Forgiveness ‘Is Everything’: CREED III Capitalizes on Strong Moral Values
By Movieguide® Contributor
The CREED III cast shared how forgiveness, redemption, and family all play a major part in the latest movie following Adonis Creed’s journey as a boxer.
Movieguide®’s review for CREED III reads:
CREED III is another movie in the ROCKY franchise about Apollo Creed’s son, Adonis. Adonis Creed’s world turns upside down when an old friend comes into town and wants to fight Adonis’ lead boxer. When Adonis was young, he followed his friend, Damian, to boxing matches. One day Damian and Adonis get into trouble, and Damian is taken away by police. Eighteen years later, Damian gets out of jail and comes to Adonis’ gym. Damian wants to fight Adonis’ lead fighter, Felix. Adonis only says yes because he feels guilty about the past.
Michael B. Jordan, who plays Adonis Creed, reflected on the relationship his character has with his daughter in the movie, pulling inspiration from real-life relationships.
“Usually in boxing, it’s father [to] son, father [to] son, so to be able to do a fresh take and do something different—to be able to kind of lean into those relationships of close men that I have around me who have a very, very, very tight relationship with their daughters and know what it felt to be a girl dad—that felt pretty cool,” Jordan reflected.
When asked about his thoughts on forgiveness and redemption in the movie, Jonathan Majors, who plays Damian Anderson, said “That’s everything, isn’t it.”
“I think somehow along the lines, we forget how to [forgive],” Majors reflected. “I’ve got a nine year old daughter, and she can do it.”
“Something happens in adulthood where your ego gets strong, and you get prideful,” he added. “But it’s better to go back to our 10-year-old selves that can say, ‘Hey, I’m sorry.’”
“Hopefully, when you see examples of this in a movie like this—you see two grown men apologize—it’s an example,” the actor concluded.
Writer Zach Baylin added that forgiveness “was very central to what the movie was about.”
“I think everyone involved really wanted to sort of say, ‘What is your responsibility to both yourself and to the people that you’ve come up around?’”
He continued, sharing the central message of the movie: “You’ve been given these opportunities. Make the most of them and be able to forgive yourself or find redemption but also be able to be empathetic to the people around you.”
Movieguide®’s review adds that CREED III has a “strong moral worldview with light redemptive moments about forgiveness, family, protecting family, and choosing to help others instead of yourself.”
“CREED III is a well-made movie, but the beginning has some slow moments. It really picks up in the second half, where the jeopardy becomes more apparent. Overall, the movie is entertaining, with thrilling boxing scenes. CREED III has a strong moral worldview. It stresses commitment to family, love and forgiveness. The female lead has a wonderful depiction of assisting others, being loving and choosing to be happy in spite of hardships. Despite this, CREED III has some rough street fighting and boxing scenes, along with some foul language.”
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