'Creed III' Movie Review: Feel the punch!

A still from the movie, `Creed III`, (Pic courtesy: Twitter)

Film: Creed III
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Phylicia Rashad, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu, Tony Bellew, Mila Davis-Kent
Director: Michael B. Jordan
Rating: 3/5
Runtime: 116 min

This sequel spin-off of the ‘Rocky' franchise heralds Michael B. Jordan's fairly impressive directorial debut and is punchy on style rather than story.

After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) has been thriving in both his career as a trainer, gym co-owner, and Boxing promoter and also his family life. But then, a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damien Anderson(played by Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison and is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring.

Adonis Creed is no longer an underdog, but the threadbare writing in 'Creed III' inorganically forces him into believing he is, just three years after his last title…and against an opponent who has just one successful KO after a 10-year-long prison stint.

The story feels rather flimsy especially because the final duel comes through because of a personal grudge that Adonis Creed's childhood friend holds against him. So this film is rather more personal than the earlier two Ryan Coogler directed editions which also had Sylvester Stallone playing a reluctant trainer and father figure.

In this edition, Sly is only the producer and has no screen time. Jordan's narrative has pace and he films the boxing bouts with savage energy and inventive perfection. But the switch sequence - from a packed-stadium perspective to one that isolates the two men in a kind of dream ring, right in the middle of a blistering fight, undermines the overall effect.

Also Read: Michael B. Jordan receives a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, see pic

The hard-won new life and audience that this sentiment-driven spin-off imbued the Rocky franchise with, appears to have become shaky though. Creative considerations have been given the short end while monetary ones hold sway. Jordan and DP Kramer Morgenthau film this experience with IMAX-certified digital cameras. Each scene looks distinctive and the expensiveness within its frames are rendered with a vivid crispness.

Creed's rich glass-house lifestyle gets exposed much more than the Boxing duels. The visual language is lush, larger than life and inviting and even though the championship bouts have their high-focused sucker punch moments, it all feels rather fragile. While the visual effort pays dividends, the lack of a potent storyline makes it less than fulfilling.