"Overall I think that Creed 3 is a win. More of a winner by split decision though rather than a KO or TKO".
As most of you probably already know from my Top 15 Sports Films episode, I'm a big fan of the Rocky/Creed franchise. It's one of the strongest franchises in terms of quality. So when I heard they were making a new film where Jonathan Major's was playing the antagonist, I was all in.
Story-wise, Creed 3 is fairly straight forward and follows the Rocky/Creed formula, especially structurally. I mean, if you've seen the trailer then you already know all the plot points. And with franchises like this it's kinda like a "why fix it if it ain't broke?" type of attitude. This can be a good and a bad thing. For one, I'm always keen to see something new and fresh. But you know if I'm seeing a Rocky/Creed film then I HAVE to see a strong as hell training montage and a badass final fight. In that sense, Creed 3 definitely delivers.
Michael B. Jordan takes on directing duties, and he does a fairly decent job considering it's his debut feature. For the most part he plays it pretty safe, except for maybe one or two of the dramatic scenes and a specific stylistic choice during the final fight . He obviously had a tonne of help with the fight choreography and training sequences, but you can see that he's also tried to make his own mark there as well. Speaking of the fight scenes, they are ridiculously well choreographed, shot, and edited. The whole team really took it to another level here. Both Jordan and Majors are more than believable, and involving professional fighters always adds to the authenticity. This is the strongpoint of the film, and what most of us fans are here to see. Well that, and Jonathan Majors.
Jonathan Majors, man, what can I say. I've been a huge fan ever since I saw him in the amazing Last Black Man In San Francisco, and have keenly watched everything he's done since. He's the sort of actor that can elevate average material, and while the dramatic material here is slightly above average across the board, his scenes are always the strongest. He has a vulnerability and unpredictability about him, that most do not have.
It's their third film together now, so Tessa Thompson and Michael B. Jordan's chemistry is better than ever. The introduction of their deaf daughter and the use of sign language is also a nice touch, adding some originality to the mostly predictable dialogue exchanges. The rest of the cast is also pretty solid with Avon Barksdale himself (the always amazing Wood Harris) being the standout amongst the supports.
Overall I think that Creed 3 is a win. More of a winner by split decision though rather than a KO or TKO. The narrative was way too predictable, Majors was underused and Jordan played it a little too safe directing wise. That being said though, there's still a lot to like about Creed 3. It looks fantastic, the sound design is top notch and of course the boxing scenes and montages are next level. Definitely worth catching on the big screen.
Three and a half out of five stars.
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