Creed III Review

Adonis Creed returns for another cinematic bout with Creed III. This time he must confront his own past, both literally and metaphorically.

Creed (Michael B. Jordan) retires from boxing after becoming the unified heavyweight champ of the world. He settles down with Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and their daughter, Amara (Mile Davis-Kent), and works as a boxing promoter and gym owner. Creed’s old friend, Damian “Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors) gets released from prison after an 18-year sentence and Creed invites Dame to his gym. Dame demands Creed to give him a shot at the heavyweight title.

I have a soft spot for the Rocky/Creed franchise. At best they are genuinely great films, at worst they are still entertaining. Even the maligned Rocky V had its moments. It is a series that mixed a sense of grit with fantasy. They are films about the American Dream with Rocky and Creed coming from nowhere to become boxing champions. The films have a formula where Rocky or Creed must find a way to defeat a tough opponent and often must go back to their roots to achieve this. They are classic underdog stories.

Creed III aimed to subvert some elements of the formula. Dame could have been a protagonist since he was a boxing prospect who lost his chance to be a professional but gets one last shot at sporting old age. The premise of the first Rocky film was a local boxer who seemed never to fulfil his potential getting an unlikely title challenge, and these have been films based on true stories of unlikely boxing success: i.e. Cinderella Man and The Fighter. However, Dame was a character filled with rage and hate and he wanted to get revenge against Creed for his perceived abandonment. Dame was a classic example of a villain who saw themselves as the hero of their story.

Dame was Creed’s most personal opponent since their shared past. The previous Creed movies were about Creed living in the shadow of his father’s legacy and needing to prove himself. In the first Creed, the titular character tried to hide the fact he was Apollo’s son and become a contender based on his own merits. Creed II was a sequel to Rocky IV since Creed pretty much was avenging Apollo’s death by defeating Ivan Drago’s son.

Creed III was a deeper exploration of Creed’s character since it explored his trauma. Creed suffered in his youth and has tried to suppress his memories. He didn’t even tell his wife about his past. Creed and Dame were both having to face their demons.

Creed III does have a bit of Rocky V in it. Both films see their title characters retiring from boxing and another boxer seeking them out for help and guidance. Like Tommy Gunn, Dame was a boxer who had a rough start to life and had anger issues in the ring. Also, like Tommy Gunn, Dame was using Creed to give his career a leg up. The difference between Dame and Tommy Gunn was motivation. Tommy Gunn was led astray by George Washington Duke; Dame was acting out of malice. Dame had a plan to humiliate Creed and take away everything his former friend had earned. Creed III had a better plot than Rocky V because of the connection between Creed and Dame and Creed III didn’t have a downbeat tone.

Creed and Dame had different fighting styles. Dame was an absolute unit: he was just pure muscle. His fight style was based on power and aggression, and he was shown to be a dirty fighter during his first match. Creed was more tactical: he was willing to take a beating so he could find an opening and a weak spot.

Michael B. Jordan makes his directional debut with Creed III and he brought a sense of style to the boxing sequences. Creed’s first fight was like the action sequences in the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movies because there were lots of slo-mo and there was a focus on Creed’s concentration. The final fight was one of the most personal in the franchise since Creed and Dame were so focused that they didn’t see the crowd. It was just two men fighting. There was an imaginative quality to the fight since the pair were getting out all their rage against each other.

On a final note, it was said in the film that Dame was older than Creed, a fighter who retired. In real life Majors is three years older than Jordan. Jordan does look younger than he really is and Majors looks older, so it worked in the context of the film.

Fans of the Rocky/Creed franchise should be happy with the results. It added a little extra spice to the formula they know and love and it works as a sporting drama in its own right.