By Lynn Venhaus

The formula is familiar and the plotline predictable in “Creed III,” but there is an authentic undercurrent between the heavyweight stars Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors playing childhood friends turned professional rivals.

Adonis (Jordan) has been thriving in both his career and family life, but when a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy resurfaces after a long prison sentence, Damian Anderson (Majors), the face-off is more than just a fight.

The third chapter sadly doesn’t feature Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, but returning castmates include Tessa Thompson as Adonis’ pop-star wife, Wood Harris as trainer “Little Duke,” Florian Munteanu as Viktor Drago, and Phylicia Rashad as Mary-Anne Creed.

The mainstay of the Rocky-Creed films is the family legacy thread, and screenwriters Keenan Coogler (original director-writer Ryan’s brother) and Zach Baylin (“King Richard”) lean heavily into it. The face-off between former friends seems more contrived than typical. The melodrama is hyped up as Adonis’ future is on the line and “Dame” has nothing to lose.

However, Jordan, as first-time director, keeps the action fast paced and the obligatory training montage as well as fight scenes intense. Both lead actors are in commendable shape, and the boxing benefits from their commitment.

The subplot about hearing loss is an admirable point – and Jordan’s and Thompson’s sign language is flawless. That part about a family seemingly on top of the world dealing with struggles gives the film a heart-tugging element.

The original “Creed” in 2015 was rousing crowd-pleasing entertainment, lovingly crafted by director and co-screenwriter Ryan Coogler. The underdog boxing story had plenty of Easter eggs to the “Rocky” series.

If you don’t remember it, or the follow-up in 2018, you can still enjoy this film, but it does help to get up to speed about the back story. Last time, Adonis Creed, the son of the legendary heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, faced the son of his father’s boxing foe and killer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren in “Rocky IV”) in the sequel, with Donnie taking on Viktor in a story about not escaping your past and family is everything. Real Romanian boxer Florian Munteanu returns as Viktor in a small role in “III.”

That theme continues here, as a retired Adonis is grooming Felix Chavez (Jose Benavidez) to be the next champ. He’s pulled back into the ring through a series of unfortunate events. He’s living large, but potshots in his direction are taking an emotional and mental toll. Dame is eager to take his shot and has something to prove.

Looming large is the absence of Stallone, the heart and soul of the franchise since the Oscar-winning crowd-pleaser “Rocky” in 1976. He’s played Rocky eight times, and it’s unfortunate they had no place for him in round three, because his presence is needed. He is the anchor, and not only earned an Oscar nomination for the first “Creed,” but elevated the second one.

Nevertheless, the supporting cast is convincing in their roles. Thompson excels as Adonis’ wife Bianca, and Mila Davis-Kent is endearing as their smart, headstrong daughter Amara.

This doesn’t have the same impact as Coogler’s original, nor does it have the sentimentality. He didn’t direct the second one, as he was too busy with “Black Panther,” and here, he just supplies the story and produces.

Jordan not only is up for the physical challenge of playing Adonis, but also the emotional complexity, and with Majors at the top of his game, the conflict has some bite to it.

Majors, who was noteworthy in early work – “The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” “Da 5 Bloods,” and “The Harder They Fall,” with his acclaimed performance in last year’s “Devotion” and now as Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe making him one to watch, is impressive as Dame. He takes a one-note role and commands the screen.

The music score is a worthy addition from Joseph Shirley, and the soundtrack pulses with urgency.

The tech work is superb, with sharp cinematography by Kramer Morganthau, who worked on the second one, and slick editing by Jessica Bacesse and Tyler Nelson. Production designer Jahmin Assa has created quite a crib for the Creeds and contrasts the past with the present effectively.

Is there enough juice for another one? Will the audience keep coming back? Time will tell.

While it isn’t a knockout, “Creed III” packs enough of a punch for those seeking another chapter in this 47-year-old story and an abundance of contemporary action.

“Creed III” is a 2023 sports action-drama directed by Michael B. Jordan. It stars Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Wood Harris, Mila Davis-Kent, and Phylicia Rashad. It is rated PG-13 for intense sports action, violence and some strong language. Run time is 1 hour, 56 minutes. It opens in theaters on March 3. Lynn’s Grade: B-

By Alex McPherson

Overstuffed and overlong, yet retaining a strong emotional core, director Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” ultimately plays it safe, for better and worse.

“Wakanda Forever” faces the difficult task of paying tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, while continuing the story of Wakanda and its people (along with, of course, setting up future installments and spinoffs). Indeed, Coogler’s film starts off on a solemn note and maintains a decidedly down-beat tone throughout.

T’Challa’s sister, tech-genius Shuri (Letitia Wright), tries and fails to save him, as he succumbs to an unnamed illness. This infuses her sorrow with a sense of guilt, responsibility, and rage. T’Challa’s sudden death casts a long shadow over Wakanda, catching everyone off-guard and sending their nation into a state of uncertainty. Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett, in a towering, fiery performance) leads the nation through a period of intense mourning. She navigates her own grief and contends with violent geopolitical pressures to share Wakanda’s precious resource, Vibranium — used to fuel Wakandan technology — with the outside world.

