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