Hola What’s Hot Fam,
After having a fire opportunity to attend an early screening of the film Creed III, I thought I would share my thoughts and experience with you all. So here it goes…
Despite the story being set during the protagonist’s retirement, this third installment of Adonis Creed’s life continued with high energy. Creed III truly takes the viewer along for the ups and downs of the champ’s life evoking everything from laughter to tears between myself and my neighboring viewers.
While the overall storyline proved rather predictable, the life lessons, intensity of the fighting scenes, character revelations and comedic kicks captivated my attention and proved entertaining.
The film’s focus on the duality of sometimes having to face your past head-on in order to let it go also resonated with relevancy for me. Particularly, I thought about the lives of many prominent figures like Aaron Hernandez and the numerous hip-hop artists whose struggle to depart with people or habits from their past often brings their demise. Dame Anderson (Johnathan Majors) calling Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) things like “Hollywood” serve as frequently discussed red flags that I think will raise reactions from viewers that stay in tune with social media debates and hot takes on Black culture.
Needless to say, the visuals were top tier bringing other viewers and me to the edge of our seats during the screening. The tight shots, slo-mos and attention to detail lent to the emotional weight of the film – pulling involuntary oohs and aahs from my lips as I watched punches land and blood spill. The close-up shots of skin texture, sweat and force also had me considering what the film may have been like in 3D. This was a real highlight for me as I often associate these kinds of reactions with the thriller and suspense genres.
As far as the plot, there were areas that I felt could have arguably been developed a bit more. Amara Creed’s school fight seemed like a great setup to explore Adonis’ impact as a father. While it was touched on briefly with her interest and knowledge of his matches, it made no memorable impact on his decisions, or at least not enough for him to revisit the topic of handling disagreements and bullies with his daughter. Maybe a setup for a legacy film? Not sure, but it left a little to be desired in that area.
[SPOILER ALERT]
Furthermore, Dame Anderson’s moral growth seemed to be a little sudden following the big finale match. (Although, I’m sure being KO’d in a ring would, ironically, knock a little sense into most people.) It just felt like it was a stretch for the head-strong antagonist to suddenly alleviate Adonis of all guilt after such elaborate scheming for revenge.
Maybe the inclusion of another pivotal interaction in Dame’s life would have made his wake-up call seem a little more realistic.
On another note, Jonathan Majors did an impeccable job as far as acting goes during the knockout scene. The way his eyes crossed, he really looked out of it. (Insert smiley emoji with the wide eyes and red cheeks)
[END of SPOILER]
If you made it this far, I would definitely recommend seeing the film, especially if you were a fan of the first two! It debuts in theaters on Friday, March 3, 2023.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 flames!
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