When I first watched the trailer for “Creed III,” I wanted to run through a wall after seeing the repetitive training scenes with hyped-up music in the background.
When I saw that lead actor Michael B. Jordan was the director, I had doubts about what the movie would look like.
Jordan never directed a film before and certainly wasn’t ready for a film of this magnitude.
Fast forward to Saturday night, and all my doubts about Jordan’s directing skills went away.
“Creed III” follows Adonis Creed’s final phase of his boxing career as he transitions from a beloved boxer to a big-time promoter.
In the midst of Creed starting his new job as a promoter, an old friend from his troubled childhood re-enters his life.
Damian Anderson, played by Jonathan Majors, is a childhood friend of Creed who was imprisoned for 18 years after protecting Creed from people who attempted to kill him in a dispute.
Anderson was a big influence in Creed’s early boxing career as he introduced him to the fight game at an early age.
When Anderson returned home from prison, he wanted to pick up from where he left off when he was chasing his boxing dreams.
The main conflict of the film comes out when Anderson’s boxing goals clash with Creed’s plans to promote his own fighters.
Anderson wanted to use Creed to fast track his way to a world title. Creed, who felt guilty for being part of the reason Anderson went to prison, reluctantly gave Anderson a shot at the title, which damaged his credibility as a promoter.
The conflict hits a collision course when Creed and Anderson decide the only way to achieve their goals is to fight each other in a winner-takes-all championship bout.
What I loved about this film was how the plot wasn’t a “good guy” versus “bad guy” storyline. Though Anderson plays the role of the antagonist throughout the film, his “villain quest” is understandable and defines why he’s the cold-hearted character he’s portrayed to be.
Conversely, Creed is the story’s protagonist, but some of his actions didn’t make him look like a “good guy” throughout the movie.
The storyline is complex and makes the audience wonder why the characters act the way they do.
Another part of this movie I loved was Sylvester Stallone not making an appearance. Part of what I thought held back the previous “Creed” films was this looming cloud of the “Rocky” series hanging over the terrific storylines of the previous movies.
And let's be honest: the Stallone that portrayed legendary characters such as Rocky Balboa, Rambo and Barney Ross is long gone.
If I had to hear another “Creed” movie with the old, raspy and tired voice of Stallone, I would have walked out of the theater.
Jordan showed that he could take a beloved series such as “Rocky” and continue the storyline with an equally iconic character, without having ties to the last series.
Aside from the story itself, the fighting scenes were top tier.
The cinematography of the punches thrown in the ring was something that I haven’t seen in combat cinema before.
The fight scenes gave me flashbacks of Mortal Kombat, where we could see up close and personal the destruction each strike does to the human body.
The presentation of the punches themselves were more violent for sure, but it added a different element to the movie.
It was also refreshing to see other professional boxers in the film. José Benavidez Jr., Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez all made cameos in “Creed III.”
Maybe the biggest highlight of “Creed III” was the obvious eye candy Jordan and Majors presented when they entered combat mode.
There’s a reason why I didn’t bring my partner to the theater because of the inevitable looks I would see on her face anytime the gun show came on screen.
Overall, I thought that Jordan’s directing debut was a magical success. I am excited to see what the future holds for Jordan on the directing side of films.
