Creed III: Movie Review

Cast: Michael B Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad

Director: Michael B Jordan

You know what you're going to get with boxing films.

Either it's an underdog story, a story about being on top then falling from grace or it's a one last shot at redemption kind of film. 

Creed III somehow manages to be all of those, wrapped up in an emotionally-grounded and at times, cliched and overwrought story. As well as a pugilist's dream, Creed III also manages to showcase once again the innate star power of Majors, the generosity of Jordan as a first time director and a different way to really show off a boxing match. And all of it wrapped up in a "you stole my life" thriller as well.

After just winning his way to a world title with his final ever fight, Michael B Jordan's Creed is in retirement, enjoying a Don King-esque role ("but without the hair" as his largely sidelined partner Bianca states) and mentoring at his gym.

But when Damien Anderson (Majors) a friend from long time ago appears from jail, Creed finds his world turned upside down and a long-buried secret unearthed.

Creed III benefits greatly from being a muted film that makes more of the emotional edges than the outright bluster of a boxing movie. 

It's what Jordan understands about the concept and formula that makes Creed III a film to enjoy. Along with some tightly shot boxing sequences, and a bravura execution of the final fight, Creed becomes a film about legacy, loss and also future while carving out a mournful tone throughout.

There are moments which are overwrought and overplayed though, with domestic dramas thrown into the mix and not properly resolved, and training montages feel overdone this time, overlaid as heavily as they are with music and hyperbolic scenes. Certainly while Thompson's character feels more pushed to the side and dealing with her issues, the story gives her weight when it's needed - but it's a frustration there's not more of that throughout.

What's most fascinating about Creed III though is how Jordan turns the spotlight on Majors as a foil, a niggle from the past that Creed won't deal with and is prevented from moving on from the trauma of. Majors is more than just a foil on screen though, with the pair's great chemistry hinting at a long history that's only scratched the surface of during the film's prologue. 

Majors' character feels lived in, and the tensions between the two feel fraught and meaty - sure there's the contrast of Anderson's scrappier edges brought on by life rubbing up against Creed's more headstrong and intelligent ways, but the sparks keep flying because of it.

Visually, it's the film's final fight which shows Jordan's vision behind the camera - the ropes of the ring are turned into a cage and the battle of wits between the pair is executed in a one-on-one that really changes up the way these movies are generally done. It's thrilling stuff which makes the journey worthwhile.

Creed III may well be the capper to the story of legacy, but ultimately, while it's not a knockout blow, it's a meatier more satisfying and nuanced take on the genre that proves to be as much for the heart as it is for the head.