story of Adonis Creed.