--- title: "Creed III" year: 2023 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/creed-iii" fi1m_id: "creed-iii" imdb_id: "tt11145118" tmdb_id: 677179 wikidata_id: "Q110664384" fi1m_score: 72 critics_score: 71 critics_reviews: 24 published: "2026-09-10" updated: "2026-10-06T10:36:49.279395+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Creed III (2023) Directed by Michael B. Jordan · 1h 56m · MPA PG-13 · Drama, Action, Sport ## Identity Creed III - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/creed-iii - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** creed-iii - **IMDb ID:** tt11145118 - **TMDB ID:** 677179 - **Wikidata ID:** Q110664384 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11145118/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/677179, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110664384 **Fi1m score: 72** · Critics 71 from 24 reviews *In a sentence:* Adonis has a mansion, a gym and a belt; the only hungry man in the film just got out of prison > Michael B. Jordan directs himself with confidence and without Stallone, and Jonathan Majors gives the film a wounded, watchful antagonist it barely knows what to do with. The fights are inventive; the story around them is the old one, told faster than it can bear. ## Synopsis Adonis Creed has retired undefeated and now spends his days running a gym, managing the champion Felix Chavez and living with his wife Bianca and their daughter Amara. One morning a man is waiting by his car. Damian Anderson was his closest friend as a boy, a gifted amateur boxer with a future, and he has just served eighteen years in prison for a night the two of them shared. He wants a meal, then a job, then a fight. Michael B. Jordan directs for the first time and stars, with Jonathan Majors as Damian, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashād and Wood Harris. ## Review The first *Creed* film, in 2015, was about a young man with a famous surname and nothing else. Eight years on, Adonis Creed has everything: a retirement taken at the top, a gym with his own name over the door, a fighter under contract. *Creed III* is the first film in the series without Sylvester Stallone, and the first that Michael B. Jordan has directed. It is a confident piece of work, and its best idea is also its problem. The hero no longer wants anything, so the film has to bring wanting in from outside. It arrives in the shape of Jonathan Majors. Damian Anderson was the better boxer when the two of them were boys, and he has spent eighteen years in prison while Adonis became Adonis. Majors plays him with his shoulders slightly forward and his eyes doing all the work, a man who says “yes, sir” a beat too long and means several things by it. There is a scene in a diner where he eats as if someone might take the plate away, and Adonis cannot quite meet his eye. That was the moment the film got hold of us. No punch has been thrown, and we already knew which of these men we would think about on the way home. Jordan the director is the good news. Kramer Morgenthau shoots the Creed house in cool greys and long clean lines and the gym in warmer, closer light, so that Adonis relaxes when he walks into one and stiffens in the other. The fights are staged from inside the ring rather than from the seats, the camera at hip height and moving with the men, and the sound of a glove landing is mixed to be felt as much as heard. The final bout does something we will only half describe: the arena stops being an arena for a stretch, and the film shows us what the two men are actually hitting. The influence is animation, and it works. Tyler Nelson cuts the fights clean and the drama quick, sometimes too quick, so that a scene which needs a silence gets a fade instead. Joseph Shirley’s score is brass and low drums under the boxing and goes almost quiet in the family scenes. Jahmin Assa’s design makes the point about money without a line of dialogue, and Lizz Wolf and Greg Hopwood keep Damian in the same worn jacket for long enough that when he finally changes his clothes it registers as a threat. The trouble is pace, and it is in the writing. Zach Baylin and Keenan Coogler’s screenplay has to move a man from parole to a world title shot, and it does it in the time most films take to get a character across town. The friendship, the guilt, the years of letters: all of it is real and none of it is given room. Tessa Thompson’s Bianca has a career of her own and a marriage starting to show cracks, and the film remembers this in roughly every third scene. Then comes a training montage, the one from 1976 with the furniture moved, and we sat through it impatient, aware that the interesting film was in the other room having a conversation we were not being shown. We felt it most in the last act. The fight is thrilling and we were leaning forward, and at the same time we could feel how much had been skipped to get there. The film knows Damian is the more compelling man and keeps cutting to him. But it is called *Creed*, so it has to keep reminding us that a retired champion with a gym is the underdog, and it never quite manages the trick. Against the series’ own standards this sits below the first film and above the second. Jordan has made a good boxing picture with a great performance in it that belongs to somebody else, and he has the sense to let it breathe whenever the plot permits. It runs 116 minutes and carries a 12A. See it for Majors, and for a director who plainly has a second film in him. *Fi1m