User reviews

The first half of Creed III was decent and the initial premise of a childhood friend opened up some interesting possibilities for the story. But it sadly wasn't developed well enough and the movie ends up feeling somewhat of a wasted opportunity. By the end, it has the feeling of one of those dime-a-dozen fighting movies that didn't quite hit the mark in any memorable way.

The actors all did a good job however, and I didn't really notice that Rocky wasn't around. It was almost refreshing to see Creed and the other characters take their first independent steps, without the guiding hand or strong presence of Stallone. Things felt promising early on in the movie and it was probably the good acting which prevented the movie from being a complete flop.

Around the half way point unfortunately cracks started to appear in the story. The childhood friend angle just wasn't used to best effect, in a convincing way. Things just descend into a series of somewhat unrealistic and almost cliched interactions between the main characters. The story sort of dwindles into mediocrity.

Overall still reasonably entertaining. Good acting, decent directing/cinematography. Fight scenes not bad. Ultimately a weak screenplay turned what could have been a good Creed movie into the least impressive one so far in the franchise.

Yes, exactly. Without Rocky, without Sylvester Stallone, it tastes like a burger without meat. Wiping out Rocky means wiping out all the past, and all the experiences that viewers lived. There was always a balance between strength and weakness in Rocky movies. They carried it very well in Creed and Creed II. But this movie lacks balance I think.

Michael B. Jordan announced that he wants to shoot a lot of Creed movies and wants to turn them into a cinematic universe. But how do you think you can do it without Rocky in it? I mean Sylvester Stallone was the backbone of that series. People went to watch Creed because of this was the continuation of Rocky films. They were seen by viewers like Rocky 7 and Rocky 8.

Yeah, it tastes like a vegan burger. But still eatable if you are hungry.

A strong entry into Rocky franchise that encapsulates the boxing world both in and outside of the ring.

Adonis Creed is a retired boxer working as a promoter. Creed III explores his new life, post retirement and what it means for him and his family. An old 'brother like' friend from Creed's past, Damian Anderson played by Jonathon Majors, comes back into his life which sets off a series of events. We get to witness Creed's post boxing story whilst also witnessing Damien's much delayed boxing story.

The film was built up really well especially in the first half where it takes its time to introduce us to the characters, plot and theme of the movie. Despite being two hours long, it's clear that a lot of the movie got chopped as the second half was rushed which is a shame as the film could have given us so much more prior to the Main Event.

Johnathan Majors was fantastic. His character had menace, pain and emotion. What's great is that the relationship between Creed and Anderson was morally grey so you could empathise with both sides of the story which make the movie more heartfelt. Michael B Jordon was solid in his role as Creed as per usual and the supporting casts of actors and boxing personalities both new and old were a lot of fun.

The choreography which was influenced by MBJ's love of anime, was good despite some of the usual big screen over exaggeration and the soundtrack was fire opening up with The Watcher from from Dr Dre's 2001! Those hoping to see Rocky on screen shouldn't hold their breathe.

Okay, maybe guts aren't an organ, but there are things missing in this movie. Those things and Sylvester Stallone. He's missing, and his absence is felt, when often this movie is trying so hard to make you do just that, feel.

With no heart and no guts, it's hard to do that.

The boxing scenes here feel like a video game and the non-boxing scenes feel like a Lifetime movie.

The only reason this movie is a seven and not a six, is because of the screen presence and charisma of both Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors. They are incredible.

But there is no grit. No toughness. It's too glossy.

It's nice to have a running time of under two hours. It is. But this story is unbelievable with the sudden ascent of the antagonist.

With the time given, a nice Rocky montage with cheesy rock music or even rap music would've been an effective shoutout.

The movie also takes way too long to get to the root cause of the legal incident that pulled these two guys apart as young men as well.

This is the weakest Creed film by far.

In the Rockyverse it's right at the bottom there with Rocky V.

In fighting terms this portion of the Creed trilogy is remarkably underweight at weigh-in.

