Review of Creed (2015) by Brandon R — 07 Mar 2016

Exciting, effective, and resoundingly fun, Creed is a sequel that does right by its predecessors, and sets the stage for what could be an unprecedented prolific series. In it, we find Adonis Johnson, a troubled young man long estranged from his infamous father, Apollo Creed. He finds himself unsurprisingly drawn to the life of a boxer, and thus seeks the guidance of the one man he thinks can bring him to greatness, Rocky Balboa.

Though familiar in many ways to the first Rocky, Creed takes a chance in that it no longer casts the focus on Rocky, and rather find him in a supporting role. In this way, it's almost a remake of Rocky, only featuring the son of his once great rival. At this point in the series, Rocky is but a shell of his former self, but still going, still gruff, but always likable. His role as a mentor to the upcoming Adonis feels like a natural progression for the series, and is at least somewhat original. All this to say--the screenplay is actually pretty good. The dialogue is authentic to the characters and their background, and the film respects what came before it, referencing the past-but not dwelling on it.

What makes Creed so distinctive is not the boxing scenes, they're good. It's not the budding romance, it's handled well, and it's not even the characterizations-though they are largely effective. It's the performances by two dynamic performances in Michael Jordaon (Adonis) and, without question, Sylvester Stallone. This is arguably Stallone's best on-screen performance, and an Academy Award was undoubtedly deserved.

It may not be the deepest film in the world, but it hits on the all the right emotional beats and has a strong sense of itself. This is a sequel that deserved to be told.

Excellent.

4/5 Stars.