Creed III

The next installment of the Creed saga begins with now retired champion Adonis Creed cruising through life as both a coach and a father. All is smooth sailing, that is, until childhood friend, Damien, comes back to the boxing gym after 18 years in prison. What begins as an attempt from Damien to reconnect with his former boxing heyday and old friend Adonis is soon revealed to be a malicious grab at Adonis’ reputation and legacy, and the face off is an emotional one. Honestly, I thought it was pretty good.

Let’s get it out of the way: the movie is fairly predictable. It’s a familiar structure that certainly doesn’t place itself worlds apart from the previous Creed films, but in this case, when things are done right on most parts, I think that translates into a comfortable viewing experience. This allows the viewer to sink their teeth into what is intended to be a main focus of the film: guilt, regret, family, and the honesty of Adonis’ own success. And giving credit where its due, Jordan, on his directorial debut, mind you, found good space throughout the film to accomplish this - the emotional target points are all hit well. I say well, not perfect, because I’ll admit, the film appeared a little rushed to me. And yet, with the return of the lost childhood friend, the emotional stakes still bear an incredible weight here.

The highlight for me was Damien, played by Jonathan Majors. Our antagonist is truly villainous at times. He is a physically menacing individual who, when charged up, delivers a fantastically threatening gravitas. I’d go watch the film for him alone. With all that in mind, it’s a warranted addition to the franchise and worth the watch.