Creed III: Rocky All the Way

Plot via IMDB:

After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) has been thriving in both his career and family life. When childhood friend and former boxing prodigy Damian (Jonathan Majors) resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damian–a fighter who has nothing to lose.

Creed 3 doesn’t go for the knockout. It’s satisfied to go to the distance, but stay true to its Rocky heart, by delivering what it promises with style, taste and respect for the audience.

Creed 3 keeps its Rocky underdog bona fides by making it a champion to contender to champion redemption story. This time around, the Creed series star, Michael B. Jordan, takes over directing duties from Ryan Coogler, who went on to more Marvel-ous things. It’s a flawless transfer.

The twist here is there more than one redemption story being told. Not only is it Adonis Creed’s redemption and fall story but his symbolic brother, Damian’s also- from hood to prison to champion. Damian is played with both menace and sensitivity by Jonathan Majors.

Thus there is bad childhoods, blood, guilt and shame to overcome. Along the way there are spectacular training sequences and fights. To show it’s true ascendency to the Rocky throne the best ends with Creed running up the hills of Hollywood to pose Stallone-like under the Hollywood Sign- the visual stand-in for the Philadelphia Art Museum steps.

Jordan handles it all with competent and unfussy finesse. The ring, the family, the faux brother relationship all get their proper beats with Jonathan Majors providing the contrasting bad examples of how to handle life’s conflicts and successes. Everything in Creed 3 is cast, told and done perfectly.