For the first hour-and-a-half of Creed III's runtime, I was fully invested in the film's plot and characters. Was it ever going to be the best Rocky-universe sequel? No--but it had me intrigued. Unfortunately, the final half-hour or so takes that strong setup and, to a certain extent, squanders it by going extremely broad.
For a very basic overview, Creed III sees Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) having just recently retired and now living the "Dad life" with wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent). Until, that is, a figure--Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors)--from Adonis' past turns up and forces Donnie to reckon with some darker life chapters.
There truly are some great moments & concepts in this movie. Delving into the heretofore unexplored past of Donnie is 100% the right choice, Majors is a more-than-credible (if not sometimes outright spectacular) villain, the Amara angle shows real promise, and an emotional scene--featuring Mary-Anne Creed (Phylicia Rishad)--referencing Apollo will bring tears to your eyes. The fight sequences are also inventive in terms of camera work.
In short, the first Creed film with little-to-no Rocky ties seems to be off on the right foot.
Sadly, three mistakes--all in the final 20-30 minutes--somewhat deflate the balloon:
-The character reasonings for Adonis battling "Dame" are a bit squishy. Is Dame the villain--or a misunderstood adversary? I felt as if director Jordan (his debut behind the camera) wasn't as clear as he needed to be on this point. Simply leaning on the childhood connection only goes so far.
-The classic training montage isn't utilized to its best advantage here. It exists, but is more perfunctory than propelling.
-That angle about Amara? Basically dropped altogether at a certain point as the film shifts into "final fight" mode. She is great in the beginning and ends the film on a high note--but in between is nowhere to be found. A missed opportunity (though perhaps one that can be rectified in further sequels).
The bottom line: the ending of Creed III felt rushed and needing a few more coats of paint. All the ideas are present for a dynamite character piece--but unfortunately they sort of just slip away in favor of unwieldy plot mechanics or simply "biting off more than they could chew".
All things considered, I can still give this third Creed film 7/10 stars. It has a delicate task stepping out of the long Balboa shadow, and thematically it does a solid job of doing exactly that. But it will likely never creep any higher for me as the final act's failings really limit its ceiling.
For a very basic overview, Creed III sees Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) having just recently retired and now living the "Dad life" with wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent). Until, that is, a figure--Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors)--from Adonis' past turns up and forces Donnie to reckon with some darker life chapters.
There truly are some great moments & concepts in this movie. Delving into the heretofore unexplored past of Donnie is 100% the right choice, Majors is a more-than-credible (if not sometimes outright spectacular) villain, the Amara angle shows real promise, and an emotional scene--featuring Mary-Anne Creed (Phylicia Rishad)--referencing Apollo will bring tears to your eyes. The fight sequences are also inventive in terms of camera work.
In short, the first Creed film with little-to-no Rocky ties seems to be off on the right foot.
Sadly, three mistakes--all in the final 20-30 minutes--somewhat deflate the balloon:
-The character reasonings for Adonis battling "Dame" are a bit squishy. Is Dame the villain--or a misunderstood adversary? I felt as if director Jordan (his debut behind the camera) wasn't as clear as he needed to be on this point. Simply leaning on the childhood connection only goes so far.
-The classic training montage isn't utilized to its best advantage here. It exists, but is more perfunctory than propelling.
-That angle about Amara? Basically dropped altogether at a certain point as the film shifts into "final fight" mode. She is great in the beginning and ends the film on a high note--but in between is nowhere to be found. A missed opportunity (though perhaps one that can be rectified in further sequels).
The bottom line: the ending of Creed III felt rushed and needing a few more coats of paint. All the ideas are present for a dynamite character piece--but unfortunately they sort of just slip away in favor of unwieldy plot mechanics or simply "biting off more than they could chew".
All things considered, I can still give this third Creed film 7/10 stars. It has a delicate task stepping out of the long Balboa shadow, and thematically it does a solid job of doing exactly that. But it will likely never creep any higher for me as the final act's failings really limit its ceiling.