Creed

WATCH THE OFFICIAL TRAILER!

Michael B. Jordan steps into the ring as the son of Apollo Creed in Creed costarring Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa. Does this spin-off movie have the “Eye of the Tiger” that fans will love, or does it have the same lackluster energy of a Mayweather fight?

Review

Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) helps train the son of Apollo Creed, Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan)

In Hollywood today, there are many different ways to reinvigorate a franchise. One is a remake. Most remakes are despised, because people feel there is nothing wrong with the original. There is a sense of nostalgia in everyone that makes originals so near and dear to their hearts. Many fans feel that movies like Robocop, Scarface, Big Trouble in Little China, and many others are sacred and should never be touched. I personally agree. Don’t get me started if they do a remake of Goonies. Another way to bring a franchise to a new generation is to reboot it. Most superhero movies like Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and Batman are constantly being rebooted because of licensing, contracts, and rights. Movie studios also want to cash in on movie franchises before fans forget them.

Adonis and Rocky look upon the great city of Philadelphia.

What I’ve noticed lately is a new trend: the hybrid remake/reboot. It’s sort of a new movie, with new characters that is set within the established universe of the original, but still sort of copies what made the original a fan favorite. It would be like making a new Back to the Future movie, but instead of recasting a new Marty McFly, you cast a young actor to be Marty McFly Jr. and include cameos of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd to not only give the film legitimacy but to also pass the torch to the next generation. One of the biggest examples of this practice is this year’s blockbuster, Jurassic World. The film sort of copied a lot of the big scenes from Jurassic Park but put a twist on them. This also seems to be the technique used with the upcoming Star Wars movie. I guarantee there will be a lot of parallels to the original franchise as Han, Leia, and Luke make way for Rey and Finn. The new Ghostbusters is also supposed to be a remake/reboot.

The in-ring boxing scenes were awesome!

Creed is just this sort of hybrid reboot as it is a spin-off of the Rocky franchise. What technically makes this the seventh of the series is that Rocky Balboa himself plays a pivotal role in the film’s story. Without Stallone in the movie, the film could have been just another boxer underdog story like Cinderella Man, The Champ, and Southpaw. Instead this new film, for a new audience, wisely cashes in on the Rocky name, much the same way the character Adonis Johnson is able to enjoy overnight success solely because of his famous father, Apollo Creed.

Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad) doesn’t want her so to travel the same road his father did.

Creed starts with a young Adonis Johnson going in and out of foster homes and ending up in a juvenile detention center. One day he learns from the widow of Apollo Creed, that he was the result of an affair. He never knew who his father was, and his mother died when he was young, so young Adonis has been a product of the system. For the love of her husband and to have part of him close to her, she takes Adonis into her home as her son. Twenty years later, Adonis works at a financial firm during the day and fights on weekends in Tijuana, Mexico. He’s got boxing in his blood as he’s been a fighter all his life. Adonis is cocky and rude, but after a reality check in the ring makes him realize that he’s got a lot more to learn, he moves to Philadelphia to enlist the help of his father’s biggest rival Rocky Balboa to train him. It is now up to Adonis to break away from his father’s name and create a legacy of his own.

Rocky explains that the biggest opponent you’ll ever face is yourself.

I absolutely loved Creed. Only a few movies this year made me leave the theater wanting more. As a huge fan of the Rocky franchise, I can honestly say that Creed lives up the franchise as it goes back to the roots of what made the Rocky Balboa character special. But what also puts Creed on my list of 2015’s best is that it isn’t just a cliched sports movie. It’s an incredible story of family and legacy that’s filled with great acting performances as well as awesome cinematography.

Rocky shows Adonis the drills Mickey used to teach him.

The story of Adonis parallels Rocky’s as he goes from small-time fighter in back room circuits to finding motivation, love, and eventually himself. It all leads to a rare title shot against an undefeated opponent that’s bigger, stronger, and faster. Sounds a lot like the original Rocky, huh? There are scenes of Adonis chasing chickens and scenes of him being followed by the youth of the neighborhood as he jogs. He’s in Mickey’s gym using the same drills Rocky was taught. Unfortunately, the parallels can also be its biggest faults. If you love the 1976 movie and watched it a million times like a lot of other people, then Creed becomes very predictable. What breaks Creed away from the Rocky shadow in much the same way Adonis wants to break away from Apollo, is that the movie smartly doesn’t just copy and paste. Many may call this movie more of a rip-off than a spin-off, but I was able to distinguish Adonis’ beginning story as a fresh perspective from the next generation within the franchise.

