Written by Cameron Geiser

It’s always nice to see a sequel that builds upon the foundation from previous installments, but it’s even better when that film tries to do something new. Creed III features the directorial debut of film series star Michael B. Jordan, echoing Sylvester Stallone’s direction of Rocky III, and no offense to Stallone, but this is the better third film of the two. Ironically however, both films are similarly “the weird kid” of the bunch. While Rocky III was more outright silly in its energy and aesthetic, Creed III does have flares of style that may not mesh with all fans at all times, but it strives to reach a unique visual image through movement and form when concerned with the main fights in the film. Both films also have their main characters in similar places within their lives, now that they’ve reached the pinnacle of success in the ring, what do they do now? Where do they take the character from here?

Creed III simultaneously feels like an evolution of the film series into new territory from a filmmaking perspective, but it’s also couched in the familiar tropes, structure, and story arcs that any Rocky fan can appreciate. We pick up a good six to eight years after the last film where Adonis has managed to maintain his status as the champion and is looking to retire with the opening fight of the film being a rematch with the main antagonist of the first film, ‘Pretty’ Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew). After looking towards that setting sun, Adonis leaves the ring and takes on a more managerial role at his own gym. He’s also got his family to look after now too with his daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent) and wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson). There’s some interesting bits here and there with these two characters as well. Bianca’s also moved into more of a producer role at her record label, hiring new talent and trying to maintain her hearing for as long as possible, thus she doesn’t actively take the stage as a performer anymore.

In fact, that touches on one of the greatest subtle aspects of this film. While Sylvester Stallone may not make an appearance this time around, this film is very in touch with the last two films in small tangible ways. When Adonis is alone before the big fight of the film, he’s quietly regurgitating Rocky’s training from the last two films to himself. Or when Amara gets into a fight at school, her teacher tells Adonis and Bianca that “She just… fights” with the same level of exhaustion that Adonis’ surrogate mother, Mary-Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad) heard when she met young Adonis for the first time. Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu) also appears, and I absolutely loved that he filled the Rocky role for the buildup to the main fight as his sparring and training partner.

However, the best new addition to the film series is Jonathan Majors starring as Damian Anderson. Damian used to hang out with Adonis when they were young and restless teenagers. On one such late night drive the two get into a scuffle with an old rival and Damian pulls a gun to save Adonis– but when the cops show up Adonis breaks from the scene and hightails it out of there, abandoning his only friend to some serious jail time. It’s that crux of guilt, shame, and betrayal that fuels the first half of Adonis and Damian’s interactions in the film. Even when the two aren’t yet fully committed to beating the snot out of each other, there is an underlying tension that can be felt from the very beginning. In fact that’s one of the more effective aspects of the film’s tone throughout the runtime. Michael B. Jordan directs the film like it’s a thriller more than a sports film about the struggles of integrity, spirit, and determination. Viktor Drago had stellar motivation in the last film as the major antagonist as we got the details of Ivan Drago’s loss and how the aftermath affected both his and Viktor’s lives– but Damian is a direct link to Adonis Creed’s life and story. This time, it really IS personal.

Jonathan Majors plays Damian as someone who never really got their opportunity to be the champion. He had been one of the most promising boxers in his prime before his prison sentence got in the way, and he’s had a long time to simmer on that. Once given that opportunity however Damian makes the most of that chance when he fights the new champion out of Creed’s gym and becomes one of the most dangerous men to enter the ring. Personally, I’m not an expert on fighting styles, so I can’t speak to the practicality of how Jonathan Majors moved his character in the ring– but his unorthodox movements and fighting style paired with a tenacious brutality made him one of the most visually striking fighters in the whole Rocky/Creed franchise. The main fight in the third act has some of the most abstract and interesting visuals and ideas at play. You can certainly see Michael B. Jordan’s love of Japanese anime, he’s spoken about those inspirations at length in interviews on the press circuit, but you can’t miss how those influences made their way into the camera movements, blocking, and framing. Just when you think a franchise can’t do anything new, movies like this happen, and we’re all the better for it.

Cameron Geiser is an avid consumer of films and books about filmmakers. He'll watch any film at least once, and can usually be spotted at the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. He also writes about film over at www.spacecortezwrites.com.