Creed III (2023)
Director: Michael B. Jordan
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors Synopsis: Adonis has been thriving in both his career and family life, but when a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy resurfaces, the face-off is more than just a fight. MPAA Rating: PG-13 Runtime: 1 hr 56 min Release Date: March 3, 2023 The Creed spinoff franchise has been one of those surprisingly good spinoffs that has managed to re-capture the drama and action that made the Rocky franchise so beloved. Sure, Sylvester Stallone isn't the main star here anymore (and in Creed III he's entirely absent for the first time), but Michael B. Jordan has been able to adequately fill those big shoes left behind. And in Creed III he takes it a major step forward by stepping into the director's chair for the first time in the franchise, and, I'm pleased to say the results are tremendous.
Creed III amps up the drama we've seen in the previous films by diving into Adonis's past regarding his childhood friend Dames (Jonathan Majors). Without getting into spoilers, it's a past that Donnie has tried to bury his entire life, and it goes as far as affecting his marriage and family. It's a powerful lesson that we've seen before but is still worth reiterating--you can't run from your past---sooner or later it will catch up to you and affect your relationships. Only by confronting our issues and mistakes in the past can we truly move on and live our best lives, free from the guilt and emotional wrestling. I mentioned in my last review of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania that the lone bright spot in that film was Jonathan Majors. Well, here I can tell you that's not the case as this is a much better overall film, but he certainly elevates the movie with another outstanding performance. Just like in Quantumania, he's intimidating, brutal, and cunning, and the build up in the rivalry and final fight is truly worthy of seeing on the big screen. Michael B. Jordan provides us with some thoroughly entertaining boxing scenes (especially the final match), aided by great framing and slow-motion shots (although sometimes he overdoes the slow-mo schtick). But overall, a lot of credit has to be given here, as acting and directing is no easy task, but he passes with flying colors here. As mentioned, despite the boxing scenes being the main draw to the Rocky films, the Creed and Rocky franchises wouldn't be near as entertaining if not for their well-written characters that you actually care about, and thankfully Creed III excels here, further developing Donnie and Bianca (Tessa Thompson), while also adding in his young daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent). Amara's deafness (inherited from her mother) is showcased heavily here, with her parents having taught her sign language and communicating very effectively with her through it. Things could've been more interesting if Amara was still struggling to learn ASL and not already have been fluent in it, but perhaps Jordan thought Donnie had enough going on with dealing with his issues with Dames. Still, that would've been another dramatic hurdle that would've elevated the film. All in all, Creed III is a well-made sequel with a lot going for it--Michael B. Jordan's direction is sharp and engaging, the characters once again have depth and real-world issues going on, and Jonathan Majors again delivers a strong performance with Dames. Sylvester Stallone's absence (presumably for creative and/or financial differences) is definitely felt--there's scenes where we feel he should be in, and his presence certainly would've elevated this film even higher, yet the writing is mostly able to make do without him. That said, I certainly hope any future installments are able to bring him back (and Michael B. Jordan has since hinted that's a possibility), as any Rocky spinoff without Rocky still feels a little off at this point. Grade: A- (90%) Written by Anthony Watkins, March 18, 2023 |