An absolute knockout that packs an incredible emotional punch, CREED III wraps up the current trilogy bathed in sweat & style.
Michael B. Jordan continues his fine performances in the role of Adonis Creed, getting ready to retire from boxing at his absolute peak.
His past comes back to haunt him when a best friend from his troubled youth Damian Anderson (intensely played by Jonathan Majors) gets out of an 18-year stint in prison.
As teenagers, Damian took the heat for Adonis and ended up in jail. He's come back seeking payback.
Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin craft a great screenplay that pits Adonis against his legacy. Adonis's life is perfect, but Damian makes him question if he's truly earned it. Thankfully the writers avoid cliche moments but still manage to deliver strong echoes of past Rocky films that any fan of the series will appreciate.
Majors (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) is powerful, genuine and a formidable foe. Tessa Thompson returns and delivers as Bianca Creed.
Wood Harris (Blade Runner 2049) is excellent as the head trainer in Creed's gym and Phylicia Rashad brings heart as Adonis' mom, a role she's breathed great life into for three films.
The biggest surprise for me is Michael B. Jordan's first time in the director's chair. He brings incredible confidence, delivering a modern take that stands among the top films in the entire series. He's bold in some of his choices, including a visual/mental take on the final battle in the ring that's way outside the norm, but it pays off on it's take.
The fights are all first rate and Jordan manages to wedge three of them into the film, along with an eye-popping training sequence that's come a long way from Rocky punching sides of beef in a Philly meat market.
I loved how Jordan and team stage the mid-film fight between Damian and Chavez as a Showtime Boxing special, dropping the viewer right into the fight coverage. Felix Chavez (Jose Benavidez) brings heart to his role and provides a key plot point that delivers the inevitable we all know is coming, a massive Creed/Anderson match to conclude the film.
Stephen A. Smith pops up interviewing Creed on his show and the film starts to feel more like a documentary than fiction.
HOW MANY TIMES can the Rocky Series drag me along into a final boxing match that puts me on the edge of my seat, delivering all the drama and power of a real match, augmented by a perfectly sweeping camera, slow motion and Dolby Atmos punches in the ribs?
Apparently that number is unlimited as long as the battle is teed up and executed as flawlessly as it is here. The editing in the last 30 minutes by Jessica Baclesse (Loki) and Tyler Nelson (The Batman, Mindhunter) is flawless.
Jordan is impressive in front of and behind the camera. This is the way to wrap up a trilogy and go out on top. CREED III is an absolute knockout and gets an A+.
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