Movie Review – Creed III

Director: Michael B. Jordan

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors

Year: 2023

Creed was a breath of fresh air into the Rocky franchise, a welcome continuance of an old story but with a modern update that took nothing away from the original magic.  Creed 2 was a bit of a step back, a not-as-polished and not-as-needed sequel that didn’t make the same splash.  Creed 3 is more a return to form, but still not quite up to the level we were spoiled with right out of the gate.  Still, MBJ puts his name all over this film and he should be proud of what it became, even if it wasn’t excellence.

Adonis Creed is hanging up the gloves and becoming a manager & promoter, giving younger fighters a chance at the title, making some money by still being part of the game, and going out on top while he still has his health.  But when a blast from the past comes back into his life and ruins his plans, he might have to get back in the ring just to prove that he’s still got what it takes.  “Diamond” Damian Anderson is no joke though, he’s been away far too long stewing in his anger and he’s hungry; for revenge, for redemption, for recovery.

It’s a pretty simple story and it isn’t done with too many bells & whistles.  Jordan gets that right, giving audiences the training sequences and the music and the blood and the passion; all the stuff we’ve always loved and are happy to love again.  And he & Majors are great together, really Majors steals the show, and without him we’d be on the lower end of mediocre for sure.  Because the script wasn’t written too well, Thompson seemed to be phoning it in, and the loss of Stallone really affected the nostalgia factor.  Still, Creed 3 is solid, fun, and dramatic, just how we like our boxing movies.

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