However, Wakanda isn’t the only civilization to possess Vibranium. The CIA and US Navy SEALS utilize a newfangled Vibranium-detector to locate some in the Atlantic Ocean — only to be attacked by a group of blue-skinned Mesoamerican warriors called “the Talokan,” who ride into battle on whales, singing melodies that lure victims to their deaths. They’re led by Namor (a formidable, albeit goofy-looking Tenoch Huerta), bare-chested and with wings on his ankles, who is furious that the surface world encroached on his territory. Wakanda is blamed for the attack, and Namor blames Wakanda for revealing the existence of Vibranium to begin with. He issues Ramonda and Shuri an ultimatum — bring him Riri (an amusing though somewhat one-note Dominique Thorne), the Gen-Z MIT student responsible for creating the Vibranium-detector, or Wakanda will be targeted by the Talokan.

All the while, CIA agent and ally of Wakanda Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) learns that the CIA is planning to seize Vibranium to develop weapons for the US military. 

As these various plot threads collide and intersect, the situation gets out of control — leading to plenty of action set pieces, a heavy sprinkling of exposition dumps, and a welcome dollop of melancholic reflection for good measure. “Wakanda Forever” is busy, to say the least, nailing some targets while missing others. Thankfully, Coogler honors Boseman’s memory and his larger cultural impact — foregrounding concepts of loss, acceptance, and hope that shine through otherwise formulaic beats.

Like 2018’s “Black Panther” before it, “Wakanda Forever” establishes a stylistic identity that separates it from other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Wakanda is a vibrant, Afro-futurist metropolis, filmed with clarity and scale by cinematographer Autumn Durald. Inspired by various African cultures, Hannah Beachler’s astounding set design pops off the screen, as do the costumes by Ruth E. Carter, underscoring the characters’ regality and commanding auras, matching the mood of each scene, be it funereal or explosive.

The Talokan’s underwater kingdom is vividly rendered, although heavy on CGI. Still, the Talokan don’t look as formidable as the Wakandan Dora Milaje, led by a fearsome Okoye (Danai Gurira, thankfully given a more defined character arc this time around), who continue to showcase badass weapons and fight choreography like the first film. Ludwig Göransson’s score pulsates with booms and sharp vocals, beautifully complementing the numerous action scenes and lending further gravitas to the powerful, largely women-led ensemble. 

The film’s rich tapestry of sights and sounds is matched by effective performances that elevate the proceedings to new dramatic heights. Boseman’s loss is felt acutely here, as viewers can sense the sadness of not only the characters, but also the actors portraying them — particularly Bassett and Wright.

Bassett is the standout here, bringing a fierce, tormented energy to Queen Ramonda that emphasizes the character’s bravery and brashness, a leader facing tough decisions pitting her heart against her head. Shuri is coming to terms with T’Challa’s loss, becoming a valiant leader herself, and reckoning with what kind of legacy she wants to leave behind for Wakanda and the larger world — poignantly acted by Wright, who capably shoulders the film’s quieter sequences and the bombastic ones. Winston Duke provides the bulk of the comedic relief as M’Baku, a burly lad with more depth than expected.

Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta

Huerta gives Namor his all, bringing charisma and understated menace to the role. It’s too bad, however, that Namor’s backstory is relegated to rushed exposition. His motivations are understandable — colonial forces wronged him and his Mayan culture long ago, and he will do whatever it takes to protect his people and assert dominance — but don’t hit home with much force. By attempting to make him a sympathetic antihero in such a hurried fashion, “Wakanda Forever” sacrifices nuance, but at least Coogler’s trying to add some complexity to the character.

This issue extends to other elements, too. Even with a gargantuan, 2-hour-and-41-minute runtime, Coogler’s film doesn’t give its numerous plot points enough time to breathe — save for scenes dedicated to honoring and remembering Boseman’s portrayal.

The CIA thread involving Freeman lacks any sort of punch, and the film sidelines the more provocative topic of US imperialism in favor of superhero clichés in the deafening finale. Similarly, the action scenes — except for a thrilling vehicular chase — aren’t especially memorable, overusing weightless CGI and slow-motion to sometimes comical effect. This muddled approach makes “Wakanda Forever” exhausting when it should be thrilling.

But this is an MCU film above all else, and “Wakanda Forever” checks every box that its overcrowded genre dictates. There are glimmers of a truly special, meaningful film that isn’t realized, but Coogler succeeds enough where it counts, and provides a satisfying salute to an impressive world of warriors and a cinema icon lost too soon.

Danai Gurira and Angela Bassett

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is a 2022 fantasy action-sci-fi-adventure directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Dominique Thorne and Winston Duke.  Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, action and some language, it is 2 hours, 41 minutes’ long. It opened in theatres on Nov. 11. Alex’s Grade: B