After watching Creed 3, it became clear to me that the makers of this film recycled WAY too much Rocky material without actually involving Rocky at all and simultaneously claiming to stand on its own.

The retired protagonist takes a new-comer under his wing and ends up having to fight him in the finale. Seems familiar, right? That's entirely Rocky 5.

At one point, Adonis says "it ain't about how hard you hit..."... Yup, Rocky 6 (Rocky Balboa)

Adonis training for the fight by running up the hill and yelling Damien's name as he reaches the top. Yup, Rocky did that in Russia in Rocky 4.

Adonis' former rival (Drago's son) is now helping to train him for his next fight. Yup, that's Rocky 3.

A loved one of the protagonist (Adonis' mom) has to die in order to build emotional weight to the character's journey... Yup, that's Rocky 3, 4, & Rocky Balboa.

I can forgive a minimal amount of rehashing to a certain extent because after all, Creed is a spin-off franchise of Rocky. But they weren't very original with this 3rd installment.

Creed III (2023) is a movie my wife and I saw at an advanced screening last night. The storyline follows a retired Adonis Creed who is now a stay-at-home dad with his daughter and successful wife, who is now a music producer. One day while at the gym he acquired he runs into an old acquaintance whom he was best friends with as a kid. His friend was a better fighter with a brighter future than him, but they got in trouble and his friend was sent to jail for 15 years. Now out of jail, he wants what's owed to him, which is everything Creed has. Creed gives him his chance but quickly wishes he didn't. Once the demon has been unleashed on the boxing landscape the same man who unleashed may be the only man who can stop him...Creed.

This movie stars and is directed by Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther), in his directorial debut, and also stars Jonathan Majors (Lovecraft Country), Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show), Tessa Thompson (Dear White People) and Wood Harris (Remember the Titans).

There is a lot of good in this movie and a few misses too. The premise for this storyline is very good and had a ton of potential. The acting and set-up of the circumstances is tremendous. Jonathan Majors continues to establish himself as one of Hollywood's elite; and Jordan, Rashad and Thompson support and play off each other perfectly. The chemistry is excellent amongst the cast, even the "child actors" deliver strong performances. This is a movie made for IMAX with great cinematography, use of colors, camera angles and the sped up/slowed down shots were brilliant. The ring intros are the best ever depicted in a boxing movie and the soundtrack was fantastic too. I also loved how they incorporated life with, and as, a def individual. Unfortunately, when you get to the final fight, it felt like a concept that was better on paper than when executed. The entire final sequence with the use of CGI during the fight was a bit cheesy and didn't work for me. The trainer, Harris, was a HUGE step down from Stallone and Burgess Meredith and just didn't have the impact those characters had on the franchise. Some of the scenes were too straightforward, especially the ending fight where there was a monumental opportunity to change the direction and feel of the franchise, but it falls on its face...like a poorly executed gut punch (there is one of those in here too).

Overall, this is definitely worth a watch, but easily the worst of the Creed trilogy. I would score this a 7/10 and recommend seeing it once.

Up to this day Rocky V was considered teh worse movies in the Rocky-verse. Actually i also enjoyed Rocky V. It didnt finish in a ring but the characterization of Don King and a real life Pro-champ boxer Tommy Morrison gave a nice nuance.

Anyway now it is Creed 3. I like the first one a lot, Creed 2 was one of the best movies in Rocky-verse for me. But this one is the worse Rocky-verse movie. In fact there is no single Rocky movie soul in it. And you miss Rocky heavily in each scene. And it is not because of the nostalgia but because of the utter-mess. I mean why they kicked Sly out of a very brilliant on-going business i dont know.

I feel like too much corporation greed destroyed creed and Rocky soul.

Direction and writing was so blunt, no emotion of characterization. It is one of the you-already-saw it movies.

Acting Michael B Jordan sometimes hits and sometimes miss. I liked his performance at Black Panther 2 but here he was just without any specific direction.

