When “Creed III,” the third installment of the hit series, reached theaters on March 3, I was expecting to see a whirlwind of a movie, one that would captivate my attention all throughout. Much to my surprise, however, this movie was not that. The film may have been entertaining with plenty of action and emotion, but the cliché storylines seemed recycled from books or movies I had seen before.

Michael B. Jordan, who has played Adonis Creed in all three movies, was at the helm of production, working as the director for the first time in the trilogy. I give Jordan a lot of credit for the alluring cinematography, brilliant music choices and exciting fight scenes he included in his directorial debut. 

In particular, I thoroughly enjoyed the visual of the scene where Adonis is training, running up the hill, and the camera pans to the beautiful sunset he is immersed in. Not to mention, the intense soundtrack accompanying the lead-up to Felix and Dame’s fight accurately captures the heightened emotions of the moment. Despite the captivating scenes and gorgeous backdrops, I found myself predicting what was coming.

For instance, when Dame, Adonis’ old friend turned rival, began training again, I knew it would ultimately backfire in Adonis’ favor. Even more cliché, Adonis miraculously gets back up after being knocked out in the final match of the movie, managing to claim victory over Dame. 

Of course, sports movies are meant to showcase triumph in the face of adversity, but the manner in which they do so can sometimes feel forced. At one point in the movie, there is a slowed shot of Adonis’ bloody face as he is down, with the referee slowly counting all the way to nine. Adonis, determined, fights the overwhelming pain to get back up, much to the relief of the audience. I could have seen this ending coming a mile away, which didn’t provide the thrill I was looking for, so the ending fell short.

Despite the predictable nature, the movie was still a good watch, as I truly appreciated and enjoyed the conflict between Dame and Adonis, where a history of loose ends and unresolved resentment unexpectedly, but inevitably come back to bite Adonis. This messy animosity sets Creed III apart from the first and second movies, which lack such personal hostility. The simple, heartwarming ending of Adonis’ family coming together in the boxing ring as his daughter fights him helps tie together the film, offering an important sense of closure, and providing a calm, big-picture resolution to a rollercoaster of a movie.