Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut sees the most visually ambitious installment of the Creed franchise as he dons the gloves again for Creed 3.
Cageside Press was on-hand for an early screening of Creed 3 and attended the film’s press conference in Los Angeles. Minor spoilers ahead.
Nearly ten years have quickly passed since actor and now director Michael B. Jordan first donned the gloves as Adonis Creed of the Creed franchise. Along the way, the films have gone on to great critical acclaim as they embraced the pageantry surrounding today’s generation of high level boxing while showcasing while embracing the dynamic between Jordan’s Creed and Sylvester Stallone’s iconic Rocky Balboa. For the third installment, Stallone has officially passed the torch and Rocky remains off-screen while Creed’s maturity is tested by the return of a character from his past.
Brothers turn enemies. Watch the final trailer for #Creed3 now, starring Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, and Tessa Thompson. See the film only in theaters March 3. pic.twitter.com/h7Xo3UWyhW
— #CREED3 (@creedmovie) February 15, 2023
While the original Rocky franchise crafted original characters and elements from the sport of yesteryear, the spinoff has fully leaned into the sports business of today and flexes a heavy budget that brings in the real world production seen in contemporary events. Even the most casual fan will instantly recognize boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez from the trailer and fans of the sweet science will recognize another current champion in the film, as well as the return of old faces that are also known for their work in the ring.
The liberty of a film as opposed to the real events seen every week is the freedom Jordan had to illustrate elements inside the fight that fans have fundamentally only seen from a distance. One of the walkouts in the middle of the film (seen briefly in the trailer) will make even the most dedicated of fight fans wonder how and more importantly why such a concept has not been seen in the real world yet for its visual brilliance. Inside the fight scenes themselves, Jordan brings the audience right into the intimate space with very visceral scenes that make the punches and damage felt in a way that the real sport in unable to.
On the creative style that was seen in the film, Jordan said: “You overthink yourself going into it trying to create your own visual language. ‘I’m following Ryan (Coogler) and Steven. I gotta do this, I gotta do that.’ You start to realize that it’s just showing up and being honest every day and slowly your style will start to shape itself. I can’t event tell you what it is right now. The movie is done and finished with. That is a representation of my truth: Piles of things that I watch. Things that I like to look at. That move me in an emotional and visual way.”
Compared to its most recent predecessor that saw the reconciliation with the desire for revenge, Creed 3 pulls deals with the guilt that an older Adonis feels after having enjoyed an amazing career off-screen between films. The arrival of Damian Anderson, played brilliantly by Jonathan Majors, challenges the protagonist in a way not seen before. It is learned early on that a young Anderson was once the top prospect out of Los Angeles whom had Creed under his wing as the two navigated the boxing world together. The two quickly find trouble, and the first act of the movie sees the adult Creed deal with the fact that Anderson’s actions gave him the opportunity to be taken in by his late-father’s widow as depicted in the opening of the first film while Anderson’s hopes for the future were dashed away.
📍Los Angeles – the #Creed3 cast brought the heat to Hollywood last night for the last stop of the tour! See you in theaters this Friday. pic.twitter.com/wcpifKIvfN
— #CREED3 (@creedmovie) February 28, 2023
The two carry a superb performance to carry the narrative, but Jordan lands his best shots behind the camera in fleshing out the boxing world that provides a backdrop for the bout. DAZN branding is seen across a canvas indistinguishable from the kind seen on a weekly basis for the fight scenes while the fights themselves are promoted in a fictionalized version of First Take that see’s the real life Stephen A. Smith make a cameo.
If the lead jab of the Creed franchise is Adonis becoming his own man apart from his father introduced back in 1976, then the right-cross of the series is sparing no expense to immerse itself in the most faithful way possible to the way big fights are promoted today. While Jordan has expressed plans for more projects featuring the character, Creed 3 ties up the trilogy with its most visually ambitious endeavor.
