Creed

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
Creed
 Released 11/26/15

Old boxing movies don't die.  They just get six sequels (and counting).  Creed, the latest entry in the Rocky saga, punched its way into the cinema over the Thanksgiving holiday this week.  Are you saying to yourself, "Uggh, another Rocky movie?"  I know I did when I first heard of it.  Then I saw the first trailer and thought, "Eh, maybe it has promise."  But, I wasn't holding much hope for that.  Strange for me, this series has been (in my best Yoda).  There were the classic Rocky and Rocky II (maybe not classic, but very good).  Then there was the glitzy silliness that was Rocky III.  Then we had the implausible, mock-worthy Rocky IV (a boon to American-Soviet relations).  Afterwards, we had the "What the Hell was that?" of Rocky V.  Finally, there was the solid, yet not classic Rocky Balboa of a few years ago.  So, Creed could have gone either way.

Creed is the story of Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the illegitimate son of Rocky's rival-turned-friend, Apollo Creed.  When we first meet Adonis, he's a preteen in "Juvi" who has a penchant for fighting.  Bounced around several foster homes after his mother died, he's found and taken in by Apollo's widow (Phylicia Rashad) to live with her in the Los Angeles Creed mansion. 

Adonis grows up well and has a very good job as an adult, but, the lure of the ring is in his blood.  He fights on the side in cheap, dirty venues in Tijuana.  Mostly a self-taught fighter, he builds up an impressive record.  Deciding to box full-time, he quits his job and seeks a trainer in  the gym where his late father trained.  Rejected (after an unceremonious sparring session), he leaves for Philadelphia to seek out the one man who might be able to help him.  The man who had two epic fights against Apollo Creed. 

Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is living a quiet life in Philly after the events of the last film operating his restaurant named after his late wife.  When Adonis shows up at the restaurant speaking of events he shouldn't know anything about, Rocky's curiosity leads him to discover who the young fighter is.  Initially refusing to train Adonis, he later relents. 

In a parallel to the original Rocky, the world light heavyweight champion, "Pretty" Ricky Conlan needs an opponent to make one final splash in the sport before serving an extended prison sentence.  After Conlan's first opponent is injured, his manager contacts Rocky and Adonis to set up a "sure thing" for his champion fighter against the unproven young Creed.  And fight fans, I don't have to tell you where this leads, do I?

 Creed parallels Rocky in more ways than the inevitable final fight.  Aside from the ultimate underdog facing off against the far superior opponent, you have training sequences with chickens, a conflict that threatens to derail the underdog (maybe that's more Rocky II), and the cheesy obligatory final fight training montage.  And let's not forget the fight itself where both opponents are landing so many haymakers on each other they would rightfully be deader than Apollo inside of 30 seconds.

But, the movie has heart.  Michael B. Jordan is a very good young actor.  He needed something like this to cleanse the palette after the trainwreck that was Fantastic Four this Summer (the whole cast needs it).  And not just a small indie feature could fit the bill (unless there was Oscar consideration).  The project needed to be high profile.  A connection to Rocky fits the bill.  I believed him in the role.  He mimics Rocky's story, but put his own unique stamp on it.

The other big surprise was Sylvester Stallone himself.  This was a much better "Rocky as mentor" role than what we saw in Rocky V.  Maybe that had something to do with the differences between Jordan and Tommy Morrison as actors, but, I digress.  Stallone hasn't pulled off the "big lug"  charm this well since the first sequel in my opinion.  There was a progression in his character that felt natural for the first time in a long time.  Rocky is done inside the ring.  The audience has known it for a long time.  And for once, Stallone himself seems to know it.  It's a simple, understated role he fits into beautifully.  And, it's a lot more believable than the action-based parts he's taken in recent years.

In the end, Creed comes to a predictable conclusion if you have followed this series at all.  But, predictability doesn't mean boring or bad.  Good decisions were made in this film all around.  Jordan injects new energy which should last for at least one more sequel.  The character of Rocky Balboa stepping back into a supporting role is maybe the best decision of all.  Creed is by far the best "Rocky" movie since Rocky II. 

