Creed III (2023) is a movie my wife and I saw at an advanced screening last night. The storyline follows a retired Adonis Creed who is now a stay-at-home dad with his daughter and successful wife, who is now a music producer. One day while at the gym he acquired he runs into an old acquaintance whom he was best friends with as a kid. His friend was a better fighter with a brighter future than him, but they got in trouble and his friend was sent to jail for 15 years. Now out of jail, he wants what's owed to him, which is everything Creed has. Creed gives him his chance but quickly wishes he didn't. Once the demon has been unleashed on the boxing landscape the same man who unleashed may be the only man who can stop him...Creed.
This movie stars and is directed by Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther), in his directorial debut, and also stars Jonathan Majors (Lovecraft Country), Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show), Tessa Thompson (Dear White People) and Wood Harris (Remember the Titans).
There is a lot of good in this movie and a few misses too. The premise for this storyline is very good and had a ton of potential. The acting and set-up of the circumstances is tremendous. Jonathan Majors continues to establish himself as one of Hollywood's elite; and Jordan, Rashad and Thompson support and play off each other perfectly. The chemistry is excellent amongst the cast, even the "child actors" deliver strong performances. This is a movie made for IMAX with great cinematography, use of colors, camera angles and the sped up/slowed down shots were brilliant. The ring intros are the best ever depicted in a boxing movie and the soundtrack was fantastic too. I also loved how they incorporated life with, and as, a def individual. Unfortunately, when you get to the final fight, it felt like a concept that was better on paper than when executed. The entire final sequence with the use of CGI during the fight was a bit cheesy and didn't work for me. The trainer, Harris, was a HUGE step down from Stallone and Burgess Meredith and just didn't have the impact those characters had on the franchise. Some of the scenes were too straightforward, especially the ending fight where there was a monumental opportunity to change the direction and feel of the franchise, but it falls on its face...like a poorly executed gut punch (there is one of those in here too).
Overall, this is definitely worth a watch, but easily the worst of the Creed trilogy. I would score this a 7/10 and recommend seeing it once.
