A likeable "underdog" protagonist? Check! A charismatic, seemingly unbeatable antagonist? Check! A cool training montage? Check! A tense final showdown? Check!

The third Creed movie doesn't quite manage to maintain the quality of its predecessors, but it's still thoroughly entertaining. However, there are hardly any innovations. The classic Rocky formula is omnipresent. Every single item on the checklist is meticulously crossed out. As with most of the other parts of the series, this is hardly an issue, though. The formula just works. And even if it is a pity that Sylvester Stallone is no longer part of the franchise, this is quite helpful for the character Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan). At last, he stands on his own.

Jordan does a solid job as both director and leading man. His chemistry with Tessa Thompson also continues to be strong. Mila Davis-Kent as their daughter Amara perfectly complements the family dynamic. The true MVP of "Creed III," however, is Jonathan Majors. He sweeps every scene he's in with his presence. His facial expressions are simply unbeatable.

I didn't like everything, though. For example, the opening of the movie is very bumpy. It also took me quite a while to get used to the look of the film. Especially the first fight seemed visually "off" to me. However, that all improved over the course of the two-hour runtime. The later fight sequences are much stronger, even if the CGI arenas are a bit distracting. The ending then unfortunately seemed a bit anticlimactic, further hurting my overall impression. Nevertheless, I would watch more Creed films without hesitation.