Drama is exactly the copy cat of Creed I and II. Nothing new. I dont even know why they made this movie. After the hype will be over people will see the true product and give different credits.

I have been long awaiting for this movie. However, for the first time of my life in Rocky/Creed universe I left the cinema somewhat dissapointed and confused. I watched a movie with so many script flows like:

1. The ticket that Adonis gave Damian was about Ali's and Foreman fight. Given that Apollo Creed represented Muhammad Ali and lived along his era, this is weird 2. Drago was able to hit Adonis but not able to fight with Dame.

3. Mary Anne told Adonis while dying that there is another way in life rather than fighting while some moments later Bianca proposed Adonis that he should fight Dame 4. Adonis was like having a very flat emotional pattern throughout the whole movie and that was very obvious 5. No explanation for Rocky's absence. There were certain times where Rocky would be somewhere there, like Mary Anne's funeral or the fight of Adonis or in a phone call. Even if Rocky's dead, it should be mentioned but no 6. Instead of letting Chavez or Drago fight Damian, Adonis chose to compete with him and suggested the idea during a TV appearance.

7. Going from round 2 to round 11 without any fight scene is at least not smooth 8. Bianca had very little screen time 9. The movie was very predictable and that was a common sense in the hall I was in watching the movie 10. The soundtrack was not inspirational and certainly not heroic 11. The movie suggested that you cant run from your past, however even in Creed 2 , Drago was a ghost from the past 12. The Dame Chavez fight.was more complete in relation to Dame Adonis fight 13. When the movie starts it is in 2002 and then it the Conal fight happens after 15 years, which is 2017. However the Creed Drago fight took place in 2018, whichwas the date of the movie 14. Mary Ann was helding Dame's letters in her kitchen for all those years, without having the fear that Adonis could have picked them 15. While Duke says to Adonis about the broken hands, in the next scene Adonis hits a tree with his fists 16. It would be very wise for at least once, that Creed would lose to another fighter and allow some open space for someone else to step in. Even Chavez should recovere and fight Dame again along with the help of Creed. Like his father did in Rocky 3 17. While wearing a white shorts in the final fight, Creed did not have a single blood spot in his shorts 18. It is a little bit weird that despite all this atmosphere between Adonis and Dame, in the end they forgive each other ina very simplistic way that is not very well understood 19. Dame told Adonis in the end, that he learned more moves than the ones that he had taught him. Of course Dame he would do since he is Apollo's son and a pupil of Rocky.

20. Michael B Jordan had a very similar acting way to respond emotionally to almost all scenes and that was very obvious

Overall , Rocky was a big miss in this movie which resulted to a lack of sentimental atmosphere and to the loss of connective tissue between the various parts, heroes etc of the movie. Let's hope that Creed 4 will take a very different path, more connected to the original Creed Rocky universe.

Creed 3 is a confident directorial debut from star Michael B. Jordan that shows he's already achieved a mastery of the formula that's brought the series so much success.

Let Me Start By Saying That Michael B. Jordan and His Co-Star Jonathan Majors Steals The Show. I Will Talk Especially About Majors in a Little.

If anybody here is a Rocky fan, that should sound as familiar as a boxer working a speed bag. Structurally, Creed3 doesn't do much to break that mold, but it doesn't necessarily need to. Jordan's understanding of the formula that brought success to the franchise is one of this film's strengths. To bring something fresh to the eighth sequel in a franchise, you have to get what works about it in the first place in order to effectively Add Something New.

One of the strengths of the movie is that the characters around Donnie are all effective foils for his struggles, but they're not limited to that role. Each of them is given their own agency in serving the story being told. Tessa Thompson's Bianca is there to challenge him. But she's also portrayed as somebody dealing with similar issues in a much healthier and productive way. Phylicia Rashaad's Marry Anne makes mistakes but has her reasons and owns her responsibility for them.

I Want to take a moment to praise jonathan majors performance in this movie and in hollywood right now this man is a rockstar who can carry movies by himself.

At The End, While Creed 3 may not stray too far from the very familiar format of a Rocky movie, seeing Creed truly begin a legacy of his own apart from Rocky Balboa is an exciting chapter for the series.

The electric and satisfying "Creed III" proves Sylvester Stallone's long-running boxing-movie franchise is in good hands with Michael B. Jordan, both in front of and behind the camera. In addition to reprising his role as Adonis Creed, Jordan packs his directorial debut with the usual "Rocky" melodrama and bombastic ring entrances while freshening the series with stylish, anime-influenced fights and a new spotlight on deaf representation. The first two "Creed" movies focused on Adonis becoming his own man and, with the help of Stallone's Rocky Balboa, emerging from the shadow of his father, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). The threequel finds Adonis reveling in retirement: Instead of getting punched regularly, he enjoys tea parties with his daughter, Amara (Mila Davis-Kent), offers moral support to his music producer wife, Bianca (Tessa Thompson), and promotes the next generation of ring stars. This is a "Creed" movie - and by extension a "Rocky" movie, though it's the first without Stallone in it at all - so several years of ring rust is nothing a little hardcore training and pulling a small plane can't fix. (In case you're wondering, these films are still undefeated when it comes to rousing montages.) Like the best chapters of the franchise, this new narrative knows when to go over the top and when to stay grounded. And with the help of his wife and deaf daughter - who showcases a little of the Creed family spirit - Adonis needs to learn how to figure stuff out with his words as well as his fists. Despite a screenplay that has a tendency to spell everything out - this is the sort of movie in which somebody announces early on that a particular very specific tragic thing is most definitely NOT going to happen, which means it will absolutely happen - Jordan keeps things moving along nicely, and gets fine work from the actors, particularly Majors, whose Dame has a poignant, haunted quality. And the boxing scenes are shot with flair; beads of sweat fall like snowflakes, and slow-motion techniques let us see skin wrinkling in pain upon contact with glove. I watched wishing Rocky Balboa would come wandering in to say something randomly philosophical - the film could have used the off the-wall jolt he would bring - but alas, Sylvester Stallone elected to sit this one out. You can see clearly in the final scenes where "Creed IV" might be headed; you can also see that Jordan as a director shows promise well beyond this film. "Creed III" works as well as it needs to, and for the umpteenth film in a franchise, that's more than enough.

A solid entry in the franchise. The movie hits all the familiar beats and points that you've come to love and expect from any of the previous films. I do believe that buried deep inside of this script, is a film that could have been magnificent, poignant and possibly have been the one that could have rivaled the 1976 original "Rocky". Sadly though, things are all tightly tied up into a fast, 90-minute bow. One thing i am thankful for, is that the "Shaki-cam" used in the second film was not used in this one. Michael B. Shows that he is solid on both sides of the camera, and the IMAX filmed fight sequences are at times breathtaking. The two show stealers though, are Jonathan Majors and Mila Davis Kent, with both of them punching up in spite of a story that's constantly trying to bury them.

First of all I'm a massive Rocky fan and think Creed I and II are excellent. Both in direction and scripts.

The rocky/creed films are more than just films about boxing, they are about relationships outside of boxing. Each film is about a different struggle, that requires finding a way to overcome it. Unfortunately this film has the weakest script, that fails in developing any real relationships, or motivations for any of their actions. I just didn't care about anyone in this film. I'm a big fan of Michael B Jordan, Tessa Thompson and Jonathan Majors but this film failed to display their talents. It suffers from horrible pacing, I feel the film needed another 30 minutes to the run time. I also think directing is a skill in itself and only a few actors are able to swap hats, unfortunately this films shows Michael b Jordan's inexperience. Sly Stallone is the heart and soul of this franchise and his absence is evident. It just didn't have the magic that made the previous films more than just a " boxing film".

