Choices, choices, choices. Good ones, bad ones, unexpected ones. Choices define who we are, but it’s the choices that come back to haunt us that land the worst blow.

Above all, this theme is what stands out in Creed III. The Creed franchise has always been known for three things: great fights, great performances and relatable stories. In an ambitious directorial debut by Michael B. Jordan, Creed III veers this trend in a new direction.

Jordan also stars in Creed III as the titular character Adonis “Donnie” Creed with Tessa Thompson as his wife, Bianca, and Jonathan Majors as Damian “Dame” Anderson, an old friend of Donnie’s.

The movie opens with a flashback to a young Donnie and Dame, where Dame takes the blame for Donnie’s physical aggression toward a nemesis and is arrested. Dame is released from prison after 18 years and returns to find Donnie and get back on his feet. Their initial meeting at a diner, filled with polite conversation and friendly banter to catch up after years, has an air of tension beneath, hinting at conflict yet to come.

Dame has one goal: to have a shot at the Heavyweight Champion of the World (a title formerly held by Donnie before his retirement). Donnie’s guilt for his actions from the past compels him to set Dame up at his gym, and in a sudden turn of events, he is able to give Dame the opportunity he so desperately yearns for.

Meanwhile, Donnie has become adjusted to his new life, living in a swanky Los Angeles mansion with Bianca, a singer-turned-producer due to her progressive hearing loss, and his daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent). Much of the interaction between Donnie’s family is in American Sign Language, due to Amara being born deaf. The lack of verbal communication, however, does not take away from Jordan’s and Davis-Kent’s expressive performances and fantastic chemistry. It is, in fact, a highlight of the movie. 

Majors’ Dame is the franchise’s most developed and well-thought-out villain because of his direct relation to Donnie himself as someone from his past to haunt him, rather than being a holdover from the Rocky movies (like in Creed II) or a two-dimensional character to simply propel Donnie’s story forward (like in Creed). 

Unlike previous antagonists, Dame is able to more effectively break into Donnie’s inner psyche: Donnie finds himself at his lowest point in this movie, both personally and professionally. Majors’ effortless transitions from subtle contempt and a facade of friendliness to a bombastic and taunting persona in the ring especially stands out in a franchise already praised for its performances.

The most impressive part of the film, however, is its direction. For a debutant director, Jordan makes some great choices to propel the evolution of the Creed franchise. As an anime fan, Jordan incorporates stylistic elements such as Dragon Ball-Z, Hajime no Ippo, Megalo Box, Naruto and My Hero Academia, including dramatic slow-motion punches, dynamic camera angles/movements and vibrant lighting. These elements are teased from the beginning of the movie until the climactic fight, when Jordan goes all in with the intensity to portray what may be one of the best fights in the series.

The movie’s cinematography by Kramer Morgenthau is another highlight, especially in the fight scenes and training montages. It is the first sports film in history to be shot with IMAX-certified cameras. The final training montage, in particular, takes the standard montage to the next level, showing the duality of the competing fighters with beautiful cinematography in natural environments.

Standout aspects from the previous movies, including the background score, music choices and humor continue to land in this movie. Jordan taking over the director’s chair also adds a personal touch to the movie, similar to how Sylvester Stallone directed several of Rocky’s sequels.

Still, the movie is held back by its short runtime. Clocking in at one hour and 56 minutes, Creed III is the shortest Creed movie. Though a relatively short movie can be a blessing in the age of two-and-a-half-hour movies, Creed III leaves little room to breathe between key moments and does away with explanations that would have made the story flow more smoothly, especially in setting up Dame’s quick rise.

Creed III, in more ways than one, marks a departure from the previous Creed and Rocky movies. For one, the main narrative of the movie is the first of the franchise to not include Rocky Balboa himself. His presence, while missed, would have taken away from the clear message from the movie: to confront and move on from the past. Each character is defined by their choices, and the main conflict stems from the consequences of one choice coming back  with a vengeance.

The movie also breaks from the grounded nature of its predecessors to offer a new take on the staple scenes (fights and montages), offering returning audiences something new to keep them invested.

Overall, Creed III is a fantastic movie that flourishes with its performances and Jordan’s directing flair and will be looked back upon fondly as a knockout in a franchise with winners.

Creed III releases in theaters this Friday.

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