Creed III Review
Adonis Creed is back! Three years into his retirement, Creed is trying to relax in L.A. run his gym and be a good husband and father. Then as cliché, as it sounds his past catches up with him.
His childhood friend “Diamond” Damian Alexander, played by Jonathan Majors, is released from prison after nearly 20 years. Damian was the boxer when they were kids, and now Damian wants a shot at the title.
With his age, his window at the shot is closing fast. However, there are unresolved issues between Adonis and Damian that may only be solved in the ring.
This latest entry into the Rocky/Creed franchise is directed by its star Michael B. Jordan, making his directorial debut here. He clearly has an eye for directing. There are some excellent stylized scenes in this film.
Felix Sanchez’s fight entrance will be one of the coolest scenes of 2023. Michael stated in interviews that the fight scenes are heavily influenced by anime. That is very clear, but it also is the part I struggle with in this film.
In the first two Creed films, the fight scenes are realistic, putting you in the world and making this feel like the real world. However, these fight scenes are so hyper-stylized that it takes the audience out of the film.
It makes you very aware that you’re watching a film. The scenes are choreographed excellently. Plus, the sound design is deafening. It makes you feel like you’re in the ring, hearing the whoosh of the fists as they fly by your face.
If this had been a standalone boxing film or the first in the franchise this stylized boxing would be a breath of fresh air. Putting this in the third film of a franchise makes it feel out of place.
It’s always nice to see a director put their stamp on a film and that’s what Michael did with these fights, but he was not without debut director missteps. There’s a bold choice in the final fight where Jordan’s ambition outreaches his grasp.
There is also an odd edit/storytelling structure that takes the audience out of the film.
Damian is going to spar with Felix at Creed’s gym. It then cuts away to a scene later that day, making the audience wonder what happened at the sparring match. Then it cuts back to the spar where not much happens.
With that kind of choice, the audience is expecting something dramatic to happen, but nothing does. So why cut away to come back if there is no dramatic effect? Maybe other people were unbothered by this, but it felt like a mistake in either the edit bay or story structure.
The Creed franchise has found great success because I believe they’ve been able to subvert expectations. The plot and trailer make these films give an expectation that they’ll follow the same story beats as the Rocky films.
In a way they do but they always go in a different direction than you’d expect. With the latest in this franchise, there was not much subversion. Even still the film works in a way that calls back to different Rocky films.
Speaking of which, there is no mention of Rocky, no Stallone. The film works without him, but it feels weird to not have Stallone here, but weirder still is he has completely vanished in this film. Not even one line or a phone call to check in? It’s just odd.
One big reason this film does work in the end is Jonathan Majors. Sean Fennesy posed a good question on “The Big Picture” podcast episode on Ant-Man Quantumania; Is Jonathan Majors the best buff actor ever?
The answer is yes. He brings a different energy to this franchise from minute one on screen. He’s menacing, like a river that looks calm on the surface but you know beneath is an undercurrent that’ll kill you.
When Majors is unleashed in his first real fight he comes alive. It’s amazing to watch a great actor become a major movie star right in front of your eyes.
It may not be the best in the Creed franchise, but it is a really fun ride that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. Much thanks to Jonathan Majors.
4/5 Stars
