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Creed III was released last month and is easily one of the top movies for young adults to see this year. After great success with the first two movies, viewers expected another movie that would entertain them just as well, if not better, than the previous two.
Marshall Shaffer, a freelance film journalist from Decider, wrote an article about this third installment of the Creed movie series.
“It checks all the boxes to keep people who want all their sports competition film needs met (hello training montages!) with enough to satisfy the dramatic storytelling needs of someone who can’t tell a Balboa from a Drago,” Shaffer said.
This statement is very true in my opinion. The film caters to an audience who would like to watch the fights, training, and athletic side of the movie. Yet, it provided an intriguing storyline that gives any other viewer something to pay attention to and follow along. Personally, the way the storyline went was unexpected.
From the beginning of the movie you can tell when Adonis Creed’s friend from his past, Damien, reappears; something off is about him. Damien evokes a character with a dark personality and alternate motive, seeming like he wants to do something bad to Adonis whenever he sees him. But as the movie continues, you get a sense of relief because it shows them actually being friends, with Damien having a big smile on his face. These bursts of brotherly love lighten up the character. Damien’s positive vibe quickly sours the longer he is shown in the movie. This is only supported by the way Creed talks about him to others and how he constantly questions if he really should be helping out his old friend.
Besides this major character, the story follows Adonis around as a retired fighter who is choosing to transition from fighting to enjoy his sport in other ways like promoting new fighters, going to charities and taking care of his daughter more. The movie is clearly trying to show his efforts to move into a different place in his life.
However, this plan goes wrong when his old friend gets to the top of the boxing industry because of the favor Adonis did for him. Damien took his opportunity and capitalized on it by winning the title fight Adonis arranged for him. Once he won, he turned on Adonis and wanted to fight him next, believing that he has always been better than him. This brings Adonis out of retirement and forces him to get back into his prime shape to defend his name.
Without going into detail about how the movie ends, it is a worthy watch and does not disappoint. It may not be the best of the three Creed movies, but that is up for the viewer to decide. For me, Creed III gets four out of five Lopes because of how the storyline and action blend together in a satisfactory way that is not easily achieved.