For the first hour-and-a-half of Creed III's runtime, I was fully invested in the film's plot and characters. Was it ever going to be the best Rocky-universe sequel? No--but it had me intrigued. Unfortunately, the final half-hour or so takes that strong setup and, to a certain extent, squanders it by going extremely broad.

For a very basic overview, Creed III sees Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) having just recently retired and now living the "Dad life" with wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent). Until, that is, a figure--Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors)--from Adonis' past turns up and forces Donnie to reckon with some darker life chapters.

There truly are some great moments & concepts in this movie. Delving into the heretofore unexplored past of Donnie is 100% the right choice, Majors is a more-than-credible (if not sometimes outright spectacular) villain, the Amara angle shows real promise, and an emotional scene--featuring Mary-Anne Creed (Phylicia Rishad)--referencing Apollo will bring tears to your eyes. The fight sequences are also inventive in terms of camera work.

In short, the first Creed film with little-to-no Rocky ties seems to be off on the right foot.

Sadly, three mistakes--all in the final 20-30 minutes--somewhat deflate the balloon:

-The character reasonings for Adonis battling "Dame" are a bit squishy. Is Dame the villain--or a misunderstood adversary? I felt as if director Jordan (his debut behind the camera) wasn't as clear as he needed to be on this point. Simply leaning on the childhood connection only goes so far.

-The classic training montage isn't utilized to its best advantage here. It exists, but is more perfunctory than propelling.

-That angle about Amara? Basically dropped altogether at a certain point as the film shifts into "final fight" mode. She is great in the beginning and ends the film on a high note--but in between is nowhere to be found. A missed opportunity (though perhaps one that can be rectified in further sequels).

The bottom line: the ending of Creed III felt rushed and needing a few more coats of paint. All the ideas are present for a dynamite character piece--but unfortunately they sort of just slip away in favor of unwieldy plot mechanics or simply "biting off more than they could chew".

All things considered, I can still give this third Creed film 7/10 stars. It has a delicate task stepping out of the long Balboa shadow, and thematically it does a solid job of doing exactly that. But it will likely never creep any higher for me as the final act's failings really limit its ceiling.

Poor story line, to say the least.

Rocky's franchise had heart and soul; this was just platitudes and gimmicks. Such a shame.

Sorely disappointed and welcome Stallone - you know, whom that created and brought to life this entire saga - to give soul and depth to a movie to clearly lacks both respectively...

To the people that excluded SS,

FU. Plain and simple. SS would have given this movie the life it needed to be on par worth the franchise SS created. Instead, you chose to dilute the staple - the very heart - of the this saga, in return for profit. And for that, i will begin and as close, FU.

A long lost friend who's been inside pays you a visit, after re-bonding he goes on then to elicit, a chance to fight your champion, dreaming days of halcyon, his luck is in, and this is something you solicit. As often happens the best laid plans all go awry, as your friend appears to be quite a bad guy, so retirement is dropped, this new heavyweight must be stopped, the gloves are off, you're toe to toe, and eye to eye.

Two great actors in an enjoyable but far from exceptional boxing movie that chugs along at a reasonable pace but gets a little distracted on occasions with irrelevance and ends exactly as you might have anticipated.

After having watched every Rocky & Creed movie up until this one, I knew where the stories were going. I knew the background, the players, the back stories & what was going to be the struggle(s). This storyline did not fall into those parameters & fell short of being the inspiration all the Rocky & Creed movies to this point always have been.

The choice to leave Rocky Balboa completely out of this story was a failure. He would've at least been there at the funeral. He was family after all. That Sly Stallone was not included nor consulted is downright sinful since any character with a Creed name began in his imagination from the first writing of Rocky.

Hollywood is so disrespectful in so many ways. So many seen to forget where they came from or where their stories came from originally. Michael B Jordan wouldn't have had an Adonis Creed to play much less a movie to direct had it not been for Sly Stallone to begin with. How quick he was to forget all that. Disappointing. I don't think I'll ever view him the same as an actor or man ever again.

