Creed III
After becoming the Heavyweight Champion of the world, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) seems to be in a good place, strong family life, thriving gym, nice house, all indicators point to the good life. But, when an old childhood friend, Damian (Jonathan Majors), is released from prison, Adonis is called back to the ring for one more fight, a grudge match that’s been a lifetime in the making.
Written by Keenan Coogler, Zach Baylin, and Ryan Coogler, and Directed by Michael B. Jordan this jump back into the Rocky universe delivers some of the heaviest hitting blows and transporting boxing cinematography leaving the viewer stunned from the time the bell first rings. But for all the punches that land, the emotional impact of the story overall still seems to miss a beat or two leaving the viewer a bit underwhelmed by the overall character arcs involved. Additionally, a few cheese whiz edits and CGI added for dramatic effect and stylistics manage to detract more than add to the narrative. Also, noticeably absent this go round, Bill Conti’s ever famous “Gonna Fly Now” from the film’s score, bummer, was really hoping to hear that infused one last time, then again also absent, Sly Stallone, although he was a producer on the film, so, perhaps this was all intentional, leaving room for Jordan to put his signature on the Rocky Franchise in his own way. Running one hour and 56 minutes, Creed III is rated PG-13.