I’ve watched the first two films of the “Creed” trilogy to an extent that I’m sure my parents are ready to take away my television privileges, so when “Creed III” came out March 3, I was joyous. Given my history with the films, it’s only right that I rank all three “Creed” films from worst to greatest.

“Creed II”

“Creed II” was there, and that’s about all I can say in its favor. It’s definitely a film that holds its own substance and purpose, but it doesn’t have as much of an impact as the other two films in the trilogy.

In “Creed II,” Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) accepts a fight from the son of the man who killed his father during a boxing match. The film was definitely action-packed, in both stagnant and active scenes, but it lacked in the most important aspect: storyline. Though I enjoyed the general outline of what the writers tried to push, it seems like they didn’t milk it enough. The film felt like something was missing, some form of relatability that I indirectly experienced with the first movie.

“Creed III”

“Creed III” was something I didn’t think I needed nor wanted. When it comes to trilogies, the last movie is usually the worst due to writers trying to wring out the last bits of salvageable plot they can. However, “Creed III” brought more than just moot points – it brought more of a story. 

Not wanting to spoil the movie, I will say this film made Adonis feel more human to me. It gave him more of a believable and relatable background, making this movie feel more personal by dealing with elements of revenge, fear and arrogance. 

For these reasons, I am obligated to say that “Creed III” is the second best movie out of the trilogy — and it doesn’t hurt that the film brought my two favorite actors, Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors together. 

“Creed” 

I can still remember the exact moment I watched the first “Creed,” released in 2015, and followed Adonis as he tried to live up to his late father’s (Apollo Creed) name in the boxing world. As a little kid with no friends besides my textbooks, and hours of free time on hand, I had big dreams, and this movie added to them. I’ve always been hooked on the action genre, so when given the opportunity to see a movie based around fighting, I couldn’t miss it. The first “Creed” — in all of its greatness — laid a beautiful and hard-to-match foundation for action movies that followed, including its own successors. 

“Creed” perfected its action while also mixing in a genuine plot — including a love story that 8-year-old-me craved. Starting off in a juvenile hall and ending on top of the world (kind of), this movie shows the start of Adonis’ life as a legend and how he got to where he is now. It also holds the most nostalgia in my heart as it was the first ever action movie with a main character I genuinely looked up to. Seeing a main black character, who started off in a position that many of my peers did, and fighting his way to the top despite obvious setbacks is exactly why this movie gets the first place slot.

However, no matter the ranking of each movie, I refuse to stop watching the “Creed” trilogy, and I will continue to run up my parents’ electricity bill watching the first two movies at odd hours of the night, and later — once available for purchase online — I will add “Creed III” to the mix.