The Review

Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) comes back to the ring yet again to face up against his old friend, Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors) in his biggest bout to date.

Jordan had a lot to live up to in this final movie in the Creed trilogy, especially with the departure of Sylvester Stallone from the franchise, and he really does live up to the expectations. Creed III, released on March 3rd, 2023, left many fans and critics in tears. The movie is an emotional rollercoaster, much like its predecessors, with emotional moments shared amongst the characters, most notably between Jordan and Majors’ characters themselves.

There are old wounds and new ones, as a troubled past meets the present, with guilt being a common element all throughout the feature film. It is a common David vs. Goliath story, although it is up to the viewer on who they choose to side with.

As with every film in the Creed franchise, the movie deals with relationships, both romantic and friends, and those relationships get caught up with an event that pushes and tests those relationships to the absolute limit. Adonis’ love interest in the film, Bianca Creed (Tessa Thompson) carries the emotional factor of the film to great lengths. After 9 movies with common elements in the franchise, this may seem to become a bore, but it is the relationships in these movies that truly make them more than your average David vs. Goliath film.

Yes, Jordan and Majors deliver an epic climax in the form of a great boxing match, which is what is being built up to the entire movie, but at the end of the day, as with every great story, it is not the climax that carries the story, it’s the course of events that leads to the climax. The climax of every movie in the Rocky and Creed franchise is a big fight, and while they are entertaining, the troubles between the characters and their relationships that occur because of the buildup to the climax are the most entertaining part of the movies, and Creed III follows this format to the letter, and even outperforms many of the movies in the franchises.

Creed III has something that no other movie in these franchises have, and that is a equal focus on romantic relationships and friendships. This is something many of the former movies were lacking in, and Creed III introduces this format to the series in a stellar way.

                            Other Opinions

Students also shared their opinions on the movie. Sophomore Giancarlo said, “It’s one of the best sports movie’s I’ve ever seen, not just boxing, but all sports. It’s got so much action and dramatic moments, and it carries the franchise in a big way. Yeah, I did miss Stallone, but Michael B. Jordan does great things in the movie. So yeah, I loved the movie, it’s by far one of the best in the series.”

Giancarlo had great things to say about the movie, and his opinion was not alone amongst the students at the school.

Freshman Mykael Wilks, another student who enjoyed the movie, stated, “I loved Creed III. I think everyone did a great job in the movie, and the story they were given made it amazing to watch. It was so intense sitting in the theater, and I love Michael B. Jordan, so I thought he did a great job and carried the movie. It was just fantastic overall.”

It’s not just students who love Creed III, the movie was also a massive hit with movie critics, who gave high praise to the film just like the students.

All in all, Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors put on the performance of a lifetime in this movie, as well as the rest of the talented cast. Even though the patriarch of the series, Sylvester Stallone is missing from this film, the remaining cast truly handles the torch in a way that will take this franchise into a whole new direction. The franchise is almost half a century old, and it shows no sign of slowing down. Creed III truly scored a knockout with this final entry in the trilogy, and there will for sure be more in store for the future.