Creed III Review: Not just another boxing film

Michael B Jordan makes a debut as a director with Creed III– the story of Adonis "Donnie" Creed

Hyderabad: Michael B Jordan makes a debut as a director with Creed III– the story of Adonis “Donnie” Creed.

To the uninitiated, Adonis is the son of Apollo Creed, Rocky Balboa’s (Sylvester Stallone) foe turned best friend. The Rocky franchise in itself was a huge success and remains to date one of the most successful film franchises. Creed has huge shoes to fill, especially without Stallone in the movie. The earlier two outings had Stallone train Creed (Michael B Jordan). Eight films and 47 years later, Stallone is absent.

The storyline is simple –Donnie has had a successful boxing career, is retired and famous. He is enjoying his life as a doting father and a supportive husband to his music producer wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) in Los Angeles.

Enter Damian “Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors). A flashback shows Creed Jr as a right-hand man of rising-star fighter “Diamond Dame,” and the two get caught up in a violent tussle outside a liquor store. Fast forward to the present. Dame is out of prison after serving a long sentence. He wants to have a shot at the life that was snatched away from him. Guilt ridden Donnie allows Dame to train at his club and this is where things get out of hand.

Behind the scenes of the happy family is Bianca’s suspicion that Creed Jr is hiding his past as the two work to parent their young daughter (Mila Davis-Kent). A la Rocky, Creed Jr is forced to don the gloves once again. Unlike Rocky’s David versus Goliath, this time around it is Able who is forced to fight against Cane. To reveal further would be criminal.

Jordan is a talented actor. He proves he can hold his ground behind the camera too. This is not just another boxing film – this has character. This is more complex. The subtlety with which Jordan presents the struggle of the couple that retired in the peak of their career is proof that the grey matter between the ears is being used.

Majors has cemented his place as a villain in this outing. His performance ensures that his in Quantumania was only a glimpse of what he is capable of. There are a few interesting parallel tracks including Bianca’s and the daughter’s interest in boxing. Though fillers, they add a sense of belonging. The best scene of the movie is almost at the end of the film.

The only drawback of the film would be the predictability of the narrative. Performances and presentation aside, this is a sport film. One would be living under a rock to not guess that proverbial baddie has something against the “good guy”, and it is up to the “good guy” to stop the baddie.

Yet, there is more. Rocky had said “It’s not about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward”, Jordan showcases it.

Don’t miss this outing. This is much more than just boxing.