“Creed III” is the first film in the, er, “Rocky Expanded Universe” to cast the Italian Stallion’s narrative arc aside.
It’s a wise decision because there’s nowhere else to go with Balboa.
Michael B.
Jordan’s Adonis Creed can’t keep fighting the spawn of Rocky’s former foes; “Creed II” stretched this to the breaking point with Adonis facing the son of Ivan Drago, and Sylvester Stallone would’ve probably kept heading down this derivative route.
Rocky Balboa had outlived his purpose in “Rocky.”Liberated from Stallone’s purview, “Creed III” is a breath of fresh pugilistic air.
Following in the footsteps of his on-screen mentor, Jordan has seized the directorial reins, and turned in a juicy, fistic melodrama that harkens back to the likes of Robert Wise’s “Somebody Up There Likes Me.” Tonally, at least.
Visually, Jordan has imbued his film with a certain fury that is clearly influenced by anime.
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