score 72, published 10 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics like Creed III, and the praise gathers in two places. The first is Jonathan Majors, whose Damian is singled out almost everywhere as the film’s main attraction, menacing and sad in the same breath. The second is Michael B. Jordan’s first turn as director, and in particular the fights, which several reviews describe as inventive, with anime-influenced staging and moments shot from inside the boxer’s head. Many also welcome the absence of Stallone and the decision to build the story on Adonis’s own past rather than Rocky’s. The reservations cluster on the script: a formulaic third act, a sense that two films have been squeezed into one, and a hero too comfortable to pass as an underdog. The spread is wider than the average suggests. Slant calls it a structural mishmash, The New Yorker thinks it needed to be longer, and The Playlist misses the scrappiness of the earlier films. Almost nobody faults the performances. ## Straight answers **Is Creed III worth watching?** *Creed III* is worth watching for anyone who likes a boxing picture, and we scored it 72. Michael B. Jordan directs the fights from inside the ring with real invention, and Jonathan Majors gives the film a wounded antagonist who is its best reason to watch. The story around them is the familiar one, told faster than it can bear. **How long is Creed III, and what is it rated?** *Creed III* runs 1h 56m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and action film. **Where can I watch Creed III in the US?** *Creed III* is streaming on Hulu, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Creed III, and is it suitable for children?** *Creed III* carries a 12A certificate, and its violence is confined to the boxing ring, where punches are staged and mixed to be felt rather than shown as gore. There is nothing frightening beyond the fights and a hard-edged former convict at the centre of the drama. Older children who can take sustained ring violence should be fine. **How does Creed III compare to Creed II?** *Creed III* is the better film of the two: more inventive in the ring, more interesting in its antagonist, and directed with more confidence than [*Creed II*](https://film.one/film/creed-ii). The earlier film is well acted and cleanly shot but entirely without surprise, and it has Stallone, which this one does not. Choose the third for Majors; the second only if you want the old formula intact. **Do you need to have seen the other Rocky films before Creed III?** *Creed III* stands on its own well enough, and a newcomer will follow it without trouble. Its plot turns on Adonis's boyhood friendship with Damian, which is new to this film, and Sylvester Stallone's Rocky does not appear. Seeing the first [*Creed*](https://film.one/film/creed) helps you feel how much Adonis has gained, but it is not required. **What should I watch after Creed III?** After *Creed III*, try [*Creed*](https://film.one/film/creed) (2015, Fi1m 85): The same man before the money, and the film that knew what to do with him. Then [*Fat City*](https://film.one/film/fat-city) (1972, Fi1m 73): Huston’s boxers have nothing to win and know it; sadder and truer than most; and [*Warrior*](https://film.one/film/warrior) (2011, Fi1m 80): Two brothers, one cage, and a family grievance that actually gets the time it needs. **What order should I watch the Rocky films in?** Release order is the safe choice for Rocky, and it is the order [our collection page](https://film.one/collections/rocky) lists them in. *Creed III* is the most recent of the 9 Rocky titles on Fi1m; before it comes [*Creed II*](https://film.one/film/creed-ii). [The full order.](https://film.one/collections/rocky.md) ### Reviews we read (27) - **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (85/100, inferred): Jordan directs and stars in a rock-solid sequel that feels like a thriller with an urgent conscience, far more dynamic than Creed II. He stages brutal fights with imaginative precision and gives his fullest performance yet as Adonis. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/creed-iii-review-michael-b-jordan-tessa-thompson-jonathan-majors-1235529835/) - **Vulture** (85/100, inferred): The third Creed is glorious masculine melodrama as much about fighting the world and oneself as an opponent; Jordan shows unabashed appreciation for it in his directorial debut, with Majors delivering a great, arrestingly weird performance. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2023/03/creed-iii-review-glorious-masculine-melodrama.html) - **Radio Times**, James Mottram (4/5): Jordan impresses as both actor and director in this Stallone-free entry that emphasizes family and past resentments. The standout is Majors' intense portrayal of the vengeful Damian, elevating the familiar underdog story. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/creed-iii-review/) - **The Independent**, Clarisse Loughrey (4/5): The critic praises Michael B. Jordan's confident directorial debut and the film's bold move away from Rocky nostalgia, highlighting Jonathan Majors' standout performance as the compelling antagonist Damian. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/creed-3-review-michael-b-jordan-b2287390.html) - **The i Paper**, Christina Newland (80/100, inferred): The review calls the film a thrilling male melodrama with strong emotional core in the rivalry between Adonis and Damian, praising the visceral fight scenes and Jonathan Majors' menacing yet sad performance. