A major part of Creed III’s marketing has focused on this being the first sports movie filmed for IMAX, so, naturally, that was the format I chose to view it in. You want well-choreographed and impactful fight scenes from a boxing movie and Creed III more than delivers. Jordan’s anime influence is noticeable, giving a unique flavour to the film’s action. For my money, these are not just the best fights in the franchise but some of the best boxing matches ever put to screen. Each one takes full advantage of the expanded aspect ratio granted by the IMAX format, totally immersing you in the scene and making for an incredible viewing experience.
Besides Jordan, the film stars Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok), Jonathan Majors (The Last Black Man in San Francisco), Phylicia Rashād (Soul) and Wood Harris (The Wire). All give solid performances, unsurprising given that a fellow actor directs them. But notably missing from the cast is Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa. This is the first entry in the franchise not to feature the character in any capacity. And I did feel his absence, reflecting how Stallone excels in that role. On the other hand, Adonis Creed has now fully developed as a character thanks to Jordan, and perhaps it’s time to move on from Rocky.
Jonathan Majors is a quickly rising star in Hollywood right now (just last month he appeared as the villain Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), and for good reason. He’s a wonderful actor whose career I’m excited to see unfold. Damien “Dame” Anderson, Majors’ character in Creed III, is a childhood friend of Adonis who, following his release from prison, wants a shot at the world heavyweight title. The history between them, including Dame’s incarceration, is gradually revealed throughout the film, keeping him sympathetic. Adonis’ relationship with his wife, Bianca, and daughter, Amara, forms the movie’s emotional core. The trio have good chemistry, and I genuinely cared about our protagonist’s home life, something I can’t say for many of the past Rocky films.
Overall, Creed III is an outstanding directorial debut from Michael B. Jordan. Some may call it formulaic for adhering to the same structure as a lot of the previous movies. However, Jordan’s awesome fight scenes and the brilliant Jonathan Majors add sufficient spice to keep this entry fresh. Also, considering that Rocky V, which did try to drastically change up the formula, is by far the franchise’s worst entry, maybe it’s not such a bad thing that Creed III sticks with what works. 4/5
