Gannon Nordberg

After a second viewing, yep — my initial review stands.

Watched on Sunday March 19, 2023.

It’s been a few years since I’ve seen this but we had this as a family movie night feature with my 6 and 8 yr old boys. 

It’s still so good! The kids loved it too. The music and choreography are awesome and there are some really important messages about how NOT to treat people who are different.

This might be one of my favorite Hugh Jackman roles. He and Zac Efron both have great screen presences, separately and together.

The third installment of the franchise is even more complex and as extensive of a heist. But it’s wildly entertaining seeing it all come together in the end. 

This is my second favorite in the trilogy. 

George Clooney has never looked better. Such a cool, suave, and charming fellow.

A nice upgrade from the first film! One incredibly fun celebrity cameo in here, too.

For a movie that’s 22 years old, this didn’t hold up as well as I hoped it would. It’s witty and smart with a great cast, but it wasn’t more than “fine” to me.

After a second viewing with my kids, my feelings are mostly unchanged.

Although, the story becomes more interesting after the initial viewing. There’s a pretty cool reveal 🤫.

This is the weakest ‘Creed’ movie for me. It’s not bad but I left the theater a little underwhelmed. 

I really felt the absence of Sly Stallone’s ‘Rocky’ character. Like, basically not referenced at all, which really felt off base, considering how big a part he played in those two previous films. 

The pacing and soundtrack are both great.

Jonathan Majors is the highlight of the movie for me. His performance is electric and he is absolutely an force to be reckoned with — from an actor and character perspective. 

The final fight felt a little too stylized — like the boxing ring was obviously placed on a stage with green screens (or those huge LED panels) all around it. It just didn’t feel really and I was distracted by the background. 

Props to director/star Michael B. Jordan. He did a noteworthy job in his directorial debut and I think he has a lot of promise for future opportunities behind the camera.

I remember hearing that Stallone was making another ‘Rocky’ movie back in the mid-2000s and thought it was ridiculous, considering his (and the character he portrays) age. 

But this is actually a pretty solid ‘Rocky’ movie. Definitely one of the best performances in the franchise for Stallone. 

The final fight has a very strong, HBO PPV visual vibe to it, which is a bit jarring from the rest of the film. 

Mason Dixon is probably the least formidable foe for Balboa in the franchise.