The year is 1976. In theaters across the nation, moviegoers are watching the movie “Rocky” and its inspirational story of young boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) as he took on fictional champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in an all-time match. This groundbreaking addition to sports cinema created a dynasty of six movies of the same name, and three others in a spin-off franchise called “Creed”. 

On March 3, the ninth movie in the Rocky/Creed franchise was released. This time, the same generation that watched Rocky fight Apollo Creed for 15 rounds back in 1976 got to take their children to watch Creed’s son, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) fight for his honor and dignity against his childhood friend Damian (Dame) Anderson (Jonathan Majors). Luckily for viewers, this series keeps getting better and better. 

The story of “Creed III” follows Adonis in retirement as he shifts to his new role as a mentor of a new fighter, Felix Chavez (José Benavides Jr.). Then, when his old childhood friend Dame gets out of jail and looks for help from Creed, he has to step in. Little does Creed know that this help would lead to a can of worms being opened that would disrupt his retirement plans and his “golden-boy” boxer reputation. 

One major obstacle Jordan and the rest of the cast had to overcome was the omission of Stallone’s Rocky from the cast. Even as the spotlight of the franchise shifted to Adonis Creed, Rocky was always the backbone of the franchise through his role as Creed’s mentor. Without Rocky, fans were worried that this movie would not live up to the hype. Fortunately, the cast didn’t disappoint. 

Jordan and Majors put on incredible performances as friends-turned-foes, which makes the tension between the two of them feel genuine. Jordan, who is also the director of the movie, does a great job exploring the unique relationship between the two main characters and giving them both an incredible amount of emotional depth. 

The rest of the cast does a solid job as well, notably Tessa Thompson as Adonis’ wife Bianca, who must balance the emotions of her husband returning to fighting alongside raising their daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent), who is hard of hearing and requires sign language to communicate.

Adding onto this, the fight cinematography is top notch and gives viewers a unique perspective that is unlike the cinematography of other installments of the franchise. The style is inspired by the fights seen in anime shows and movies, which makes sense as Jordan is a huge fan of the genre. Luckily for viewers, the transition from animated entertainment to live-action was flawless and makes each punch, dodge and block feel real. 

While the movie does end on a satisfying conclusion, it feels as if the franchise is getting quite repetitive. The installments surrounding Rocky Balboa faced a similar challenge as the movies came and went, and it eventually led to a decrease in viewership, albeit a spike for “Rocky IV” due to a very good antagonist. Without a seemingly bigger plotline for a possible sequel to this entry, it is likely that this franchise will continue to be repetitive unless something more creative is drawn up. 

All this being said, Jordan did announce that a fourth installment to the “Creed” part of the franchise will be happening and that they were considering making another spin-off of the series. However, no new films have gone into production yet. 

Overall, “Creed III” is a must-see film that has a little bit of everything that moviegoers crave in a film. It has the emotional storylines of a drama, the intense action of a modern-day sports movie and the classic ties to a beloved franchise that makes it an iconic watch for old and new fans alike.