The Stream: It’s the same story and pretty predictable.

The Big Screen: Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors go toe-to-toe and bring great energy to their scenes.

The Final Bill: Another notch in the boxing franchise with a great new addition in Jonathan Majors.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: Michael B. Jordan
Writers: screenplay by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin; story by Ryan Coogler, Keenan Coogler, and Zach Baylin
Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Wood Harris, Phylicia Rashad
Genre: Sports Drama
Rating: PG-13 for intense sports action, violence and some strong language.
Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes
Production Companies: MGM, Chartoff-Winkler Productions, Glickmania, Outlier Society, Proximity Media
Platform: In theaters March 3, 2023
Notable Trailers: Scream VI, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Big George Foreman, Fast X, Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, Air, Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Hey, Streamers! A highly anticipated sequel is hitting theaters this weekend, and it is not Marvel related although Kang does make an appearance. Creed III, directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan, is finally released. We get to revisit Adonis Creed and meet a blast from his past played by Kang, himself, Jonathan Majors. It’s inevitable that these two titans will square off in the ring. Here’s how it went down.

In Creed III, Adonis Creed has transitioned into retirement. He is living his best life with his wife, Bianca (Tessa Thompson), and his daughter, Amara. Adonis is running Delphi Boxing Academy with his coach, Little Duke (Wood Harris); and they are preparing a protege Felix for a championship fight against Viktor Drago. When an old friend, Dame Anderson (Majors) returns from prison, Adonis has to confront demons from his past which sets up off obligatory training montages and a return to the ring for the out-of-practice but still formidable Adonis Creed. Pugilistic hijinks ensue.

If you liked the previous Creed movies, there is no reason to dislike this one. Michael B. Jordan is here and still in fighting shape. He has taken the reins as the director of this sequel, and he makes some interesting artistic choices. Also, Jonathan Majors comes into the film with a lot of fire and bravado and is a formidable opponent as Dame. Those training montages really worked for Jonathan Majors, too. I need their workout and diet regimens. Anyway, Michael B. and Jonathan play off each other well and have a believable chemistry.

Now, Creed III really is just another Rocky movie. The same trajectory and story beats are here. There aren’t a lot of surprises about what is going to happen. Even the backstory between Adonis and Dame is pretty basic and obvious. Do you have a training montage? Of course. Does the retired boxer get goaded back into the ring? I don’t want to spoil the movie, but why are you watching it if he doesn’t? I will say that Michael B. decided to shoot some of these boxing matches in a really cool way, so good on him for that. They are rousing and brutal – I guess that’s what you want from a boxing film.

Ultimately, Creed III is just another notch in the boxing movie franchise. It hits all of the familiar beats and is pretty predictable because of that. However, Jonathan Majors adds some good and necessary new energy to the movie. He is able to go toe-to-toe with Michael B. in a fun and interesting way. The boxing matches are shot in a cool way and the movie overall is pretty entertaining. It’s definitely worth a matinee price – so get your bowl of popcorn.