Creed 3 was released on March 3, and I am here to tell you if it is worth the watch or not. (Warning spoiler alerts)  The film is directed by Steven Caple Jr. and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, who also stars in the series as Adonis’ mentor and friend, Rocky Balboa.

When I went to watch this in the movie theater on its release date, the theater was packed and the anticipation was high. Present were old fans from the Rocky franchise and young fans from the Creed franchise. Before the movie started, I was hoping for a Rocky appearance because Rocky is an icon especially in both franchises.

I really like that in this movie of the Creed franchise, we are brought back to his childhood and his past and how these events change his life in the present and the future. The story line of the movie involves how Adonis Creed’s childhood friend becomes his opponent, maybe even enemy in a sense, and how the audience sees how this change affects him and how he overcomes this.

One of the standout aspects of Creed 3 is the performances of its cast. Michael B. Jordan is exceptional as Adonis Creed, bringing both physicality and emotional depth to his performance. Stallone also gives a strong performance as Rocky bringing a sense of gravitas and wisdom to his character. The supporting cast, including Tessa Thompson as Adonis’ partner Bianca also deliver excellent performances, adding to the overall quality of the film.

In the movie the audience can feel so many different emotions as it progresses, happiness in the beginning being able to see him and his daughter as she is now grown up, sadness when we see Adonis struggle and go through a  rough patch in his life when Dame becomes his opponent, when Adonis fights with Bianca, and when his mom dies.

The anticipation of the fight between Dame and Creed was the highlight of the movie, and the audience got excited from all the trash talking the characters do. Dame is a dirty fighter and he takes a cheap shot at Felix in his first fight right after Dame sends a hit on Viktor Drago. So Dame can fight for a belt. This shows how much Dame would do for a belt and Creed sees this and knows he has to stop him.

The movie focuses more on Creed’s childhood which was not talked about in the other movies. Unfortunately, Rocky was not mentioned at all and he was not present in the movie. Without this character, the training was not as intense as part one.  In his other movies, they would train in a camp in the middle of nowhere, in a desert where it was hot, and they had to improvise equipment. It showed how much grit Creed had and how hard he worked.  This was missing from Creed 3.

One of the most emotional scenes in the movie is when Creed’s mother died before the fight, which was very heartbreaking for Creed because his mom was his rock who kept his head straight. Also in the movie she keeps Creed’s head straight by keeping all of the letters Dame sent him while he was in prison which when Creed finds the letters, he finds a picture of Dame and all of his cellmates. Then he sees a familiar face in the picture which is the guy who purposely hurts Viktor. It then comes to him that Dame sent a hit out on Viktor.

The cinematography in Creed 3 is also worth mentioning. The film features stunning visuals, particularly during the boxing scenes, which are expertly shot and choreographed. The fight scenes are intense and visceral, capturing the brutal reality of professional boxing. The film’s soundtrack also deserves praise, with a mix of classic and contemporary tracks that perfectly complement the film’s tone and themes.

The most creative scene in the movie that I like was when they were going round for round, pound for pound, they took all the crowd noise out and kept just the boxing noises. Viewers can feel the intensity and how close the fight really was. Also they do a good job making us feel Creed’s and Dame’s pain. The directors portray the injuries well and they also do a good job giving us a real authentic boxing match.

Overall, Creed 3 is a worthy addition to the Rocky franchise and a must-see for fans of the series. As a third part of a movie, it had a great plot line and held the audiences’ attention.  The film delivers an engaging story, excellent performances, stunning cinematography, and a powerful soundtrack. It could have been better in areas, but the plot was pretty good, most scenes were heartfelt and the suspense of the movie was great. The movie definitely missed Rocky in the franchise. In the other movies, viewers get to see Creed grind and prepare for his fight with Rocky by his side and his absence made a big impact in this movie.  Michael B. Jordan proves once again why he is one of Hollywood’s most talented actors. Creed 3 is an excellent film that will leave audiences cheering in the theater.

The movie overall is 4 out of 5 stars.