2015 | Dir. Ryan Coogler | 133 Minutes
"You belong in here. They don't know what you've been through, and they sure don't know what we've been through."
Adonis Johnson, the son of former boxing world champion Apollo Creed born out of wedlock, is driven to brawl his entire life. A self-taught boxer eager to fight professionally but reluctant to take on his father's name or legacy, Donnie forgoes a life of luxury in Los Angeles to seek out Rocky Balboa in Philadelphia, his father's friend and another former champion, for formal training. Donnie and Rocky quickly form a close bond, but when the inexperienced Donnie receives an opportunity to fight the current world champion, tragedy strikes Rocky.
Creed is a phenomenal film that can be seen as an astoundingly natural extension of the Rocky film series, but more importantly it stands on its own merits. With the touching moments, the epic training montages, the tense boxing matches, and the sort of ending one would expect from a Rocky film, Creed falls in line with the themes and familiar trappings established in Sylvester Stallone's Rocky. Where the picture finds its own identity is its focal point set on the story of a young man who fights for his own integrity separate from the preconceived expectations others may have of him based on his lineage. While events from previous Rocky films are mentioned in passing, they are in no way required viewing to appreciate the emotional impact of this feature. Director Ryan Coogler helms the film with confidence and style, utilizing long single takes in several boxing scenes and graphics highlighting each fighter's statistics before a match. Coogler also brings out truly excellent performances from the two central figures of the film.
Michael B. Jordan delivers a passionate and charismatic performance as Donnie, skillfully evoking the pain, anger, inherent kindness, and ambition of the complex character while still absolutely convincing as an actual contender that belongs in the ring. For the first time in his career, Sylvester Stallone plays his signature character with dialogue he didn't write himself. However, Stallone seamlessly returns to the role that made him a star nearly forty years ago without losing any of the character's inherent charm. In his best dramatic performance yet, Stallone brings a new layer of melancholy to the endearingly goofy champ, as old age begins to wear Rocky down. Though seemingly unlikely from the outset, the chemistry between Jordan and Stallone is genuine and incredibly moving, especially after the revelation of Rocky's deteriorating health during the final stretch of the film. Bringing dimension to the role of Donnie's love interest, actress and musician Tessa Thompson is delightful as the singer Bianca with a tragic struggle of her own. British professional boxer Tony Bellew makes for a formidable opponent to Donnie as the hot-headed world champion Ricky Conlan. The film also briefly features Phylicia Rashād in a small but vital role as Apollo's widow Mary Anne, Wood Harris as a trainer in LA who refuses to train Donnie, professional boxer Gabriel Rosado as first Donnie’s first professional opponent Leo Sporino with Ritchie Coster as his embittered father and trainer, and British actor Graham McTavish as Conlan's manager.
Like Donnie, Creed is a film that succeeds on its own strengths. It is supported, but not carried, by its famous and well-established pedigree. On its own, it is a crowd-pleasing and inspirational story of self-made success, not unlike the original Rocky.
FRAGMENTS
- While establishing a new musical identity for Donnie's character, composer Ludwig Göransson's musical score also sparingly but poignantly shares a few musical themes with Bill Conti's work on the Rocky series primarily in scenes focused on Rocky
- When Donnie first meets Rocky at his restaurant, he finds out who won the private fight between Rocky and Apollo in the last scene of Rocky III
- Part of Donnie's training regimen with Rocky is chasing live chickens just as how Mickey trained Rocky in Rocky II
SUPPLEMENTAL STUFF
- Video: Funny Or Die - Scott Stapp Reviews "Creed"
MCU CONNECTIONS
- Wood Harris (Officer Gale in Ant-Man)
- Sylvester Stallone (Stakar in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)
- Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder, and The Marvels)
- Michael B. Jordan (Erik "Killmonger" Stevens/N'Jadaka in Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
