New addition to trilogy pulls at fans heart strings

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Michael B. Jordan and Jonathon Majors capture audiences in and out of the ring in “Creed III”.

“Creed III”, starring and directed by Michael B. Jordan, finally hit theaters on March 3, 2023 after a four month delay from the original release date and more than four years since “Creed II”. 

The latest installment in the boxing saga takes a different approach from the previous movie, digging deeper into the title character’s early life and how he grew up. “Creed III” sees Adonis in retirement enjoying time with his family and owning a training school for up-and-coming boxers. 

Then, suddenly, Creed meets an old friend, Damian, played by the amazing Jonathan Majors. Damian, who has just finished a jail sentence, and Creed have a complicated past, but the franchise’s protagonist gives him a chance to fight and get the fame he always wanted. 

After an altercation between the two reunited fighters, Damian states to the press that he wants to box him and end his legacy. By the end of the movie, as can easily be predicted, they end up fighting each other to put an end to their feud. 

Majors has big shoes to fill, as this is also the first movie in the entire Rocky spin-off series that does not include original actor/writer/director Sylvestor Stallone, who was the title character Rocky Balboa in all the preceding films, including “Creed” and “Creed II”. 

There are many things that have been said about Stallone leaving, with the Hollywood legend stating to The Hollywood Reporter, “It was taken in a direction that is quite different than I would’ve taken it.”
The movie has still received good reviews and high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, however, with an 87% approval from critics and 96% from audiences. 

“After seeing Creed III I really enjoyed the movie. I think it was a great addition to the franchise and the plot is perfect. I definitely recommend the movie to anyone and everyone.” Yisak Kinati (12) said. 

Fans and critics alike enjoyed how the movie evoked strong emotions between people, showing love and how it can so easily be left in the past and come back in the present. The movie’s tone is somewhat darker than the previous ones but still fits well with the rest of the trilogy. 

“Creed III” follows that same formula as the other Rocky movies (most notably, “Rocky III” co-starring Mr. T) with the main character coming out of retirement to fight someone that calls them out, or for a personal reason.

The newest iteration of this story allows for a lot more sympathy for the characters, inspiring viewers to want them to get along more so than fight each other to a bloody pulp. Some of the things I personally think that makes this movie satisfactory is that they got an actual deaf actress to play Creed’s deaf daughter, as they could have gotten a different kid actor and taught them sign language. The other is within Jonathan Majors’s performance. He does such a great job of evoking anger, but also some sadness, into the character of Damian.

“Creed III” is a great installment to the Rocky and Creed franchises. If you’ve found yourself fascinated by the complex, carefully drawn characters in any of these films, definitely consider letting “Creed III” knock you out of your theater seat with its intensity and drama.