Review of Creed (2015) by Daniel M — 08 Feb 2018

2016 was a pretty big year for boxing films considering the sport is largely out of the public spotlight and on the downturn compared to 20 or 30 years ago. Between Southpaw and Creed, boxing still has plenty of life on the big screen if it's real life counter part is on life support.

Creed tells of the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed from the first few Rocky movies who had a rough life with his father not in the picture and eventually leaves the 9-5 world to pursue a career in boxing having never been formally trained in the sport. Much like the first Rocky movie, he has to fight to get anyone to help and train him. Eventually he lands under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa after enough pestering and works his way up to becoming a boxer. Also much like the first fight, the top fighter is looking for a last minute replacement for his match and uses the new up and comer with the hot name to make a fight happen.

It's pretty typical hollywood boxing after that point. It makes boxing seem like Rock'em-Sock'em Robots, which it really isn't, but that's more entertaining than the real world counter part. What makes this film much much better than Southpaw, is we get to see the fighter at the start of his career, rather than the peak (which Southpaw ended up turning into a rags to riches story anyway which backfired on it). It's pretty much a remake of the first Rocky. The romance is the weak point (with no rape in this one). You're here to see the training montages and the final fight, which live up to the Rocky legacy.

A worthwhile film and hopefully the birth of a new generation of boxing films.