Creed III movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Creed III

This movie is now available in select theaters and on Video on Demand and to stream online.

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 56 minutes (This is the shortest Creed movie in the franchise.)

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

He’s back! Adonis has been thriving in both his career and family life, but when a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy resurfaces, the face-off is more than just a fight.

Congratulations to Michael B. Jordan for directing this movie, as well as starring in it! He was the Executive Producer of the 2018 Creed II, and now he’s ready for the big show. He loves anime, so you actually see some influences from Dragon Ball Z and Naruto in the film. The writing team consists of Keenan Coogler, Zach Baylin, and Ryan Coogler.

THINGS I LIKED:

The terrific cat includes Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Wood Harris, Phylicia Rashad, and Thaddeus J. Mixson as the young Adonis Creed.
I’ve never seen a bad performance by Michael B. Jordan. As expected, he’s great in this movie.
Jonathan Majors looks amazing and does a fantastic job. You should also check out his recent performance in Devotion.
Little Mila Davis-Kent is totally adorable as Creed’s daughter. She’s deaf in real life.
Amazing slow-motion boxing shots. Wow.
For all of you fellow nerds out there, you’ll be interested to know that this 3^rd movie in the Creed series is being released on the 3^rd day of the 3rd month in the 3^rd year of the 3^rd decade of the third millennium of the Common Era.
It’s fun to hang out in Adonis Creed’s gorgeous house.
I love that the movie features some of the pageantry in boxing when both boxers parade into the arena with their music and entourage before the big fight. That’s always my favorite part of boxing matches. One of my sons was a boxer for a short time. My husband thinks boxing is the coolest sport ever.
I love training montages, except I felt like such a slug watching it while sitting on my butt and eating while watching. I definitely need to work out harder. Ha ha
Hard-hitting soundtrack!
I’m always amazed at how they film boxing scenes to make them look so real. I thought the scenes that just showed the two of them, alone, in a ring were especially effective and offered the perspective of how personal the fight was for the two men.
Many of the famous boxing announcers and TV personalities offer cameo performances. I always get a kick out of that because it lends credibility to the scenes as if they’re in real-life.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Sylvester Stallone does not appear in this sequel, which is a shame. He crafted the Rocky character and franchise, but was, sadly, left out of this new addition. That seems super disrespectful to ole Sly, as well as a disappointment to many fans. He hasn’t hidden his frustration about being shut down by Ryan Coogler and Irwin Winkler, saying he’ll never watch this movie. What’s really missing in this sequel is the heart and soul that Rocky always gave us.
I assume we’re going to see Bianca competing in the ring one of these days, eh?
Act 3 feels very rushed compared to the first two acts. For example, we see Dane call out Adonis in a show, and then, suddenly, they’re training and in the ring. There’s no conversation between Adonis and his wife who, surely, would have a strong opinion about his fighting again after so many physical dangers to his battered body. We see her hugging him as he enters the ring, clearly supporting him in his decision to fight again. It just felt like a huge jump in time and story.
Like all of the movies in the Rocky and Creed universe, this film is extremely predictable.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Sign language and Spanish are spoken with subtitles.
Lots of fighting action in and outside of the boxing ring.
Talk of jail time.
A girl gets in trouble at school for punching another student.
Some of the music has explicit profanity and offensive language, including the “N” word.
Some young teens get in a fight with a gun when cops arrive on the scene.

THEMES:

Friendship
Brotherhood
Forgiveness
Family
Pain
Regret
Rivalry
Legacy
Parenting
Timing, focus, and control (in and out of the boxing ring)
The next generation

INTERESTING LINES:

“The only solution to every problem is not a punch in the face.” – Bianca Creed (Tessa Thompson)
“You can feel the tension.” – announcer
“Let go of whatever was and focus on what is.” – Adonis’ coach
“The Creed dynasty reigns supreme!” – announcer
“I left boxing but boxing didn’t leave me.” – Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan)