Creed III (4k UHD + Blu-Ray + Digital HD)
Blu-Ray Reviews | May 29th, 2023
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Wood Harris, Mila Davis-Kent, Florian Munteanu, Phylicia Rashad
Written By: Ryan Coogler, Keenan Coogler, Zach Baylin
Directed By: Michael B. Jordan
Studio: Warner Bros.
Buy On Amazon.com
The latest addition to the Creed series is Creed III, featuring Michael B. Jordan in the lead role and also making his directorial debut. Creed was a great film. I don’t remember much from Creed II, it didn’t pack as much punch (no pun intended) as the first one. The third movie is a toss-up between the previous two. It’s an entertaining movie with some terrific acting and an interesting story.
Adonis “Donnie” Creed (Michael B. Jordan) has retired from boxing to spend more time with his wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent). He has a boxing academy with Tony “Little Duke” Evers Jr. (Wood Harris) and trains/promotes younger boxers. One day, an old boxing friend, Damian “Diamond Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors), gets released from prison and gets reacquainted with Donnie and his family. He wants to pursue boxing again and snag the World Championship Title, by any means necessary. You all know where this is going…the two old friends who have become enemies face off for the World Championship Title.
I liked the backstory of Donnie and Damian and how one moment in life can affect someone’s life and have them go on two different paths. After Damian gets out of prison, you can see where all this was heading and it’s a bit predictable in that way. It’s still enjoyable watching the movie and how it got from point A to point B. It does feel like a bit of a retread with some elements of Rocky. I was thinking of Rocky 5 where Rocky takes in a younger boxer, but then he turns against him and wants to fight him. This storyline still works, even though it’s a bit far-fetched with how quickly he gets into the ring for a Championship.
A lot of the movie was in ASL since characters are fluent in sign language now, so there’s a lot of subtitles in the movie. I didn’t have a problem with the subtitles per say but what font and color was used. I know it’s the designer in me, but you’re using a tan/brownish gradient to display subtitles and it’s hard for me to even read it. Jordan went for a more flashy style than a practical one that should have been more accessible.
I liked the acting, especially Jordan and Majors. I’m not really going to talk about the problems around Major’s personal life but it’s a shame if convicted since he’s a talented actor. Tessa Thompson doesn’t really have much to do this one so this is mainly Jordan and Majors’ movie. Sly is nowhere to be seen, but I guess that’s okay since Creed III takes places in another part of the country? It also shows the character has finally stepped out of Rocky’s shadow and is his own man.
There’s not much in terms of bonus features. Just a few featurettes like Michael B. Jordan: In the Ring / Behind the Camera, There’s No Enemy Like the Past: Donnie and Dame and some 3 deleted scenes. The featurettes were okay but nothing to really praise. Just your standard behind the scenes footage accompanied with interviews with cast & crew.
Creed III is an entertaining movie and worth watching if you liked the first 2 movies, as well as the Rocky movies. While there’s some retreads here, the story is interesting enough to keep you engaged, even though you know how this is going to go.
Features:
Michael B. Jordan: In the Ring / Behind the Camera
There’s No Enemy Like the Past: Donnie and Dame
Deleted Scenes
Video:
Codec: HEVC / H.265 (76.41 Mbps)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio:
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Subtitles:
English SDH, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Bottom Line: Better than second but not better than the first.
Running Time: 116 mins
Rating: PG-13
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating:
