Creed II

When Creed hit a couple years ago it surprised almost everyone with just how damn good it was. 

It nearly earned a perfect score from me and found its way to my Top 10 at the end of the year. It also continued and solidified the connection between Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler that eventually led to their (and many others') success with Black Panther. 

Unfortunately Ryan Coogler wasn't back at the director's helm for Creed II, though he is on board as a producer. I do wish that he was behind the main chair, but it's good to have him at some capacity while he's experiencing his new success with Marvel. 

Off the bat, Creed II is a great film. It doesn't quite have the heart and style of the original -- probably due to the lack of Coogler -- but is a surprisingly strong, character-driven film that keeps the Rocky franchise spin-off alive and quite healthy. The path to how we got here is one of the oddest stories of a series in Hollywood with the Rocky franchise eventually becoming the butt of jokes, trying to restart itself a few times, and finally finding a true next heir with Jordan's Adonis Creed. 

As has been advertised, this installment is all about Creed vs. Drago which brings up quite a bit of history within the franchise. Keep in mind I haven't seen most of this original franchise, but a lot has been said about how silly this premise is. I didn't quite understand that judgement, but it likely hinges on how (poorly?) Rocky IV handles itself. Adonis Creed is the son of Apollo Creed. Apollo was killed in the ring vs. Ivan Drago. Rocky eventually beat Ivan in the series and now Drago's son, Viktor wants to fight the newly-crowned heavyweight champ, Adonis Creed. I found that it made for a nice tie in to the previous films, despite how good or bad they were, and it seemed very logical that Adonis would want to fight the vicious blood-relative of the man who killed his father. In a way, I see how it could have gone off the rails as some revenge story that was silly in its own right, but Creed II, much like its predecessor, takes things seriously and likes to analyze them from several angles. 

Maybe he should have hired Rocky for his fight vs. T'Challa? BURN!

We're given an excellent script with this installment, just like last time, and it gives the characters a lot of room to evolve and feel real. These conversations feel well thought out, important, and logical given what's happening in the story. Most audience members are probably going to this film for the boxing or the absolute #THIRST that exists for Michael B. Jordan right now (y'all know its true and you know who you are), but it's really a drama more than anything. These are real characters that each have issues, challenges, and inner demons. Sure, some of it gets heavy handed and hammy with the sports metaphors, but in general, the reason that Creed I and II work so well is because of Adonis, Bianca, and Rocky and their journeys. 

But how does he breathe?!

These characters are brought to life by some fantastic actors and actresses too. Sylvester Stallone is once again at a career best here even if he has a little less to do. His Rocky of 2018 is one that wants to share his wisdom with the youthful Creed, even though he knows he was just as stubborn at that point in his career. Tessa Thompson gets a lot more to do here (and has been busy since the film) as a struggling partner to the inner demons that Adonis is facing. Her role sadly kind of drops off after the mid-way point, but she's a good compliment to Jordan no matter what. Michael B. Jordan continues to do some stellar work in this series and it will become one of his most iconic characters by the end of what will likely be a lengthy career. As the title would suggest, the film is anchored on him and he continues to bring a wide array of emotion, heart, and dedication to the role. And if you thought he was jacked in Black Panther, just wait until you see how cut he got for this film.

Perhaps the only area where Creed II is a step down is the actual boxing scenes. I remember two very distinct things about my viewing of the first one as it relates to boxing scenes: the incredible single-take practice round was outstanding, and that I was so pumped at the end of the final fight I had tears in my eyes. Neither of those things exists in Creed II and I think that's where the film misses Coogler's direction. The boxing scenes are still great; featuring hard hits and fast combos, but nothing like the previous film's. They're edited more, and focus more on hard hits from Drago than anything else. Obviously not bad by any means, but a considerable less amount of pizzazz than its predecessor. 

Yes, you are welcome.

I'm a big fan of both Creed films, and I wouldn't be surprised after the box office success this one has seen if there's a third one. If there is, I hope they [Stallone, Jordan, & Coogler as producers] continue to realize that these are better as character dramas with boxing and not the other way around. If they do that, they may be looking at a franchise that ages better than that of which they're spun off from. And that would be a true underdog story.

CONS

• Predictable story
• There's a great soundtrack by Mike Will Made-it. It's not used to its full advantage here, similar to Kendrick Lamar's in Black Panther
• Step down in terms of boxing scene quality/spirit. It's here that Coogler is missed the most

PROS

• Real and well-written script that makes these characters feel genuine
• Character-driven story and drama will have you caring about more than the boxing
• Hard hitting boxing matches
• Jordan, Stallone, and Thompson all get opportunities to shine. They're all immensely talented
• Interesting plot that ties it back to the Rocky-series' history. Not silly at all
• Entertaining, inspiring, and well crafted

Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10