Off all the installments in the Rocky/Creed franchise thus far, I don’t think there was one that was in a more unique position than Creed III. Not only because this is the first one to not have Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky in it but this seems to be the first one which actually dares to blaze it’s own path without having to carry the baggage of the legacy of Rocky Balboa that the series had been clinging onto. The first Creed was basically a modern update on the first Rocky while Creed II was a direct sequel to Rocky IV along with hitting the familiar but best beats from every Rocky sequel up to this point. Now that Rocky is able to rest comfortably knowing that his best friend’s death in the ring has been avenged along with Adonis no longer being a victim of living off his father’s glory, it’s time to take the series in his own unique direction. While there are certainly some impossible to avoid beats that this series is known for which the movie can’t help but follow, Creed III is able to succeed strongly as it’s own thing and proves that their are other stories to tell in this franchise even without Rocky Balboa himself.
Plot Synopsis: Taking place after the events of Creed II, Adnois “Donnie” Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is able to end his boxing career on top by winning in a rematch against “Pretty” Rick Conlan, the one and only opponent that Donnie had ever lost too. After one last victory, Creed has retired to take care of his wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and their deaf daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent).
Fast forward three years later and Donnie runs Delphi Boxing Academy with his prior coach Tony “Little Duke” Evers Jr. (Wood Harris) and helps promote young fighters like Felix “El Guerrero” Chavez (Jose Benavidez Jr.) in a match against well-known veterans such as Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu). His personal life has become complicated as Bianca has become a producer after suffering from severe hearing problems, Amara has begun to follow in his footsteps of wanting to become a boxer, and his stepmother Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad) is suffering from declining health whose days could be numbered. Things get even more complicated when Donnie’s old friend Damian “Diamond Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors) comes back into his life and requests for Donnie to help him builds towards a boxing career.
Because the two share a distinct past with one another and believing he owes his old pal a favor after he saved his life in an incident that got him arrested, Donnie agrees to help Dame train to become a professional boxer. As the process goes on with Dame’s turn to fame as a boxer, Donnie soon realizes that perhaps giving boxing lessons his friend who’s been in jail for quite some time might not have been the best idea. It’s then that Donnie must figure out how to keep Dame and his personal life in check or else it may result in having to return to the ring once again which might just jeopardize everything he has been building his whole life to.
To answer the obvious question that folks were wondering before this movie came out, Rocky Balboa is NOT in this movie. There is certainly a reference or two with him and he definitely still exists in this universe but there is no focus on him whatsoever in Creed III. That in of itself will undoubtedly be considered an absolute sin for the movie but if anything, it’s more of a selling point.
Rocky himself will always be a legend but he is not someone that Adonis Creed can count on forever. If he is to forge his own path, then he must learn how to live the life that his mentor once lived without his presence. While that’s not quite the central main conflict of the movie, that is no doubt the mindset that Michael B. Jordan had when realizing that Stallone himself wasn’t going to come back.
For those that were felt that the previous movie dialed back on the whole “passing the torch” premise of the original Creed by feeling the need to bring back familiar foes from Rocky’s past, they will likely find Part III to be more worthwhile. The personal conflicts that Donnie himself goes throughout the story all ties into his own past, present, and future without any tie backs or references to Rocky himself. These are his own family members and old pals that Donnie himself is forced to deal with. Whenever it involves boxing or having to take care of his loved ones, it is a problem that only he himself can solve.
And was there never a greater problem to solve than that of Jonathan Major’s Dame. While not dissimilar to that of in Rocky V where Rocky mentors his own fiery young boxer who ultimately turns on him, Dame represents Donnie trying to fix the remaining sins of his past. Because of the fact that Dame save Donnie’s life when they were kids and he have to face the consequences from it, Donnie feels like he owes his life and feels there’s no better way to repair him than to have his old pal get a taste of boxing glory. Of course, this regains the questions of whether or not Donnie is doing this because he believes Dame to be the next big thing or is he doing it because he owes Dame a favor? In that case, not only may he not find himself creating the next Rocky or Creed but possibly the next Drago. Despite Dame being once again a character that comes out of no where, it still is able to work well thanks to how it plays a role in Donnie wanting to move forward in his life while also trying to take care of any loose ends that might still need to be tied up.
This also helps because Jonathan Majors is absolutely great in the role as Dame. While we already got a taste of his acting chops in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as Kang, Jordan is able to fully utilized Major’s ability and range as an actor here. He makes for a perfect mirror to Jordan’s Creed in the sense of wanting to become a fighter to prove himself while also for his own personal glory. Although we are clearly gonna see more of Majors down the line, I sure hope this isn’t the last time we see him paired with Jordan.
The rest of the performances are as reliably great as they have been for the previous two movies. Michael B Jordan once again proves he is the perfect man to be able to carry this franchise going forward without needing anyone else to back him up. Not only because of how Adonis Creed has become a fully fletched out character over the course of three movies but Jordan’s unique screen presence and depth he brings to the character. Tessa Thompson is as likable and charming as she has been in any other movie she’s been in and even gets more standout moments to herself here. Phylicia Rashad is as reliably great as always, Wood Harris is as likable as he usually is, young Mila Davis-Kent is able to shine well as Creed’s little deaf daughter who you can see a bit of Michael B Jordan in herself, and even Florian Munteanu and Tony Bellew make surprisingly welcome returns as the main antagonist from the previous two movies, so much so you won’t even bother to question why Creed is now supposed friends against someone from the family that’s responsible for his father’s death.
In terms of directing, Michael B Jordan shows he’s as just as much of a star behind the camera as he is in front of it. While there are a few scenes that do give the impression of a first-time together, this is a very well directed and put together movie with Jordan’s stamp clearly all over it. The boxing scenes are really well done, being able to play great tribute to traditional anime without it coming across as too over-the-top or devolving into self parody. It’s the way that the fight sequences are put together that make you feel each punch, the intensity of it all, and just the plain atmosphere of it. There is certainly room for improvement as there are times where certain scenes drag on longer than they should or end rather abruptly but for the most part, Michael B Jordan has a clear bright future ahead of him as a director.
Creed III was always gonna have to face the inevitable uphill battle that the series would have to fight against to see whether or not it can keep going without the man that started it all in Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa. Thankfully, Michael B Jordan proves he is up to the task to carry the baton forward in a respectful manner that makes Adonis Creed a compelling enough character to continue the Rocky tradition. While the movie does undeniably stick to the formula and traditions that the series is known for, it’s still able to feel fresh, unique, and satisfying all the same.
Much like the previous two movies, this does make for a satisfying end if they want to stop here but also leaves plenty of pathways to go with future movies if they want to continue on. However, after how satisfying of a trilogy the Creed movies have been along with the (mostly) consistently good quality of the Rocky franchise as a whole, I seen no reason not to welcome a Creed IV with opening arms. Creed III isn’t my favorite of the series or even the trilogy but it might just be the most important one thus far. It shows that just because a franchise can peak, doesn’t mean it can’t evolve into something else entirely. And if it can do just that with equally good results, then a franchise of any kind can last as long as it wants too.
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