Overview: After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) has been thriving in both his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian (Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring.

The face off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damian – a fighter who has nothing to lose.

Creed III is the third installment in the successful franchise and is Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated Creed III in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this May 23rd, 2023.

For my money, this Creed III [4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital] combo pack sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Creed III presented to us as a two-disc combo pack with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 and Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

One of those moments now being when Adonis confronts Damian at the party and under the night sky, yet lit by a host of colorful artificial outdoor lighting, the scene is just perfectly filmed.

Personally, Jonathan Majors seems to be an extremely talented actor who actually becomes the different characters he portrays and here he gives off an incredible Mike Tyson-esque vibe, for sure.

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: Dolby Atmos and English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit).

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the story to hand, while the first two Creed films were firmly entrenched in the Rocky universe, this movie dives deeper into Adonis’ past and away from Rocky. It truly feels like a new story and a refreshing change of pace for the franchise. The film focuses heavily on how small decisions can change your life by putting Donnie and Dame side by side. Hence, there is depth to their complicated friendship, which is on display for the full two plus hours.

Jonathan Majors dominates the role of Dame and is one of the best villains in the franchise. Similarly, Michael B. Jordan is electric as Adonis Creed, while also excelling in his directorial debut. Indeed, Creed III has some of the best boxing sequences that I have ever seen in a film. Each scene is carefully crafted and there is a clear vision from start to finish.

While the relationship between Donnie and Dame is the central conflict in the film, some of the side characters lack attention. Specifically, I would have liked a little more time spent on Donnie’s connection with his daughter, Amara. There are elements of relationship building in the first two acts, but she is left on the backburner for the majority of the last 45 minutes.

Along the same lines, the plot in the early scenes is rich with dialogue and takes precious time to develop. Unfortunately, the pacing shifts and the build-up to the climactic fight is a bit rushed. While the finale is incredible and highly satisfying, there could have been a little more time dedicated to the rising action.

The first Creed film is one of my favorite sports movies of all time and the second one was a great extension of that. And yes, sure, Creed III is a worthy installment in the franchise and a fitting conclusion to the trilogy, but I personally just wanted a bit more blood, sweat and tears in the final ring scene, but that’s just me.

That said, I would also argue that it has the best antagonist and fight scenes of the three films overall, and though, at times, I missed Rocky’s presence, who is notably absent throughout, the story finds its own footing without him.

Creed III 4K UHD and Blu-ray combo packs contains the following special features:
1. Michael B. Jordan: In the Ring/Behind the Camera - featurette
2. There’s No Enemy Like the Past: Donnie and Dame – featurette
3. Deleted Scenes

Michael B. Jordan’s box office record-breaking directorial debut Creed III, from Metro-Goldwyn Mayer will be released on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on May 23rd, 2023.

Directed by Jordan, from a screenplay by Keegan Coogler and Zach Baylin, the film recently set a franchise record and scored the biggest domestic box office opening for a sports film in history. The film is produced by Irwin Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, Elizabeth Raposo, Jonathan Glickman and Sylvester Stallone.

Creed III stars Michael B. Jordan (“Just Mercy”, “Black Panther”), Tessa Thompson (“Thor: Love and Thunder”, TV’s “Westworld”), Jonathan Majors (“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”, “Devotion”), Wood Harris (TV’s “Winning Time”), Mila Davis-Kent, Florian Munteanu, and Phylicia Rashad.

Additionally, a three-film collection featuring Creed, Creed II and Creed III will also be available on Blu-ray and DVD on May 23rd, 2023.

Creed III | MGM-Warner Bros. Entertainment [Original Trailer]

www.MGM.com