Rocky tells Adonis “This is your time” at the end of 2018’s “Creed II,” and Michael B. Jordan takes that to heart. He both stars in and directs “Creed III” (now streaming), much like Stallone did multiple chores on the “Rocky” films. This is an assured directorial debut, building on a smart script by Zach Baylin and Keenan Coogler.
Perhaps the biggest praise I can give to this first “Rocky”/ “Creed” film without Rocky is that I didn’t once think about the absence of Sylvester Stallone. Sure, it’s a loss to not have Rocky present (and I do rank this one slightly below the first two “Creeds”), but Adonis Creed can carry a film. It’s a good time to look into his roots, when he was living in a group home with bestie Damian Anderson (as an adult played by Jonathan Majors, giving a soft-voiced turn that made me perk up my ears).
Donnie’s background gets filled in
“Creed III” plays like a mystery as that 2002 L.A. backstory is peppered in with the present-day events wherein Damian is out of prison and single-mindedly stoked to resume his boxing career. Although the mystery is easy to figure out, its beats allow us to feel something for both Donnie and Dame, who had so much stolen from them by a tough upbringing. The unfair justice system only landed on Dame, though; Mary-Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad) saved Donnie from the worst of inner-city black life.
“Creed III” (2023)
Director: Michael B. Jordan
Writers: Keenan Coogler, Zach Baylin, (screenplay, story); Ryan Coogler (story)
Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors
This film has no villains, although I know Damian’s personality will land differently for different viewers. I found Damian sympathetic; the friend I watched it with found him to be a jerk. In this case, it’s the mark of good acting and good writing.
Damian reminds me of Johnny from “The Karate Kid” – in the villain role, but his villain status is based on story structure. A change of perspective makes him the mistreated, underdog hero. Which isn’t to say Donnie is a villain.
“Creed” mirrors the “Rocky” story and “Creed II” parallels the “Rocky IV” story, and now we have “Creed III” drawing from “Rocky V.” Please don’t flinch away, though. This is safely a better film than “Rocky V,” widely considered the worst of the saga.
Damian asks Donnie for help the same way Tommy Gunn asks Rocky for help. “Rocky V” turns into a tragedy, but the filmmakers didn’t realize it. They try to pitch the grand finale as a victory for Rocky rather than a tragic story of him losing his ability to help a friend. “Creed III” calibrates things smoothly, giving us a rivalry between the old friends, but not a total loss of the friendship.
An unlikely title shot
The boxing-world chronology is solid in some ways, as several of Adonis’ former opponents have roles. It’s wonky in one way: Felix Chavez (Jose Benevides), a Creed academy boxer, agrees to put his belt on the line against Damian – who had not fought even one professional bout. This degree of cutting in line blows away Rocky getting the shot against Apollo Creed in the original film, because Rocky had paid some dues in the ring.
It also parallels Tommy Gunn becoming a paper champion, though. So while it makes no realistic sense, it plays OK as drama. In terms of direction, Jordan does a particularly neat thing in the climactic Creed-Anderson bout, appropriately personalizing it by showing the boxers’ focus. They aren’t aware of the Dodger Stadium crowd.
“Creed III” also moves the family story forward, as Mila Davis-Kent plays Amara, who was a baby in the last movie so now would be 4 or 5. Mila seems older than that, but I’m no judge of kids’ ages, so I’ll let it pass.
As with Amara, Mila is deaf, and I love the realism of the Creed family communicating with ASL. Also striking a progressive note of diversity is the presence of women in unremarked but not unnoticed roles, helping with sparring at the Creed gym. Indeed, Chavez’s manager is his mom (Selenis Leyva). This could’ve come off as preachy except that Jordan’s film doesn’t preach, it presents.
“Creed III” allows room for viewers to discuss the relative merits of Donnie and Damian, and whether they were right or wrong (or simply human) over the course of their friendship. One thing that few viewers will debate, though, is whether the “Creeds” have a post-Stallone life. This saga still lands a high percentage of its punches.