Eight years ago, writer/director Ryan Coogler and his Fruitvale Station muse Michael B. Jordan gave urban millennials their own reason to root for the legacy of Rocky Balboa by way of Creed.
Coogler had only one feature film under his belt as a writer/director when he refreshed the beloved Rocky film franchise by putting a young Black man at the heart of the story. Creed delivered a stunning left hook to those who marginalized the impact of Black filmmakers in mainstream Hollywood.
Jordan emerged from the film a bankable leading man after years of wandering in the wilderness of “supporting actor with potential” following a respectable stint as a teen actor.
Coogler’s follow-up films – Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – made history while permanently silencing debates regarding the box office profit margins of unapologetically Black storytelling by way of cinema. Jordan co-starred in Black Panther and made cameo appearances in its sequel. Even Rocky creator Sylvester Stallone enjoyed the fringe benefits of Creed. The film earned him an Oscar nomination and a Razzie Redeemer win from the Golden Raspberry Awards – which is given to a performer that has redeemed themselves following massive critical and/or commercial failure.
Creed II – which did not include Coogler– was still enjoyable enough despite its constant pitfalls of predictability. It has been five years since Creed II’s release – and fans have been rooting for the franchise’s third installment since the explosive trailer was released during last year’s holiday season.
While simultaneously reprising his role as the title character, Jordan made his directorial debut with Creed III. The trailer introduced its antagonist – played by fellow leading-Black-man-in-residence Jonathan Majors. The sneak preview of the film’s storyline had all the elements to be the most compelling of all the Rocky and Creed films put together.
The film delivered on the trailer’s promise of countless shirtless scenes from both Jordan and Majors. But not even the abundance of pecs and abs are enough to make up for the diluted drama that Creed III serves up.
Creed III – which features Ryan Coogler as an executive producer and his brother Keenan Coogler as the film’s co-writer (along with Zack Baylin) – will likely go down as the Rocky V of the spinoff franchise. Jordan made a concerted effort to incorporate all the desired elements of an inspirational underdog sports story. So much so, that he created a movie that everyone will feel like they’ve already seen before. But his potential as a director is evident throughout the film.
He’s at his best when he is guiding the viewers through the nuances that display both opposing forces and common threads between his character and the film’s anti-hero. He also seems to have a knack for creating synergy amongst his cast.
With an ultra-predictable storyline that gives the after-school special effect at its lowest points, Creed III is further crippled by the antagonist’s shallow character arc. And yet somehow the film manages to strike enough of a chord with audiences that they will relish in the final scene’s implication that another installment of Creed may be on the horizon.
Creed III audiences are reintroduced to Adonis “Donnie” Creed after a storied boxing career that makes way for a fairytale ending – and a life that would have surely made his father Apollo proud. But now Donnie must face his toughest opponents– the pain and trauma of his youth.
It manifests in the form of “Diamond” Dame Anderson. Though they were close enough in age to be peers, Dame was once a hero of Creed’s. But after being dealt a cruel hand by fate, Dame is committed to clawing his way back into the sport by any means necessary – even at the expense of Creed’s reputation and future. Dame is ready to take on anyone who gets in the way of greatness he feels robbed of as Adonis attempts to maintain a grip on the life he never truly felt he deserved.
The two-hour film is a bit long for a sports drama. Even so, the scene sequences with choppy flashbacks will leave the audience feeling rushed into learning what they already knew would happen.
A couple of Creed III’s punches land hard– mainly the ensemble of actors and Lizz Wolf’s costume design. While Majors’ performance in Creed III is on brand, the role is not written so flatly that there is hardly any room for Majors to flex his depth and range as an actor.
Even though he has nearly equal screen time with Adonis Creed, Dame is merely a prop to carry Creed’s story to the expected outcome. The entire ensemble delivered solid performances, particularly Wood Harris as Donnie’s trainer Tony “Lil Duke” Evers. The film also stars Phylicia Rashad and Tessa Thompson.
Creed III should have been a thrilling demonstration of the ebb and flow of recognizing oneself in the eyes of his or her enemy while in the throes of a captivating “fight of the century” matchup. Instead, the film gave the energy of an exhibition fight that is among the first on the card ahead of the main event. The film leaves the door open for a fourth installment.
The hope is that Jordan and Ryan Coogler will reunite. Because Black movie magic tends to happen with Ryan at the helm and Jordan as the vessel responsible for driving the story to the finish.
Creed III opens theaters nationwide on Friday, March 3. The film is Rated PG-13 with a running time of 116 minutes.