With the release of Creed III comes with it the beginning of this crazy month of movie releases, ha a "March madness" if you will.

Creed III sees Adonis Creed now retired and the undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the world. His daughter grown, and his wife having a successful music career. Everything seems to be looking up for Adonis, but his past mistakes soon proves to be his toughest opponent.

Let's get the obvious out of the way first, Johnathan Majors is a power house. The man is a force of nature, he knows how to play an intimidating foe as well as how to get under the skin. My only issue with his character Damian is I couldn't really be sympathetic of his plight. It was his choices that got him where he was and he chose to become the man he did. Irregardless he stands toe to toe with Michael B. Jordan's Adonis Creed and proves to be quite the antagonist.

The story this time around is much stronger, and better told than Creed II which is why I ultimately decided to drop Creed II to a seven out ten and three out five. The intimate family moments that Adonis had with his wife and child were sweet and joyful. I believe all this is due to Michael B. Jordan's direction as well as to the story being done by Ryan Coogler.

I did miss Sylvester Stallone as Rocky there were multiple scenes I believe could've been made better with his presence. I kept hoping for a surprise cameo in the end but unfortunately he was not in the film.

The final fight was great but I personally did not really care for the affect Jordan went with in the middle of the fight. It sorta took me out of the reality of the moment. Granted it was a pretty cool affect but I personally could have done without it.

All in all this was stronger than Creed II and a fantastic start to Michael B. Jordan's directorial career. I look forward to see what he does next, perhaps a Creed IV if he has some good ideas for the future of this franchise.

IMDb: 8/10 Letterboxd: 4/5

Watched in Theaters.

For better and for worse, this is 100% a Creed movie. Michael B Jordan's direction loses me in some places with its claustrophobic shots, and the Rocky sentimentality is completely gone from the music to the storyline to the location. Part of me wishes they had stuck to some of what made the originals so great, but the other part understands that in order to blaze a new path, some tough decisions needed to be made. That said, it's a fun boxing movie with some compelling fight scenes and good performances. The backstory was well crafted. It did lack a little of the weight that some of the others had but I place that squarely on the filmmaker. Good effort and fun time at the movies but definitely the third best Creed film so far.

I'm of the firm belief (as most people tend to be, if they care about maintaining a high standard of storytelling) that it's essential for a narrative to evolve as it progresses in order for its development to remain relevant & engaging to prospective audiences; just like a stream of water, the current has to be continuously replenished with newer flows as the body of liquid takes on a new shape / form to avoid potential stagnation... And I use this comparison because similarly to a still pool of festering algae, "Creed 3" is in desperate need of aforementioned replenishment.

To understand why, let's remind ourselves:

The first (Ryan Coogler's) felt like a very impressively layered legacy sequel (with a clear sense of focus), continuing on from the "Rocky" films through the eyes of a younger (more relatable) generation (represented by our protagonist, 'Adonis Creed'), expanding upon the world of the classics (set during the 1970s onwards) with a more resonant, contemporary voice which explored themes of toxic masculinity, unresolved grief, abandonment & over-coming childhood trauma - adding emotional heft to the events of previous installments by depicting the long-term ramifications boxing has on the impressionable youth who are thoughtlessly expected to live its consequences vicariously through their parents, growing up (questioning what the sport represents more generally & if the violence enacted in the ring is also inflicted not just on the competitors, but unknowingly on those around them, following matches). Hence, the plot wasn't simply regarding two men hitting each other in the face - but more importantly, why? What drove them to want to do this to a fellow human being & what were they aspiring to prove - to themselves or others? Ergo, since Michael B. Jordan's lead had been tragically deprived of a father figure in his infancy, we gradually realised his fights were an expression of unaddressed anguish in response to Apollo's death - allowing him to feel close to his dad - whilst the emotional pain manifested itself via physical injuries - in conflict spilling out from his head. Only when he permitted himself the chance to reconcile with the damaging feelings he harboured internally was he able to truly come to terms with what he was experiencing, process the sorrow & over-come the main obstacle (himself, not his opponent) metaphorically standing in his way. Plus, in gaining a supportive father figure (whose presence validated his identity), he no longer had the uncertainty of knowing who he was - for Sylvester Stallone's purpose was to embody a role which could reaffirm that - culminating in a rewarding catharsis, making the 2015 outing so much bigger than a mere exchange of aggressive fisticuffs.

