Creed III

“Creed III” A.K.A. “Killmonger VS. Kang the Conquerer” is out in theaters. The ninth installment of the “Rocky” series earned praise from critics and movie goers alike. As well as making money at the box office. Recently, Michael B. Jordan announced a fourth Creed movie is in development along with a batch of spin-offs.

This review contains no crucial SPOILERS. Feel free to check out my non-spoiler article.

Winner & Loser Aspects

Winner: Michael B. Jordan & Tessa Thompson reprise their roles and they both did an excellent job for their respective performances. In addition to playing Adonis, Michael directed the film and produced it.

Jonathan Majors did an excellent job for his performance. Mr. Majors is killing it this year. I’m stoked to see him return as Kang in Loki’s second season, “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” “Secret Wars.”

Fun Fact: Michael & Jonathan are best friends in real life. The former wants to collaborate with the latter in more projects like Robert De Niro & Al Pacino. I find it hilarious to see Killmonger & Kang as besties. Marvel Fan Fiction becomes a reality.

Ryan Coogler wrote the story. He didn’t come back to the direct. He was busy working on “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

Even though Sylvester Stallone didn’t come back as Rocky Balboa, he produced the film.

Cinematography never suffered from technical problems throughout.

Pacing felt normal. I didn’t get bored. My eyes were glued to the screen.

Chemistry between Adonis, his family and Damian serves as the main highlight. Adonis’ interactions with them move the story forward.

Boxing Match between Adonis & Damian is worth the price of admission. Intense and brutal at the same time.

A Training Montage is included as a tradition in the series.

The Plot didn’t feel like a retread of the previous Rocky movies. It is an original story set after “Creed II.” Adonis reunites with Damian. They come head-to-head with one another fighting for the heavyweight championship.

We learn about Adonis & Damian’s friendship back when they were teenagers. There’s a reason why they didn’t see each other for years.

Michael stated Creed III’s influenced by anime including “Dragon Ball Z” & Naruto.” He’s a huge anime fan. He also said the relationship between Adonis and his daughter, Amara is inspired by the late Kobe Bryant & Gigi.

Primary Themes are Family, Friendship, Regret & Rivalry. Each one’s handled maturely.

Loser: Rocky’s absence has never been addressed.

The Final Verdict: A-

Creed III is a near-perfect ninth installment of the Rocky series. Finally, a great movie in 2023. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” was underwhelming. Creed III is just a warm-up for the rest of the year. If you have nothing to do over the week, this movie is worth your spare time and hard-earned cash. Who will Adonis fight in a fourth Creed movie? I think he’ll go up against Clubber Lang’s son.