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/creed-iii-review-thrilling-melodrama-tough-guys-2180153) - **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (80/100, inferred): The film delivers balanced helpings of intimacy and spectacle as Michael B. Jordan makes a seamless directorial debut while starring. It grapples with family, friendship, and contemporary masculinity while hitting familiar genre beats. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/02/movies/creed-iii-review-michael-b-jordan.html) - **The Telegraph** (4/5): The first entry without Stallone is sure-footed and committed to pleasing a crowd, so you don't miss him at all. The fight scenes are a treat, shot and choreographed with real pop-mythic verve, and Jordan shows promise as both filmmaker and star. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/creed-iii-review-boxing-sequel-lands-like-gut-juddering-haymaker/) - **Total Film**, Matt Maytum (4/5): Jordan keeps the Creed formula feeling fresh in his directorial debut, with inventive boxing sequences and a compelling antagonist in Jonathan Majors that make the film thoroughly entertaining. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/creed-3-review/) - **The AV Club**, Murtada Elfadl (B): Jordan's directing debut isn't a knockout but still packs a wallop with entertaining boxing scenes and visceral intimacy; Majors' performance as the antagonist is the main attraction, rising above obvious backstory choices. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/a-review-of-creed-iii-starring-michael-b-jordan-1850162840) - **Empire**, Amon Warmann (75/100, inferred): The critic notes Jordan's solid direction and the emotional depth in the Adonis-Damian relationship, commending Majors' magnetic performance while noting some rushed elements in the final act. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/creed-3/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Katie Walsh (75/100, inferred): Jordan's directorial debut is a solid first feature that showcases a knockout performance from Jonathan Majors as the resentful Dame. It experiments with subjective sequences in the ring while cementing Majors as a major star. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-03-01/review-creed-iii-michael-b-jordan-jonathan-majors) - **IndieWire**, Kate Erbland (B-): The film is a cluttered sequel with high stakes, great casting, and brutal fights, but too much going on prevents it from landing every punch; the final bout shows Jordan's directorial skill and the pairing with Majors shines. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/creed-3-review-michael-b-jordan-1234812348/) - **Screen Daily** (60/100, inferred): A thoughtful drama about guilt, privilege and friendship is hinted at but ultimately retreats to formulaic Rocky sequel plotting, though polished and entertaining with strong performances from Jordan and Majors. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/creed-iii-review/5179234.article) - **The Guardian** (60/100, inferred): The film is a solidly by-numbers chapter in the Creed saga. Jordan does a workmanlike job directing, with thrillingly visceral fight sequences, but cheesy montages and a formulaic screenplay prevent it from taking the franchise anywhere new; Jonathan Majors stands out as a formidable antagonist. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/mar/04/creed-iii-review-gloves-are-off-as-the-rocky-prequel-fights-on) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (40/100, inferred): Jordan delivers explosive energy and captivating performances but the film feels like two movies crammed into one and runs out of time to explore its themes. It should have been longer to properly develop the backstory and character relationships. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/creed-iii-reviewed-michael-b-jordans-directorial-debut-runs-out-of-time) - **Slant Magazine** (1/4): Creed III comes down to a draw between its flashes of brilliance and missed opportunities; the lead actors convey decades of pent-up emotion effectively, but the film is a structural mishmash overall. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/creed-iii-review-michael-b-jordan-jonathan-majors/) - **Financial Times**, Danny Leigh (★★★★☆): By the third film the champ is old and the plot mulls retirement, yet you might be surprised by how good the film is. Majors excels with a gaze heavy with malice and melancholy; Jordan is a reliable anchor on screen and his direction is graceful and ambitious too. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/cda7a7d8-4ccb-4e31-896e-18f64b1dc5f8) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Lovia Gyarkye: The critic finds the film stronger on style than narrative sense, with lush visuals and glorious fight scenes that delight fans, but notes the shaky foundation and underdog premise fails to convince as Adonis is no longer an underdog. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/creed-iii-review-michael-b-jordan-jonathan-majors-1235332431/) - **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★★☆): Stallone was wrong about the dark material; his absence is a blessing. The darkness works, and Jordan occupies the director’s chair with aplomb, making bold choices while the backstory forms the film’s beating heart. