Creed III ★★★

A ROCKY movie without Rocky?

Creed III is the ninth instalment of the now extended franchise and also the first in 47 years not to feature Sylvester Stallone’s character in some form.

But the impact of the original character still hangs over the new film which, despite being entertaining, well-acted and exciting enough, ultimately doesn’t measure up to the original.

Of course few boxing films can, particularly because there is limited capacity to move within the standard rise, fall and rise again structure of almost every sports drama that has followed the 1976 classic.

The power of Rocky the film was further magnified by the fact it mirrored Stallone’s own journey from porn star to Academy Award winner. It and Raging Bull remain the benchmarks for boxing-related drama.

First-time director Michael B. Jordan knows this and seeks to provide us with something more.  It’s a good move to concentrate equally on the new character of Damian ‘Dame’ Anderson and give the charismatic Jonathan Majors full reign to explore the difficult role of what could have been a straight villain much like Drago or Clubber Lang.

But key sections of the script enable Majors to deliver a much better balanced portrayal that might even have you rooting for him to succeed in the familiar final epic ring battle.

Creed III is firmly middle of the road for the franchise, but Jordan and Majors rise above the familiar material to make you care equally about the fate of both fighters.