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It took three movies, but the "Creed" series finally gets out from under the ghosts of the "Rocky" films that spawned it.
"Creed III" has no scenes in Philadelphia and no cheesesteaks. If Bill Conti's familiar trumpet fanfare is used anywhere in the movie, it was buried so far down in a hip hop soundscape that I didn't notice it.
Most of all, there's no Rocky -- no Sylvester Stallone in Adonis Creed's corner or talking to Adrian's grave. Apparently, Rocky still is up in Vancouver with his son, where "Creed II" ended.
"Creed III," which also features the directing debut of star Michael B. Jordan, is what the second film should have been instead of having the son of Apollo Creed facing off against the son of Ivan Drago, but better late than never. It feels like its own movie, even while adhering to a very recognizable framework.
The movie takes place nearly a decade after the last film, starting with what's supposed to be Creed's final fight, retiring with a 26-1 record and plans to become a boxing promoter and mogul himself.
Things change when childhood friend Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors) is released from prison after an 18-year stint for a gun-involved beating where he was coming to Adonis' rescue. Damian was a highly touted Golden Gloves fighter at the time of his arrest, and he has little trouble making Adonis feel guilty for his success and wealth while Damian languished in a jail cell.
When the boxer that Adonis' chosen successor, Felix Chavez (Jose Benavidez), is supposed to fight is injured in an attack, Adonis reluctantly decides to put Damian in the ring opposite Felix, creating the kind of underdog story that catapulted Rocky Balboa's career against Apollo Creed.
It shouldn't be a spoiler to anyone to reveal that before this movie is over, the childhood friends will be facing off in the ring.
Just like a James Bond movie, a "Rocky" / "Creed" movie is only as good as the hero's opponent. Majors is a hulking presence in the ring and even more skilled as an actor. Watching Jordan and Majors "spar" as actors is just as entertaining as watching them trade punches.
One of the strengths of the series always has been the relationship between Jordan's Adonis and Tessa Thompson's Bianca. Thompson definitely gets more to do than in the second film, and the writing avoids the cliche of the boxer's spouse / girlfriend (parodied so well on "Saturday Night Live"), a character whose sole purpose is to scream variations of, "You're gonna get yourself killed in that ring!"
The storyline lets Bianca be as big of a star as Adonis is, creating a sports-entertainment power couple, as if LeBron James, not Jay-Z, was married to Beyonce.
Jordan fares well in his directing debut. Between "Rocky" and "Creed," there are nearly 10 films in the series, but Jordan finds some new and distinctive ways to present the boxing sequences, especially in the climactic fight at Dodger Stadium, where he makes it feel like the boxers are the only ones in the ballpark.
He also keeps the pacing taut, crafting a sequel that's about 20 minutes shorter than the two films that preceded it.
That said, it certainly doesn't break the mold. The structure is identical to nearly every one of the previous films, and no one will be surprised by anything that happens in or out of the ring. And while Benavidez is fine with the limited acting requirements of the role, the real-life welterweight looks like he's a good 25 pounds too light to be playing a top-ranked heavyweight contender.
"Creed III" delivers the adrenaline rush audiences expect in the fight scenes, and Jordan, Thompson and Majors are more than capable of keeping it interesting when the gloves are off.
Review
WHAT: "Creed III"
STARS: Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Phylicia Rashad, Mila Davis-Kent, Jose Benavidez and Selenis Leyva
STORYLINE: A childhood friend of Adonis Creed gets out of prison and expects the retired champ to help him relaunch his boxing career.
DIRECTOR: Michael B. Jordan
RATING: PG-13 for intense sports action, violence and some strong language
GRADE: B