Creed III is a sports movie sequel directed by Michael B. Jordan in his directorial debut. The screenplay is written by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin, who worked on the story with Ryan Coogler.

Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) retains his title as the undisputed boxing champion of the world and retires to spend more time with his wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson), daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent), and mother Mary (Phylicia Rashad). He opens a gym with his friend Duke Evers (Wood Harris) who is training prizefighter Feliz Chavez (José Benavidez Jr.) for a championship fight. Adonis is approached by an old friend Damian “Diamond Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors) who got out of prison. Feeling guilty over their past, Adonis agrees to help Dame train only for Anderson to take the championship title in a major upset. Realizing he was betrayed, Adonis gets ready for another fight.

There are two elephants in the room. The criminal accusations against Majors hang over the film. I believe in innocent until proven guilty. That is all I will say on the matter. The second is the absence of Sylvester Stallone. I know he is feeling betrayed by the events surrounding the rights to his character Rocky Balboa. I do wish he had a cameo, but I understand his frustration.

On to the movie.

Wow, I was blown away by how good it was. This was Jordan’s first attempt at directing and he nailed it. He did a good job of continuing the story of Adonis as well as playing the character. I was very impressed and I loved every minute of it. It is a fantastic addition to the Creed franchise and is just an all around good movie with an excellent message.

Jordan has often said that he is a fellow anime fan and that some of his favorite titles influenced the fight choreography. You could tell. Seeing the style done in a live-action context made the movie original for a boxing film, adding a flare to the sequences. It was sleek, cool, and I loved the artistic nature of it.

As for the cast, everyone did a fantastic job. Rashad is an underrated talent and I am glad to see her start appearing in more feature films. Likewise, Thompson did a good job in her role. Watching the character grow from the previous two films has been one of the best aspects of this trilogy. It is truly a bright spot.

Bottom line, Creed III is an excellent film in both story, style, and acting. Michael B. Jordan delivers on every level not just as the protagonist, but as the director.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Strong violence, Foul language including lyrics

FAVORITE QUOTE: The higher you get, the harder it gets.

Check out the trailer below:

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