Creed III

When the sound drops out of a multi-million dollar boxing blockbuster and the crowded Los Angeles arena suddenly vanishes into a surreal, shadowy void, you realize you aren't watching your grandfather’s Rocky movie. Michael B. Jordan (who you might know as the lethal Killmonger from Black Panther) decided for his directorial debut that he was bored with the standard "sweaty guys punching each other in slow-motion" template. Instead, he leaned into his love of Japanese anime, framing the climactic fight of Creed III like a high-stakes episode of Naruto. It is a big, bold, slightly weird swing that breathes fresh air into a franchise that, by all rights, should be running on fumes by now.

I watched this while wearing a pair of sweatpants that have a hole in the left pocket, which meant I spent half the movie digging for my lost Peanut M&Ms in the theater chair's upholstery. Even with that sticky distraction, I couldn't look away from the screen whenever Jonathan Majors was in the frame.

The Dame Problem

The Creed series has always been about legacy, but Creed III shifts the focus to the skeletons in the closet. We meet Damian 'Dame' Anderson (Jonathan Majors), a childhood friend of Adonis who just finished an eighteen-year stint in prison. Dame was the "real" prospect back in the day, and he’s returned to claim the life he thinks Adonis stole.

Majors is terrifying here. He doesn’t just play a villain; he plays Dame with the energy of a man who hasn’t slept since the Obama administration. He has this "heavy" screen presence—the way he leans against a ring post or smiles at Adonis’s wife, Bianca (Tessa Thompson), feels like a threat. In an era where many blockbuster villains are just CGI monsters or quippy puzzles, Dame feels uncomfortably real. He’s the physical manifestation of guilt.

Stepping Out of the Shadow

This is the first film in the nine-movie "Rocky-verse" that doesn't feature Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa. Honestly? I didn't miss him as much as I thought I would. By moving away from the Italian Stallion, the film finally allows Adonis to be the undisputed protagonist of his own life. The "Contemporary Cinema" era is obsessed with legacy sequels, but they often get trapped under the weight of the original stars. Michael B. Jordan manages to acknowledge the history without being shackled by it.

He also brings a much-needed modern lens to the "tough guy" genre. There are scenes here of Adonis dealing with grief and his daughter’s deafness—played beautifully by Mila Davis-Kent—that require more emotional heavy lifting than the actual boxing. The use of American Sign Language (ASL) throughout the film isn't a gimmick; it’s the primary way this family communicates, and it adds a layer of intimacy to the Creed household that we haven’t seen before. It’s a great example of representation that feels like a creative choice rather than a box-ticking exercise.

Anime in the Ring

Let’s talk about those fights. If you’ve seen Creed II or any of the Rocky sequels, you know the formula. But Jordan, working with cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau (who also shot Thor: The Dark World), changes the visual language. During the final showdown, they use specialized IMAX cameras to capture the physical toll of the hits, but then they pull a "Domain Expansion." The crowd disappears. The ropes turn into prison bars. It becomes a psychological battle staged in a physical ring.

It’s basically Rocky meets Dragon Ball Z without the spiky yellow hair. Some purists might find it a bit too "stylized," but I found it refreshing. In a market saturated with "franchise fatigue," you have to do something to make the third entry of a spin-off feel essential.

Behind the scenes, the production was a massive undertaking for a first-time director. With a $75 million budget—the highest in the series—Jordan was under immense pressure to prove he could handle the scale. He clearly did his homework. To prep for the role, Majors and Jordan spent months in the gym, and the results show on screen. Apparently, the training was so intense that they had to use "body doubles" for certain non-action scenes just to give the actors' joints a rest.

The film also smashed records, pulling in $275 million worldwide. It proved that the "Creed" brand is strong enough to stand on its own two feet, even without the heavy hitters of the past. It's a textbook example of how to evolve a franchise for a 2020s audience: keep the heart, but upgrade the tech and the perspective.

While the middle act drags a little bit—there are only so many times we can see Adonis looking moody in a Bentley—the emotional payoff is huge. Phylicia Rashād (as Mary-Anne Creed) and Wood Harris (as Tony 'Little Duke' Evers) provide the veteran stability the movie needs, ensuring the drama feels grounded even when the fights get fantastical. It’s a movie about forgiveness, the burden of success, and why you should never leave your childhood friend’s letters unanswered. If this is where the franchise is heading, I’m happy to stay in the corner for another round.