Then in Steven Caple Jr.'s sequel (somewhat less subtle & direct in its intentions), Adonis is presented with a challenge from the son of the man who essentially killed his dad during a fight (weaponising his grief against him once more, regressing the advancement somewhat but believably depicting an understandable relapse in his mental health / judgement - when he mistakenly perceives the stakes to be more personal - when they're not) & naturally, a swift rise to power results in an equally swift fall from grace - until (again) he contextualises his problems, realises the obstacle isn't 'Drago' (or what he personifies), but himself. Basically, it's the same resolution, done sufficiently differently to feel distinctive enough that a follow-up's necessitated.

So... What does the third in the trilogy bring this time?

Honestly? Not a lot. Mostly, more of the same.

It begins with genuine promise, showing Adonis' retirement from the game & shifting focus to the maintenance of his supportive family, upon his withdrawal (humourously joking how scarier battles await him, domestically) & furthermore, his own parenting begins to be fascinatingly questioned as the film has time to reveal the effect his personal brawls have had on his daughter Amara's outlook on life (thematically linking back to the first, cynically implying violence is often cyclical in nature, permeates one generation to the next & damages dealt are seldom confined solely to one singular individual) - which is all GREAT (enhancing what came before) - capturing the dichotomy of an older, maturer father (wiser with age) looking back at his monumental legacy in hindsight, adapting to adopting increasingly quieter & healthier conveyances of love (guided tentatively by his wife) whilst his young child ages in to the same dreaded juvenility he's finally phasing out of - re-enacting the events of the first as a cautionary tale, from opposite ends of the spectrum (the tables having completely turned & him assuming the responsibility of the father he never had). Subsequently, morally ambiguous conflict (deliciously complex & engaging, yet not as cinematic) spools from that differentiation (in relation to where they are in their journeys) as the two ideologically are at loggerheads & Bianca (her mother, played by actress Tessa Thompson - reluctant to permit participation) is obviously keen to spare her infant the same torment her husband has had to endure, over the years - complicating things further, triggered by a void of cohesion in parenting techniques, in addressing the query.

Hand on heart, I love that enrichment; the two have learned their lesson as a loyal couple (solidifying their unit) & are endeavouring to take accountability & teach their little girl so she's able to learn from their mistakes (not quite seeing eye to eye on how to achieve that ideal goal) - instead of repeating them / making her own, over & over. That is a devastatingly realistic drama we can relate to, chronicling the attempted preservation of innocence (inadvertently corrupted by inherited grief, previously thought to have been contained to him alone) & if that sub-plot had been the main one, I'd have scored extremely generously.

Herein lies the problem... This is a "Creed" movie (you know what that's synonymous with now, a brand in & of itself) in what's rapidly transforming in to a formulaic, blockbuster franchise which brazenly feels the need to tick all the traditional ("Rocky") boxes (even though it's clearly moved on from that) so the inclusion of more needless fighting not only contradicts the thematic messaging ("we need to stop resorting to physical exertions of fury as a coping mechanism & communicate calmly") & regresses the character (again), but with each contrived occurrence, the revisitation to the arena feels increasingly more obvious in the insincerity behind its creative motivations - as the creators conjure conspicuously unoriginal & convoluted justifications to warrant rehashing the same product, less convincingly.

