First of all: Believe victims, and I stand with the people Jonathan Majors has abused. I personally felt comfortable still seeing this as the allegations came out after this movie and as of yet there’s no word on if he’ll be in the series going forward. I absolutely don’t blame anyone if his presence colors the film or if they don’t see it at all.
Creed 1 was from a visionary director, a star of his generation, with a sharp clarity and finesse. Creed 2 was from a journeyman, a steady hand that kept the ship afloat, but the film lacked a distinct identity and was perhaps more Rocky than Creed. Creed 3 is from a first time director, eager to prove himself with new ideas and a daring style because he doesn’t know what he’s not ‘supposed’ to do. Jordan brings to the fire a distinct identity, wearing his influences on his sleeve, and gives the series a distinct feel of its own to build off on sans Rocky. It proves Creed an stand seperate from Rocky.
Jordan lives and breathes his character by this point. Charming and loving but wounded and raw, carrying forward the trait that’s been there from the start: his need to shield his pain and trauma and hide his feelings from those he loves most. Thompson is his equal, her plot line serving as a great parallel to Adonis and Dame alike, the film talking great care to showcase her feelings as well. And Amara is easily the most charming a child has ever been in a series, and you can’t help but imagine her carrying the story down the line. The detail given to her deafness is a wonderful touch too, and this family shines more than the Balboas.
One area Creed has relatively faltered in is its antagonists. It’s put so much time on fleshing out Adonis and his family that his rivals are secondary. Not the case here. Adonis finally has a rival equal to Rocky’s Apollo. He’s a character you understand completely, ruthless but understandably so, sympathetic but not to the extent that you root against Adonis. You understand why from his point of view he’s the hero, and in another film with slight tweaks, he would be. It showcases his physicality and menace in the ring but never loses sight of the human being, and strips that armor away to show the traumatized child at the heart. Majors’ personal misdeeds aside, Dame is a franchise highlight, with raw emotion brimming between him and Adonis.
It all culminates in the big fight, where Jordan proudly brings a level of stylization never seen in the series before, not even in IV’s goofy camp and Creed 1’s authentic vision. It takes the impassioned larger than life emotion of the anime that resonated with Jordan and proudly embraces it, but in a way that heightens the human drama rather than distract from it. It’s a riveting time, and even without Majors going forward (or at least I hope so) I think Creed is in good hands going forward. This one is a real knockout.
Review by JCVIP 4BlockedParent2023-04-10T03:18:10Z
First of all: Believe victims, and I stand with the people Jonathan Majors has abused. I personally felt comfortable still seeing this as the allegations came out after this movie and as of yet there’s no word on if he’ll be in the series going forward. I absolutely don’t blame anyone if his presence colors the film or if they don’t see it at all.
Creed 1 was from a visionary director, a star of his generation, with a sharp clarity and finesse. Creed 2 was from a journeyman, a steady hand that kept the ship afloat, but the film lacked a distinct identity and was perhaps more Rocky than Creed. Creed 3 is from a first time director, eager to prove himself with new ideas and a daring style because he doesn’t know what he’s not ‘supposed’ to do. Jordan brings to the fire a distinct identity, wearing his influences on his sleeve, and gives the series a distinct feel of its own to build off on sans Rocky. It proves Creed an stand seperate from Rocky.
Jordan lives and breathes his character by this point. Charming and loving but wounded and raw, carrying forward the trait that’s been there from the start: his need to shield his pain and trauma and hide his feelings from those he loves most. Thompson is his equal, her plot line serving as a great parallel to Adonis and Dame alike, the film talking great care to showcase her feelings as well. And Amara is easily the most charming a child has ever been in a series, and you can’t help but imagine her carrying the story down the line. The detail given to her deafness is a wonderful touch too, and this family shines more than the Balboas.
One area Creed has relatively faltered in is its antagonists. It’s put so much time on fleshing out Adonis and his family that his rivals are secondary. Not the case here. Adonis finally has a rival equal to Rocky’s Apollo. He’s a character you understand completely, ruthless but understandably so, sympathetic but not to the extent that you root against Adonis. You understand why from his point of view he’s the hero, and in another film with slight tweaks, he would be. It showcases his physicality and menace in the ring but never loses sight of the human being, and strips that armor away to show the traumatized child at the heart. Majors’ personal misdeeds aside, Dame is a franchise highlight, with raw emotion brimming between him and Adonis.
It all culminates in the big fight, where Jordan proudly brings a level of stylization never seen in the series before, not even in IV’s goofy camp and Creed 1’s authentic vision. It takes the impassioned larger than life emotion of the anime that resonated with Jordan and proudly embraces it, but in a way that heightens the human drama rather than distract from it. It’s a riveting time, and even without Majors going forward (or at least I hope so) I think Creed is in good hands going forward. This one is a real knockout.