With all of the intense behind the scenes drama surrounding Stallone’s outspoken frustration against producer Irwin Winkler, I will admit that my excitement going in to Creed 3 was considerably less than I wanted it to be. This is also Michael B Jordan’s directorial debut and with a franchise as iconic as Rocky, I had my reservations. I am very glad to report that while Creed 3 is missing a bit of that Rocky magic, it works on its own merits as a self contained story about friendship, betrayal, reconciling with the past, and settling old scores. Part of what makes Creed 3 succeed by itself is how it shakes up the hero/villain roles and makes the viewer empathize with both Adonis and his shady old friend, Dame. Without going into detail, Adonis and Dame used to be best friends back in the day, but after an incident that Adonis escaped from and left Dame in prison for 18 years, Dame is paroled and wants to prove himself to the world as a heavyweight champion. Michael B Jordan gives his most heartfelt and passionate performance as Adonis yet, but it really is Kang himself, Jonathan Majors who is an absolute force of nature. There are some extremely tense sequences of dialogue between Adonis and Dame, and Jordan/Majors are a powerhouse duo with genuinely believable chemistry. Their friendship, their rivalry, their beef, and their tension with one another was so entertaining to watch and relatable to anyone who’s ever had a dramatic falling out with a good friend. Tessa Thompson is also very strong here once again and the family dynamic between Adonis, Bianca, and their daughter Amara was pretty heartwarming. Jordan’s direction is surprisingly sharp, as he has publicly stated that the boxing sequences are heavily inspired by hand to hand combat in anime. Everything from the camera movement, to the slow-motion/speed up techniques, to the unique ways Jordan makes the fights feel personal all add up to exhilarating results. The soundtrack and training montages aren’t my favorite of the series, but are surely full of enough adrenaline pumping excitement and unapologetic manliness to satisfy, with a few familiar song chords from previous entries. My main issues with the film lie within certain story elements that are rushed over or not explained to the extent they should be. Some character decisions feel a bit unrealistic and illogical, however the movie just quickly moves on and expects the viewer to go along with it. Depending on the viewer, this may or may not take you out of the film for a hot second. As stated before, it is also unavoidable to not mention Rocky’s absence. What I will say is this. For the narrative that was told in this film as both a self contained story and extension of the beloved Rocky franchise, I get why Rocky was not in the film. However, I totally understand and empathize with Stallone’s anger and frustration over producer Irwin Winkler taking over the reigns of the very series that Sly worked tooth and nail to create. I hope that in the future, Stallone will be given back creative control and this behind the scenes drama will be over with. Overall, while Creed 3 has some pacing issues and suffers a bit from Rocky’s noticeable absence, Michael B Jordan‘s directorial debut works on its own right as a hugely entertaining sports drama, an effective story of bad blood between old friends, and yet another showcase of just how Jonathan Majors can pull off a savagely captivating villain.
Comments