Tag Archives: Michael B. Jordan

Movie Review: Creed III (2023)

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As this movie came out in March, I became interested in the movie after an amazing trailer and rewatches of the previous two movies of the Creed series. I watched the movie twice — once with my family the week after it released, and another with my friend — and I was not disappointed with the film. Despite the unfortunate and controversial absence of Rocky (Sylvester Stallone), the film really did well as it cemented the legacy of Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) and gave Jordan a great showing in his directorial debut.

In the movie, Adonis Creed lived a great life, as he became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and retired happily after a significant win in a rematch with his opponent in the first film, Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew). Creed lived happily with his wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and his daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent). He ran a gym alongside his trainer Little Duke (Wood Harris) as they trained various boxers, in particular the new heavyweight champion after Creed’s retirement, Felix Chavez (Jose Benavidez Jr). However, Creed’s world turns upside down after his former friend Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors) showed up out of the blue after Creed negotiated a fight that pitted Chavez against his former rival, Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu).

The past between Creed and Anderson came out to be tragic. The two were friends as kids, however they faced abuse at the hands of their adoptive father, Leon. As they grew older, Anderson actually came out as a boxer focused on going professional, while Adonis was the ring assistant to Anderson. After a Golden Gloves championship win by Anderson, the two encounter Leon, which eventually led to a physical altercation that led to Anderson getting arrested after pulling out a gun and Adonis escaping after he abandoned the scene.

After Anderson came back, he focused on revenge and restoration of his path towards professional boxing. He manipulated Creed’s guilt and help as he hatched a plan that consisted of injuring Drago’s hand and taking his spot against Chavez, where he fought in a dirty fashion and won the heavyweight championship from Chavez. After he won, he publicly insulted Creed, his family, and his legacy, claiming that Creed only got his status due to the fact that Anderson was left in prison, which led to Creed coming out of retirement and challenging Anderson.

As Creed got ready for his fight, he realized that he had to let go of the past and focus on his situation. Despite him feeling guilty and shutting himself out from Bianca and his loved ones, he corrected his mistake and opened up to Bianca as she and Amara supported him. He became forced to dig deep and became ready for the fight — physically and mentally — thanks to Little Duke and an unexpected ally in Viktor Drago, who returned to help Creed train with his hand recovered.

In the fight between Anderson and Creed, the two face off in a cinematic masterpiece that left me in awe in the theater. The personal battle that these two fought became apparent in various ways as they left it all out in the ring in a grueling yet captivating war. After a brutal fight that consisted of 12 rounds, Creed defeated Anderson to reclaim the title. However, the two truly put their differences behind them and restored their friendship as Creed apologized to Anderson and Anderson accepted while also showing respect to Creed and his abilities. Creed then went on to share a heartwarming moment with his family to end the movie.

Overall, this movie proved to be an amazing movie from start to finish. However, what really connected with me and stood out to me was the lesson of being there for the loved ones in your life. In particular, Adonis showed it in his character arc as he realized his mistake of leaving Anderson without any form of contact for years, as well as pushing away Bianca when she tried to know what was going on between the two. However, he learned from his mistakes as he opened up to Bianca and finally apologized to Damian as they moved forward and put their past to rest. I would heavily recommend seeing this movie, as it competes highly with its predecessors for the best movie of the current Creed trilogy.

Creed III  is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Movie Review: Creed (2015)

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As the sequel to the famous Rocky movie series, this movie really got my attention. Since I was interested in the series and wanted to see how Creed would turn out, I watched it as it came out during the week of Thanksgiving. I really enjoyed it then, and as the newest movie of the series Creed III came out, I rewatched this movie and realized just how great the series has progressed.

This movie featured Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the son of former boxer Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) who died in the movie Rocky IV. Adonis is revealed to have a hard life, as he lacked a father figure after Apollo’s death before he was born and faced time in juvie – even getting into fights before being taken in by his biological mother, Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad). Although Adonis earned a desk job, he abandoned this pathway and instead pursued boxing as he faced off in underground fights, similar to how his father’s friend, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), did in the first Rocky movie.

As Adonis learned about Rocky’s connection with his father, he looked for Rocky and eventually convinced Rocky to train him in boxing. He also met a woman who lived nearby to him, Bianca Taylor (Tessa Thompson), who he eventually gets into a relationship with. With these relationships, he received motivation as he started his boxing career and picked up wins in some professional fights as he progressed.

In a similar way to Rocky, Adonis also found himself in a huge professional fight as he found himself in a fight for the Boxing Heavyweight Championship of the World due to circumstances against the champion at the time, Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew). However, Adonis found himself conflicted as he learned that Rocky faced cancer and needed treatment that he was unsure of accepting, as well as public criticism as the press and Conlan questioned whether he could live up to Apollo’s legacy as a Creed. Despite his challenges, Creed stepped up to the plate and took Conlan to the limit in his first fight for a boxing title, and despite a loss, proved to the world and himself that he represented Apollo’s legacy proudly and legitimately. He also inspired Rocky to take the treatment and bonded with Rocky as they shared a heartwarming moment in a famous callback to the Rocky films.

Overall, this film exceeded my expectations and set the standard for the next Creed films that followed. What resonated with me the most was the lesson of believing in yourself to keep going despite challenges — represented through the mental struggles of both Adonis and Rocky, as well as the growth that they have throughout the movie that left them on a great path. Adonis and Rocky both remind the audience the meaning of self-worth and pride in the legacy of family.

As the movie is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and available free of charge with a Prime subscription, I would highly recommend seeing this movie, especially as the latest movie, Creed III, recently released in March of this year.

Creed is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.