2018 | Dir. Steven Caple Jr. | 130 Minutes
"Are you here to prove something to other people, or prove something to yourself?"
Viktor Drago, son of disgraced Russian boxer Ivan Drago, challenges Adonis Creed's claim to the world heavyweight title in a bid to repair his family's tarnished reputation. When his beloved mentor Rocky Balboa refuses to train him to fight his dangerously desperate opponent, Donnie nearly loses everything dear to him. Guided by Rocky's wisdom, Donnie finds true motivation to confront the shadow of the past and face the future with a renewed sense of purpose.
Helmed by up-and-coming director Steven Caple Jr., Creed II is a satisfying second act to the story of Adonis Creed. Though the plot follows story beats that mirror the original Rocky sequels, the major events of Donnie's life are handled with a much more nuance and thematic gravity, exploring the pressure to meet expectations, and the burden of maintaining a lasting legacy made more poignant with the concept of fatherhood playing a key role.
While the featured boxing sequences are competently executed, and occasionally downright brutal, they are the least impressive parts of the film, constructed and paced with noticeably less flair than Coogler's exemplary work featured in the first film. The sportscaster commentary running through the key fights is overwrought and distractingly melodramatic at times. Caple's style is up-close-and-personal, and is decidedly the picture's biggest strength, perfect for quiet moments of intimate human drama, drawing excellent performances from the cast particularly in tender scenes centered on Donnie and Bianca.
Through his consistently magnificent performance, Michael B. Jordan handles Donnie's struggle with feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt with sensitivity and considerable skill. Sequences covering Donnie's pain and frustration during the low points of his story are at least as powerful as the obligatory training montages leading up to the climatic fight. As Bianca, Tessa Thompson is once again absolutely magnetic, showcasing her phenomenal range of talent as an actress and as a singer. The chemistry shared between Jordan and Thompson is palpable and, like the first film, this sequel just wouldn't work without this onscreen couple.
Not simply a one-dimensional opponent to pit against Donnie, Viktor Drago's motivation is relatively grounded, slightly complex, and emotionally poignant. Florian "Big Nasty" Munteanu brings Viktor to life with a surprising amount of pathos, establishing the formidable contender as a truly suitable foil to Donnie. Dolph Lundgren reprises his star-making role as Ivan Drago, an exponentially more experienced actor than he was when he initially played the character over thirty years ago, bringing gravitas (and a larger vocabulary) to the part. Munteanu and Lundgren are very convincing portraying an obsessively driven son and his vengeful overbearing father.
Slightly older, slightly wiser, but just as endearingly clumsy with his words and sentiments, Sylvester Stallone comfortably slips back into the role of his best character, albeit with a smaller, less pressing story to tell in this installment. Returning as Mary Anne Creed, Phylicia Rashād is particularly wonderful during an amusing dinner scene shared with Donnie and Bianca early in the film and remains a strong and warm presence throughout. Wood Harris also returns as trainer Tony "Little Duke" Evers in a larger role with more opportunities to demonstrate his seemingly effortless charisma. Though he does his best playing the part of the manipulative fight promoter Buddy Marcelle, Russell Hornsby is somewhat underutilized in the paper-thin role.
While Creed II doesn't reinvent the classic underdog narrative, it offers a familiar uplifting experience like the most nourishing comfort food. Fans of the original Creed and the Rocky series as a whole will find it to be an excellent natural addition to the saga of cinema's most iconic heavyweight boxing heroes.
FRAGMENTS
- Brigitte Nielsen returns very briefly as Ludmilla Drago from Rocky IV, serving as more of a concept than a full character
- In a touching cameo appearance, Milo Ventimiglia reprises the role of Rocky's son Robert last seen in Rocky Balboa
- To claim the title of World Heavyweight Champion, Donnie soundly defeats Danny "Stuntman" Wheeler once again played by real-life boxer Andre Ward returning from Creed
- Ludwig Göransson's excellent musical score builds upon themes he established in Creed and continues to use Bill Conti's Rocky themes in thoughtful and powerful ways; although understandable, it's slightly disappointing that Göransson did not use any of Vince DiCola's music from Rocky IV for the Ivan Drago
SUPPLEMENTAL STUFF
- Video: Ari Lennox "Shea Butter Baby"
007 CONNECTIONS
- Dolph Lundgren (Venz in A View to a Kill)
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 (N'Jadaka/Erik "Killmonger" Stevens in Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
- Florian Munteanu (Razor Fist in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)
