Michael B. Jordan takes the helm for the third installment of the Creed franchise, which finds the titular fighter in the midst of his most personal challenge yet. Creed III opens on Adonis as riding high, ending his career on his terms, fighting Pretty Ricky Conlan before retiring and heading off into the sunset — and his sick LA mansion.
But, when Damian (Jonathon Majors), a mysterious figure from his past, resurfaces, Adonis is forced to reckon with a history he’d sooner forget. But as the wise ones say, the things we try to ignore have a way of catching up with us. So, when Dame, a former boxing prodigy himself, leans on his old friend for a shot in the ring, Adonis lets emotions override logic and puts everything on the line.
Jordan made a splash with his acting chops long before reinvigorating the Rocky franchise with his scrappy take on Adonis. So, it should come as no surprise that he seems almost as comfortable behind the camera as in front of it. Despite being a first time director, he has the confidence to break away from some of the norms of the series without completely abandoning the emotional beats and boxing grit that have kept people tuned in for so many decades. With some clever camera and edit choices, Jordan manages to make the experience of stepping into the ring more personal, immediate and intimate. A fitting adjustment for a story that challenges viewers to set aside the good-bad binary and navigate some nuance.
Make no mistake — Jonathan Majors is breaking bad in this role. And frankly, I don’t like it! Majors is up to pretty much any acting task and he makes us feel, keenly, the same struggle Adonis has in setting aside his old friend and seeing the man he’s become who has nothing to lose. Yes, what I’m really saying is Majors triumphs in his task, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about the feelings, you know?
As Adonis’ personal journey comes into sharper focus than we’ve ever seen, the rest of the narrative does drop someone. The great Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad are mostly left to react to the chaos and turmoil Adonis inadvertently sews. While it’s necessary for the narrative and emotional thrust of the film overall, it does leave some details wanting.
Creed III walks a tricky line, and Jordan is to be commended for finding the necessary balance to pull it off, both as actor and director. This is the first Creed movie that’s not ultimately a Rocky movie. It’s a shift in the structure and tone of the franchise that anchors this third outing for Adonis and ninth installment overall feel for the first time, distinct from the greater Rocky story. What remains, the swelling music, the bursts of joy, the immersive bouts do service to the series roots without doing too much of the same.
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