Growing up, I was a huge fan of sports films. When my dad first showed me Rocky, I found myself shadowboxing for weeks. After I saw Field of Dreams, all I wanted to do was play catch and work on my swing. My adrenaline spiked every time I saw movies like Miracle, Remember The Titans, Breaking Away, Hoosiers, and He Got Game.
Creed III will be added to that list of sports movies that get my adrenaline pumping. Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut did not disappoint. He makes some bold choices — specifically in the final fight scene — that I think pay off. The film begins by taking the audience back to 2002, where we meet a young Adonis Creed (Thaddeus J. Mixson) and his best friend/big brother figure Damian “Dame” Anderson (Spence Moore II). Dame picks up Adonis to tag along as he dominates the underground boxing scene. After Dame wins his fight, the two stop by a convenience store where Adonis gets into a fight. Dame comes to his defense with a gun, and the police show up. This leads Dame to an 18-year prison sentence while Adonis goes on to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
The film jumps to present day. Adonis is retired, living a lavish life with his wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and their daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent). He owns Delphi Boxing Academy with his partner and longtime trainer Duke Burton (Wood Harris). He spends his time helping train and mentor the next generation of boxers and having tea parties with Amara, who is deaf.
Amara’s hearing disability adds a lot of heart to the film. It provides Jordan with both the challenge and the advantage of utilizing his physical and facial acting prowess. The use of sign language in the film is grounded and meaningful. It adds a dimension to the film that hasn’t been present in its two predecessors. Davis-Kent, who is a deaf actor herself, delivers a great performance as Amara.
When Dame (Jonathan Majors) reappears in Adonis’s life, he’s just been released from his 18-year prison sentence. The two grab a bite to eat and catch up. Dame expresses his plans to pick up where he left off in the boxing world, even though he’s 36 years old, and Adonis offers him a training spot at the gym.
The tension that builds between Dame and Adonis can be felt through every glance, every line delivery, and every facial expression from both actors. During many of their early interactions, both Jordan and Majors have a gleam in their eyes, looking to be on the verge of tears. Jordan’s direction throughout is impressive, extracting strong performances from all of his co-stars.
What I loved most were the fight sequences. Seeing it in IMAX definitely helped to bring the fights to life, as if you’re in the ring alongside the fighters. My dad mentioned after the movie that he thought some of the fights felt like a video game. I can see where he’s coming from at a few points, but I thought the camerawork brought you into the fight in a way that’s impossible while watching an actual boxing match. An added bonus for Marvel fans is seeing Kang vs Killmonger in the ring.
While Creed and Creed II rely heavily on the success and goodwill of the Rocky franchise, Creed III creates a good amount of distance between its predecessors, with just a mention or two of Rocky and Adonis’s father Apollo. While I don’t think I would put this film ahead of Ryan Coogler’s Creed, it is a fantastic directorial debut from Michael B. Jordan with incredible performances from the entire cast.
PG-13 | 1h 56m | 3.3.2023
Director: Michael B. Jordan
Genre: Drama, Action, Sports
Related Films: Creed (2015), Creed II (2018)
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors
Ryan’s Score: 88/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% Audience, 87% Critic (as of 3.5.2023)
Watch the trailer here: