He boxing it is a truly exciting sport, albeit unfairly burdened by a dubious reputation derived from a superficial look at its nature. Those who closely follow the boxing world or have put on their gloves on some occasion will know that, beyond the brutal exchange of blows that our retinas capture, a fight is little less than a game of chess in which the physical and the emotional are two factors with the same specific weight in search of the KO.
Luckily, this complex duality has been faithfully transferred to the big screen in a large part of the many sports dramas focused on this discipline, highlighting among them those belonging to the ‘Rocky’ saga. While is true that they enter the most artificial and popcorn league of this type of productionsthe titles starring Sylvester Stallone and his notable spin-offs have known how to balance like few heart and brute force.
Following in this wake and after two fantastic first installments, Michael B. Jordan has made the leap into directing with a remarkable ‘Creed III’ which follows a path of continuity in tone and style with respect to its predecessors, but which stands out from them by leaning towards more sensitive and mundane fields. The result honors the inheritance received with a show as vibrant as usual and soaked in the spirit of the Balboa house —with an extra syrup, yes.
blood and sugar
After Adonis Creed reached the boxing Olympus in the previous ‘Creed’, the feature film that culminates a more than commendable trilogy starts with a radically different status quo for its protagonist, now focused on his life as a manager and father of a family. Of course, this doesn’t sound particularly appealing, so the writers Zach Baylin and Keenan Coogler have chosen to cling to a premise that is as hackneyed as it is effective.
This is none other than bet on the ghosts of the past and hidden secrets at multiple levels to shape a plot that, although it evolves without leaving the logical and expected path at any time, maintains the type during the couple of hours the film lasts and serves to introduce a determining element in its success: Damian from a huge Jonathan Majors both muscularly and interpretively which provides a top-notch antagonist.
Despite the fact that ‘Creed’ and its direct sequel made an effort to strike a chord with the respectable with several of its subplots, the extra sugar that has been incorporated into it does not stop shocking. a ‘Creed III’ that is not ashamed at any time of its melodramatic outrages. This self-awareness and lack of complexes, added to how consistent the softening of the tone is with the plot and Adonis’ state of mind, make the whole, far from squeaky, appear tremendously solid.
Glimpsing the most tender and emotional facet of the franchise does not mean, under any circumstances, that the boxing aspect has been neglected. To the surprise of many, the staging of Michael B. Jordan and his sense of action within the ring —supported at all times by the experienced DOP Kramer Morgenthau— is up to what one would expect; stretching the limits of verisimilitude and integrating his passion for anime into combats that manage to break with the usual and bring some freshness to the formula.
This, and despite the very interesting decision made during the climactic fight, does not mean that ‘Creed III’ is a revolution. Whoever goes to her looking for a drastic change in form, substance or formula will probably be disappointed, but anyone who embraces her exciting predictability, although it sounds contradictory, will find a cocktail of hip hop, montage sequences, charismatic characters, cakes like loaves and a gigantic soul that shows that this saga is still alive and kicking, and that it doesn’t need Rocky for it.