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

***3/4 stars

Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Worth a look.  Better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. I'm doing my happy dance!
5 *= Pure eye candy. I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good

Spectre

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
     Spectre
Released 11/6/15

Director Sam Mendes returns for his second go 'round at James Bond with the release of this week's Spectre.  It's also the fourth installment featuring Daniel Craig as the famous (or infamous) spy.  Mendes and Craig worked some incredible magic with 2012's, Skyfall, to the tune of over a billion dollar take worldwide.  That's a hard act to follow, but, then again, Bond has never been more popular.

One thing Spectre does is bring the whole Daniel Craig Bond series full circle.  Now, I've never claimed to be a fan of 007 prior to Craig, but, I don't think the Bond series has been as tightly woven as the last four have been.  These stories aren't occurring in a vacuum.  Spectre cleverly ties the previous three chapters together.

Fulfilling the final wish of the deceased former M, Bond is on an unsanctioned mission in Mexico at the start of Spectre.  Stopping a plot to blow up a stadium (and killing two men in the process), Bond pursues Marco Sciarra who survives the attack.  In typical 007 fashion, the pursuit isn't subtle and Sciarra doesn't survive the melee.  But, Bond is able to take possession of Sciarra's ring that has the mysterious image of an octopus imprinted on it. 

Of course almost causing an international incident doesn't go over very well with Bond's boss, the current agent with the codename "M (Ralph Fiennes)"  There's a shakeup coming to the British Intelligence community spearheaded by "C", the head of the Joint Intelligence Service with whom M is in the midst of a contentious power struggle.  C wants to create an intelligence coalition  among nine countries (Nine Eyes).  Unfortunately, in his mind, the 00 program has become archaic and obsolete.  He's an advocate of shutting it down completely.  For fear of incurring more heat on the troubled program, M grounds Bond indefinitely.

Now you know a little thing like a suspension won't deter 007 from completing his mission.  Following various leads and using Sciarra's ring as an infiltration device, Bond is able to track down the organization Sciarra belonged to, a criminal enterprise calling itself "Spectre."  As he will come to learn, the organization has been manipulating events in his life since the events in Casino Royale.  The leader, Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz), has a personal connection to Bond as well.  And, Oberhauser is not his real name.  His actual name might make some old school 007 fans giddy. 

Spectre is an entertaining film, but, for me, lacks a little of the nasty grittiness of the previous three Daniel Craig Bond movies.  It harkens back to (but not fully) some of the playful silliness of previous 007 efforts.  Longtime Bond fans will be happy that there is some gadgetry, women falling into bed with him for no apparent reason at all, over-the-top henchmen (Dave Bautista is great as Mr. Hinx), and silly sight gags (Bond landing on a soft couch after falling from a crumbling building will induce a groan or two).  Bond also doesn't seem to be as conflicted about his profession this fourth time around which was a dynamic to the Craig era I really liked. 

There's been some speculation that Spectre might be Craig's final Bond effort.  If this is true, the movie's ending does lend some credence to that conclusion, although it is still left open ended to a degree.  It also lends itself to a long-rumored speculation about the James Bond series itself which I'm sure many of you have heard.  You know the theory that James Bond isn't actually one man but a codename that has been used by several agents in MI-6?  When you see the ending of Spectre, you would think the franchise will likely need to be rebooted again if Craig doesn't reprise the role,  especially given some of the actors who have been rumored to be up for the role as the next Bond.  You have to admit, it would explain why the cars, gadgets, and types of threats he puts down have changed over the years.  And, why Craig's beginning in Casino Royale almost seemed like an origin story. 

Spectre gives longtime fans of Bond some needed touches with the past.  Personally, I didn't need that so, despite some wonderful performances by Christoph Waltz, Dave Bautista, and the steady, Craig, as Bond himself, Spectre didn't resonate with me as much as the previous three films.  It is, however, still well worth your time to give it a look.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

***1/2 stars


Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Worth a look.  Better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. I'm doing my happy dance!
5 *= Pure eye candy. I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good