The Rocky franchise is one of the most successful and beloved franchises ever, having been ongoing since the first film came out in 1976. While the less than kind reception of the later films like Rocky V and Rocky Balboa added uncertainty to the future of the franchise, the Creed trilogy has revitalized Rocky and breathed fresh air into the franchise.
The first two Creed movies set up the new protagonist in Adonis Creed, forging its own story while connecting back to the films of the past. The newest movie, Creed III, came out on March 3rd, and it has been a massive success, having the biggest opening weekend of any film in the franchise. There's a reason for that, as it accomplishes things its predecessors didn't.
10 The Performances
One of the things that made Creed so great was the incredible acting performances given by the cast, most notably Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone, who both delivered arguably career-defining performances. That energy was more or less matched in Creed II, but the acting in Creed III was a whole other level.
Michael B. Jordan topped anything he's done in the franchise before, and Tessa Thompson, another staple in the franchise, rises to the occasion as well. Jonathan Majors is on his way to stardom, if he isn't already there, and his entry into the Rocky franchise has certainly helped.
9 The Fights
The most important thing for any Rocky or Creed movie is the fight scenes. The emotional aspects of the story are always important, as is with any movie, but at the heart of these movies is boxing. It's important to not only impress audiences with the fights, but to try something new that fans haven't seen before.
That's what Jordan did with Creed III, and while the first two Creed films have some epic showdowns, the intensity of the fight scenes in this movie are on another level. Jordan said that they were inspired by Japanese anime fights, and it translates well.
8 The Villain – Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors)
The Rocky franchise has had some truly awesome villains over the years, with the likes of Ivan Drago and Clubber Lang battling it out with Balboa. The villains of Creed haven't been bad by any means, but they've been less memorable. Ricky Conlan was underutilized, and Viktor Drago was more or less a rehash of Rocky IV. Damian Anderson brings a whole new energy that was missing from the other villains.
Anderson is big, mean, and he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. His personal connection to Adonis raises the stakes and tension of the movie. Majors is phenomenal in the role, making Anderson one of the best villains of the franchise.
7 The Setting
When people think of the setting for these movies, Philadelphia is the first thing that comes to mind. It makes sense, as the city of brotherly love has taken on a whole identity associated with the Rocky movies. However, the epic showdowns have taken place in many iconic venues over the years.
There have been fights that have taken place in Madison Square Garden, Crypto.com Arena, and even in Russia. The final fight between Adonis and Damian at Dodger Stadium is one of the coolest settings for a fight yet. The scene of Adonis coming out of the Dodger clubhouse is one people won't soon forget.
6 The Direction (Dir. Michael B. Jordan)
More actors are making the jump to behind the camera now than ever before, and Michael B. Jordan is the latest to make the jump. After Ryan Coogler helmed the first movie and Steven Caple Jr. the second, the star of the movies took it upon himself to direct the third, and what a directorial debut it was.
Jordan took risks with the framing of many scenes, including the way viewers would take in the final fight between Adonis and Damian. These risks paid off, and he balances the different plots very well to make for a great film.
5 The Character Arcs
Character arcs are one of the most important parts of any story, as they give purpose to the things happening in the story. A character needs to change in some way, for good or bad, from the start of the film to the end. This isn't to say there aren't great character arcs in the other Creed films, but they're very prominent in Creed III.
Adonis learns a lot about being truthful to himself and his family thanks to Damian forcing him to reconcile with his past. Damian realizes how wrong his intentions have been since being released from prison, and after ultimately losing to Adonis, he changes his ways.
4 Creed III Ditches Rocky
This is very complicated, because Rocky's absence is due to offscreen issues between him and producer Irvin Winkler, as well as a disagreement over the direction of the franchise. There's no Creed without Rocky, and the relationship between Rocky and Apollo and, eventually, Adonis is the heart of the franchise.
However, Creed II leaves Rocky in a very good place, and Creed III proves that they don't need Rocky anymore to make an effective movie in the franchise. The first two movies were about passing the torch, and the third movie shows that torch after it was passed.
3 The Perfect Runtime
If there's one fault to be found in the first two Creed movies, it's that perhaps they run a little too long. It can be a fine line to walk between fitting everything into a movie that's necessary and overstuffing a movie with fluff. The first two Creed movies clock in over two hours, and can struggle with pacing in certain scenes.
Creed III is the shortest of the trilogy, with a runtime of a little under two hours. It's not a huge difference, but it's a noticeable one. The movie runs very smoothly with no pacing issues whatsoever, and making it slightly shorter made all the difference.
2 The Training Montages
It wouldn't be a Rocky or Creed movie without a training montage or two in the middle. Some of the most memorable scenes come from the training montages, like Rocky running up the steps or Rocky climbing the mountain in the Soviet Union. The Creed montages have been more serious in tone but also more forgettable, and Creed III changes that.
It's one of the best scenes in the movie, and one of the best training montages in the franchise. Adonis has been out of boxing for three years, and he returns to the desert, or as Rocky calls it, "going to hell." He spares with his old foe and now friend Viktor Drago, and between the music and the action, it's a great montage.
1 Creed III Gives Hope For The Future
For a while, it was fair for fans to question where the franchise was headed and how much longer it could keep going. If nothing else, Creed III gives fans hope for all the potential the franchise has moving forward. Jordan himself has already announced that there's going to be a Creed IV down the road.
While Adonis has already conquered the boxing world, there's plenty to his backstory that can be explored, as they did with Damian in Creed III. They also could explore more of Damian in the future, as well as rumors of a possible Drago spinoff.