When asked by journalist James Hibberd in a Hollywood Reporter interview how he feels about not being in Creed III, Sylvester Stallone says, “That’s a regretful situation because I know what it could have been. It was taken in a direction that is quite different than I would’ve taken it. It’s a different philosophy — Irwin Winkler’s and Michael B. Jordan’s.”

For the sake of compelling storytelling, I dearly wish we could trade Winkler and Jordan’s approach to Creed III with what Stallone imagined it could have been.

Stallone, who reprised his famous role as Rocky Balboa in Creed and Creed II, is what I would consider a much needed anchor for this franchise; the well known, seasoned, wise mentor who helps guide a young, naive, egocentric protagonist into reaching their potential. The protégé here, Adonis Creed played by Jordan, spends these two films learning the lessons Rocky has to teach him the hard way. But whether through mentorship or through the hard knocks of life, learning and maturing has been a natural side effect of this boxing lifestyle they each subscribed to in their own time.

We may never see the fully actualized version of Adonis's story that Stallone imagined for this franchise. Instead, what we’re served up in his absence from Creed III is a faux-actualized version, manufactured for crowd pleasing appeal rather than as a demonstration of storytelling prowess in cinema as it flexes an oversimplified and underdeveloped story. Many might forgive or overlook this film's propensity to gloss over plot holes, under serve its characters' plights, and miss the target on thematic elements in exchange for the premise's exhilarating best-buddy-brawl, but it's these poorly developed components that make this second sequel the weakest of the series.

Creed III picks up Adonis’s story at a high point in his life. He has defended his title as world champion, retired from boxing, and is now training the next generation of world class fighters. His wife, Bianca played by Tessa Thompson, has also found great success in her career with the music industry, having a number of achievements under her belt as an artist and a producer. And their daughter Amara, played by Mila Davis-Kent, is now a young girl who seems to have inherited her father’s drive to be great at boxing, despite the hearing disability she was born with.

Adonis's past comes back to haunt him, however, when his childhood best friend Damian "Dame" Anderson finds him after being released from prison - a sentence imposed following an incident they were both involved in as kids. What begins as a cordial reconnection eventually becomes a face off between the two, as Dame sees the success Adonis found compared to the unfortunate circumstances his life incurred. In an effort to fulfill his childhood dream of being the world heavyweight champion, Dame goes toe to toe with Adonis, both men having something to prove to the world and to themselves.

At a mere 1 hour and 57 minute long runtime, Creed III is the shortest of the Creed films. But what might seem to indicate a snappy and succinct action flick is actually more likely a consequence of poor, rushed storytelling. Creed III is a film that foregoes proper character and conflict development in a feverish effort to bolster entertainment value. Scenes that require more buildup and connection to the characters feel devoid of emotional value, some of which feels obligatorily shoehorned into the narrative. And thematic elements - an implied metaphysical or intuitive connection between Adonis and Dame, for example - are shown but not fully fleshed out or capitalized on. The cast, most reprising their roles from the previous films, is left to do the heavy lifting (no workout pun intended) on salvaging the film’s elementary-level script.

The noteworthy addition to the cast, of course, is Jonathan Majors as Dame. Majors, whose presence in the MCU as Kang The Conqueror has expanded with the recent release of Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, brings what is becoming his own signature typecast to the role of Dame, with an erratic and menacing personality defining our perception of the character (a similar performance from Majors can be found in the Sundance debuted film Magazine Dreams). And while Majors remains an acting talent worthy of high regard, the character of Dame is not immune either to poor writing in the film. The manner in which he flips from a quiet and reserved man to an unhinged and ruthless villain then back again comes off jarring and nonsensical. It's a transformation that serves the idea of the story, but like many components to this film, never feels developed enough to unfold organically.

Despite my own dislike for the final product that Creed III is, however, the film delivers on the cinematic components that audiences not only crave, but demand now more than ever from a blockbuster film like this. When fighting happens, it's as sharp and punchy as ever. Set designs are lavish, particularly within the Creed family's luxurious Los Angeles home. And on the topic of visual appeal, the bulked up hyper-fit body figures of Jordan and Majors certainly don't detract from the film's sex appeal. With all things considered, suffice it to say that if you're going to the theater to watch Creed III, the best way to do so would be in IMAX.

I also refrain from calling the Creed III production "careless". With Jordan in the director's chair for his feature directorial debut, it makes sense that his love and care for this character would come with him. But there is a rudimentary take on storytelling that comes with this new eye over the project, and while it's an admirable challenge for Jordan to have tackled in his first outing as feature film director, there's a regression that the Creed franchise suffers, particularly when looking and feeling like a blockbuster film takes precedence over telling a compelling story.

Questions have lingered in my mind since the end of the film. Was this the best project for Jordan to take on as his feature directorial debut? Would a longer runtime have remedied many of the film's flaws or belabored them? Could Creed III have been a stronger film with Sylvester Stallone involved? I know this can't be a review about what Creed III could have been, yet I find myself often reflecting on the film with a sense of disenchantment with what it is. As one who thoroughly enjoyed Creed and loved Creed II even more, my expectations for this third installment wasn't to indulge in superficial entertainment, but to experience greatness in cinematic storytelling and the further development of a legend in the making. That forward evolution of this story and these characters is not what I took away from this film, and thus, Stallone's words hit harder than any punch either Dame or Adonis can throw: "I know what it could have been," and I can't help but wish to have seen that.

In the end, Creed III might give off trilogy-ending vibes with spotlights glistening behind the hero as the score swells in a triumphant crescendo, but the presence of triumph in the Creed saga is unfortunately absent. Does this make Creed III a "bad" movie? Perhaps not for most. But the trajectory towards mediocre storytelling in future films is apparent. Creed III leaves opportunity for more similarly formulated sequels to roll off the conveyor belt of Hollywood in higher frequency. It lays the groundwork for spinoffs, poised to transform the worlds of Rocky and Creed into an over-expansive cinematic universe. It resets what we should expect from these films going forward, which now tends toward a style-over-substance mentality. And I can see the masses showing up for it. Like Adonis Creed himself, Creed III is likely to be a film admired by many audiences for the entertainment it provides. But a heavyweight champion of filmmaking and storytelling, Creed III is not.

Acting/Casting - 2 | Visual Effects and Editing - 1 | Story and Message - 0 | Entertainment Value - 2 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 1 | Reviewer’s Preference - 0 | What does this mean?