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/creed-iii-film-review-michael-b-jordan-njpzlzp0g) - **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (A-): Jordan's directorial debut breathes new life into the franchise by centering Adonis's personal history and family dynamics over Rocky, with innovative anime-influenced fight scenes and strong performances, particularly from Jonathan Majors as the compelling antagonist. [Read](https://collider.com/creed-3-review/) - **Den of Geek**, David Crow (4/5): The critic praises Creed III as one of the best entries in the franchise, highlighting Michael B. Jordan's stylish directorial debut and Jonathan Majors' ferocious, multifaceted performance as the sympathetic challenger Damian. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/creed-iii-review-jonathan-majors-knockout/) - **Polygon**, Siddhant Adlakha (80/100, inferred): Jordan's stylish directorial debut expands the visual language of the boxing film with anime-inspired fights and choreography while delivering a character-centric tale about confronting the past, anchored by excellent performances from Jordan and Jonathan Majors. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23611236/creed-3-review-michael-b-jordan-jonathan-majors/) - **The Wrap** (80/100, inferred): The critic finds Creed III a worthy follow-up that keeps the Rocky/Creed streak alive with an emotionally raw story of trauma and intergenerational ties. They single out Jonathan Majors' fascinating, disturbing performance as the manipulative yet sympathetic antagonist Damian for particular praise, while noting Michael B. Jordan's strong directorial debut. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/creed-iii-review-michael-b-jordan-jonathan-majors/) - **The Ringer**, Miles Surrey (75/100, inferred): Creed III succeeds in stepping out of Rocky's shadow through Jordan's directorial debut, which incorporates anime-style fight visuals and centers a personal story with a strong antagonist in Dame played by Jonathan Majors, marking a fresh direction for the series. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2023/03/03/movies/adonis-creed-3-michael-b-jordan-rocky-movies-jonathan-majors) - **Digital Spy**, Gabriella Geisinger (65/100, inferred): The review calls it a solidly enjoyable follow-up with strong chemistry between Jordan and Majors and effective fight scenes under Jordan's direction, but notes it feels like two films, lacks narrative tension in places, and could have hit harder. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a43138381/creed-iii-review/) - **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (6.5/10): The film follows a familiar Rocky formula but is grounded and reflective with solid direction from Jordan, especially in the creative fight scenes. It is predictable and does not fully take flight despite strong performances from Jordan and Majors. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1206822/creed-3-review/) - **The Playlist**, Charles Bramesco (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the film loses the franchise's scrappy underdog appeal as the hero has nothing left to conquer, turning into a slower, less gritty story. The fight sequences are nimbly visceral and get the job done, though CGI elements mar the finale. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/creed-iii-review-hollywoods-winningest-franchise-is-losing-its-scrappy-underdog-appeal-20230223/) ## Details - **Director:** Michael B. Jordan - **Director:** Michael B. Jordan - **Screenplay:** Zach Baylin, Keenan Coogler - **Story:** Ryan Coogler, Keenan Coogler, Zach Baylin - **Cinematography:** Kramer Morgenthau - **Editor:** Tyler Nelson - **Music:** Joseph Shirley - **Production design:** Jahmin Assa - **Costume design:** Lizz Wolf, Greg Hopwood - **Producer:** Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, Irwin Winkler - **Cast:** Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed; Tessa Thompson as Bianca Creed; Jonathan Majors as Damian 'Dame' Anderson; Phylicia Rashad as Mary-Anne Creed; Mila Davis-Kent as Amara Creed; Wood Harris as Tony 'Little Duke' Evers; José Benavidez Jr. as Felix Chavez; Florian Munteanu as Viktor Drago - **Runtime:** 1h 56m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13 - **Release (the US):** 3 March 2023 - **Genres:** Drama, Action, Sport - **Part of:** [Rocky](https://film.one/collections/rocky.md) · 9 of 9 - **Budget:** $75 million - **Box office:** $275 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTaIZo8OJYE ## Where to watch in the US - Hulu: streaming, hd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd - Disney+: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $19.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-10.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HU, ID, IE, IN, IT, JP, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Creed* (2015), Fi1m 85: The same man before the money, and the film that knew what to do with him — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/creed.md) - *Fat City* (1972), Fi1m 73: Huston’s boxers have nothing to win and know it; sadder and truer than most — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/fat-city.md) - *The Set-Up* (1949): Seventy-two minutes, one night, one fixed fight, and not an ounce of fat on it - *Warrior* (2011), Fi1m 80: Two brothers, one cage, and a family grievance that actually gets the time it needs — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/warrior.md) - *Girlfight* (2000): A Brooklyn teenager learns to box; scrappy, unglamorous and properly hungry --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/creed-iii