Jonathan Majors (transforming himself in to a towering beast for the part as "Damien", the new villain) is - for instance - undoubtedly magnetic on screen, utterly dominating sequences with his captivating presence in front of the camera (seriously, what an actor & a fearsome force of nature, in character)... But his inclusion simply doesn't feel "real" or warranted anymore - because (as I've acknowledged) the story has moved on from boxing, reflecting the people he's suddenly imperiling. Due to this, his existence within the context of the structure of the plot verges upon the necessity to artificially provoke action (required for marketing, not story) - in order to manufacture the meticulously shot / choreographed set pieces being sold to viewers in trailers. In short, he's a stereotypical, swappable bad guy, conveniently shoe-horned in to the project (with jarring effect) to malform the production in to something it isn't - retaining the recognisable shape of the prior films, but devoid of truth & authenticity - at the expense of its ability to grow / flourish in to what it actually wants to become.

Ultimately, there are only so many ways you can tell a story about troubled men smacking other men in the face until it borders on telling a story about men smacking the other in the face, purely for the sake of it. "Creed 3" veers perilously close to crossing that threshold & the concept has debatably run out of road, retreading old ground & therefore, fatigue sadly sets in. So then, cinema-goers attend a screening to see a product stagnate... Not evolve. How exciting.

Creed III explores the flawed way in which people process their grief and anger through violence and how to overcome that whilst also proving that the Creed franchise is more than capable of continuing on its own without the need to rely on Rocky and reaffirms it as the best set of legacy sequels.

Michael B. Jordan is incredible once again, bringing that charm and likeability to Adonis as well as the vulnerability. Jonathan Majors is superb, easily the best villain of the franchise so far with plenty of depth to his character and a natural screen presence.

Tessa Thompson has still got the strong chemistry with Jordan and has so much confidence resulting in some great dramatic moments. Mila Davis-Kent is adorable and her scenes with Jordan and Thompson are easily the most heartwarming parts.

As a director, Michael B. Jordan is equally good. He's started with an impressive debut that takes big swings stylistically resulting in a film that manages to feel unique in the way it portrays it's action. It's well known at this point that anime was an influence for him as well and that is absolutely clear in the action, elevating the thrilling nature of the fights.

I ABSOLUTELY ADORE Michael B... but this movie was lacking.

It's by no means a bad movie, it's just a bit empty.

I definitely enjoyed the movie but, by the end, I thought to myself, "is that it???" Just as was my sentiment after Avatar: The Way of Water. Which was a stunningly beautiful film, but was also lacking a full, substantial, viable story.

This is probably the case because it was created during the coronavirus pandemic, while we were all extremely busy trying to survive.

Amara (Mila Kent-Davis) was exceptional.

This girl is such a sweetheart, plus she can act... AND she throws a MEAN right!!

I was blown away by how she threw that punch - putting her weight behind it. Wow!!

Jonathan Majors... love the guy. Exceptional actor.

I admire his work ethic and his meteoric, much-deserved blast to prominence.

His character- Dame, looked AWFUL in this - he looked like an inflatable toy; he was far too artificially big and, to those in the know, it's very easy to spot a cherry "juicer". Yuck!

Apparently, he was training four times per day for this movie. Which is NOT possible.

I sometimes do two(AM and PM), but never more.

This is my career; in order to train that much, one would need 'assistance'.

Still, LOVE everyone in this movie. Love the aesthetic of this movie, as well as the feel.

Ultimately, I just like this movie.

The performances of this movie is what saves it from being a complete flop. The Creed franchise suffers from trying to live up to what Stallone accomplished with rocky 1-4. And this is the problem with films today. The first two creeds had that same grit feel of the rocky franchise and this movie did not have that. The scenes were anticlimactic and generic. The story seemed to suffer from not having enough source material and first time director Michael B Jordan made the mistake of thinking this script was good enough without even mentioning rocky. Ok they mentioned him once. Yeah that's it, once. Which is ironic because the whole story is based on what got him here to this point. I also didn't like that they went thr MCU route, CGI should not exist in this world. Sorry had to say it.