Creed III- The Full Transition

 

Well, the day after Christmas is "Boxing Day!"

The Creed franchise has both stayed true to its Rocky roots and diverged at the same time.

This ninth outing is the first film without Sylvester Stallone in it.

However, unlike the sensationalism of some of the later Rocky outings, Creed III stays grounded and is more similar to the first two Rocky films.

With a younger character than the Rocky stories that looked at it, but more realistic for the sport of boxing, this story looks at the possibilities for an aging practitioner of this sport. 

Adonis Creed is different from Rocky by being a college graduate with business experience., however. His transition into the promoter/ gym owner realm as he ages is a natural one, and shows a path to a more secure future than Rocky's turned out. 

Still, these are boxing movies, and therefore we know we'll be seeing Donny training and in the ring. But this time, he's not wearing the colors of Rocky or his father, he and the franchise have moved towards standing on their own.

Stallone always insisted on making the boxing matches look as real as possible. This may explain Sly's multiple trips to the hospital when filming them. The final fight in this movie is shown much more stylized and abstractly, creating a new feel as it breaks away from the past.

While previous opponents have been brutal or single minded, Creed III throws in a different strategic puzzle. Damian is a dirty and opportunistic fighter, both in and out of the ring. Adonis figuring out how to deal with that without losing his integrity was another way the film went in a new direction.

One thing that is made clear in these stories is that Donny is avoiding many of the mistakes Rocky made in his life. Rocky begrudgingly befriended Apollo when it was beneficial to both of them and then the connection between them grew. There was no mending fences or forming friendships between Balboa and his other major opponents. Adonis is shown still having ties to several previous match participants, including Victor Drago, who was shown to hate him at the start of the last movie. He also makes peace with Damien at the end of this story, after much bad blood between the two of them.

More importantly, Adonis puts his wife and daughter first, and we never seen him lose and have to rebuild connections with them. Tessa Thompson's character's arc is just as important to these films as Michael B. Jordan's. There are conflicts and disagreements, but none of the rifts Rocky created. It's telling that the one time a snippet of "Gonna Fly Now" is heard is not at the end of the boxing match itself, but when he is celebrating with his family.

Phylicia Rashad gives one final and powerful performance, showing the strength and grace she brings to everything. Her impact on the series will continue.

Finally, Mila Davis-Kent was absolutely adorable, but feisty, as little Amara Creed. The stories could easily follow her as the next generation of the franchise.

Anyone who knows me is fully aware of what happens when I start thinking about boxing.

Come back next week to see how Adonis Creed fares against the stars of the classic Rocky films in another Fight Night Champion Showdown!

Rocky Links
Please click here for the good films
Please click here for the over the top films.
Please click here for the capstone  films.

Please click here for the Torch Passing (Creed)

Please Click here for Creed II