The Rocky franchise gets a lot of guff for its heavy reliance on montages, flashbacks and clichéd endings. Yet, they are all pretty beloved, even with their faults (minus Rocky V, which we do not mention).
2015’s Creed added a modern and dramatic effect to these beloved tropes, giving us one of the best and most enthralling entries in the franchise. Director Ryan Coogler crafted an intense and ballsy approach to the well-known franchise, taking the focus from Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa, and putting it on Apollo Creed’s son, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan). It’s pretty great (see it if you haven’t). Everyone who loves this franchise has their favorites, whether it be the more serious or goofy ones (mine is Rocky IV), and I’m happy to say Creed II is very good—even if it doesn’t touch its predecessor.
Thirty-three years after Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) killed Apollo Creed in the ring, their sons get ready to do battle in another case of Cold War fever. That’s pretty much it, as there isn’t a lot to the main plot aside from the boxing aspect. Sure, we get some sweet and powerful moments between Adonis and his mother (Phylicia Rashad) and girlfriend/wife, Bianca (Tessa Thompson). There are pregnancies, retreads of the cancer subplot from the first Creed and callbacks to smaller characters that all make the most of their screen time, such as Andre Ward and Wood Harris.
The meat of the story focuses on Adonis, who has finally become World Heavyweight Champion. He is instantly (and I mean, INSTANTLY) challenged by his father’s killer, Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu). Meanwhile, Rocky thinks it’s a terrible idea, as he had to watch Apollo die at the hands of Ivan. He doesn’t believe Adonis has it in him. No one does. This aspect is the phenom that keeps this film going.
While Stallone stole the show in the first film, this is the Adonis Creed show and rightfully so. Jordan is electric, commanding your attention with every second he’s given. Michael B. Jordan is one of the best actors of this generation and WILL be getting a Best Actor nomination come Oscar season. You heard it here first.
Don’t sleep on Lundgren either, though. He, much like Stallone or even Arnold before him, has become quite the actor. His dialogue is minimal and mostly in Russian, but his physical presence and facial expressions show more depth than expected. He isn’t the bad guy he is from the ’80s. Instead, the Dragos are Russian embarrassments, attempting to save their name and sense of purpose. You feel for these men, Ivan, who wants to prove his loss was a fluke, and Viktor, who, much like Adonis, has a massive chip on this shoulder he cannot shake.
Director Steven Caple, Jr. puts his own flare in Creed II, creating a Rocky movie while also adding depth to the mythos and main characters that we would not have seen in the ’80s. Adonis still needs to prove himself, Rocky needs to make things right with his son and Bianca needs to deal with her deafness. Caple handles everything expertly well, even if it is as formulaic as everyone before it. The fights are HARD, making you feel as if your ribs are breaking with each hit. I was shocked at how much I liked this film, even if it doesn’t top the first. Aside from some nitpicks, like Bianca being kind of pointless in the first act and the formulaic-ness of it all, Creed II is spectacular. The Rocky franchise currently sits at a Win-Loss record of 7-1!
Rating:Â 9.5/10
Good review! Just saw this finally and absolutely loved the film. There is a moment in the middle of the final fight where a certain song starts playing and the smile on my face had to be unreal. Chills. Also loved Dolph and their storyline in this one, credit to the writing.