Adonis wearing the iconic colors of his father.

Michael B. Jordan as Adonis was great. You could easily tell how serious he took the role and how much he trained because he looked like the real deal. His physique was incredibly chiseled, just like Carl Weathers was as his fictional father. His hands were lightning fast. He looked like a boxer. Out of the ring, Jordan perfectly portrayed the duality of the character. He was cocky and headstrong, but still vulnerable. He knows he’s got the physical genetics of a great fighter, but it’s the interactions with his mom played by Phylicia Rashad and love interest Bianca played by Tessa Thompson that try to show him the heart and humility to be a champion. 

Tessa Thompson as Bianca was the strong foundation that Adonis needed.

As much as I loved Michael B. Jordan, it was Sylvester Stallone back as Rocky Balboa who stole the show for me. I’m being completely honest in saying that I absolutely think this was his best acting performance of his entire career. I’ve never seen him show such a wide range of emotions in one film. He made me laugh. He made me cry. He made me cheer. He broke my heart. I wiped tears from my eyes a couple of times throughout the movie. Rocky was once in the same place that Adonis is presently so he’s trying now to use his life lessons to help him become not just a better fighter, but a better man. Creed marks Rocky Balboa’s complete circle of life as a once naive student who punched slabs of beef, to a wise teacher whose won it all as well as lost it all. Rocky is also there to teach Adonis that even out of the ring, you still have to fight for the things that are important to you.

Sylvester Stallone was phenomenal.

Michael B. Jordan reunites with Ryan Coogler, the man who directed him in Fruitvale Station. I liked that Coogler cast him for the role, not just because the actor looks like Carl Weathers, but because they were able to bring their past relationship into this movie to make it great. Creed is not at all a mindless boxing movie filled with cartoon violence that some of prior Rocky movies evolved into. Coogler brings the movie franchise back to the same realistic level as the original film. The movie is also amazingly shot. A few times Coogler used continuous camera shots for an entire scene. My favorite was during Adonis’ first match. The camera follows Adonis and Rocky from the dressing room to the ring, then continues throughout the first round. It was amazing to see the camera float around and zigzag between the boxers as they punched and dodged. This technique not only made you feel like you was inside the bout, but also gave a real perspective to the chaos of the ring. There is also a point during the final fight that the lights in the arena go down and only the two men inside of the squared circle are spotlighted. This was a really cool way to show that it’s only the men in the ring and no one else. The men don’t bring outside baggage to the fight, they bring their guts. 

Director Ryan Coogler ringside with Jordan going over the fight and camera choreography.

The fight choreography was phenomenal. Yeah, I love Rocky III and IV, but let’s face it, the boxing was very cartoonish. You could see Mr. T and Dolph Lundgren swinging far away from Stallone’s face. Of course I don’t care, I still love the movies. Creed, however, takes it to another level to make everything look real. What helps accomplish this is that the film uses real life boxers to face off with Adonis. The film enlists the talents of Andre Ward (former WBC, WBA, and The Ring magazine super middleweight champion), Gabriel Rosado (WBO Intercontinental light middleweight champion), and Tony Bellew (former Commonwealth and WBC International light heavyweight champion). The acting of the real-life boxers wasn’t that great, but they were in the movie to fight not win an Oscar. Tony Bellew plays “Pretty” Ricky Conlan, an English and World Champion who because of upcoming jail time, allows Adonis a shot at the title. The movie even gets HBO’s boxing announcers Jim Lampley and Max Kellerman to do the color commentary. I was super impressed with the entire in-ring presentation.

Real-life boxer Tony Bellew plays “Pretty” Ricky Conlan, Adonis’ biggest opponent.

Since Creed may be the last Rocky movie of the franchise, I totally welcome the start of a new one. Adonis Johnson is a strong character, that I’d love to see how his life develops. I know there is more to this legacy than just a name. If this movie truly is the final movie of the series, then I can tell you that it was an awesome final chapter to the Italian Stallion story and gives full respect to the legend of the characters. I also loved that the movie answers the question that everyone has always wanted to know: “Who won the third fight?”

Verdict

Creed is an absolute knockout from all angles. The emotional roller coaster of a story had me cheering one moment and tearing up the next. Michael B. Jordan was awesome as Adonis, but who stood out the most for me was Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa. In my opinion, this is probably Stallone’s best acting performance of his entire career. Director Ryan Coogler also does an amazing job with expert camera work in and out of the ring. This really is a well-shot motion picture. Creed is simply fantastic and shouldn’t be missed. 

If you like this review, please share your thoughts in the comments below! And remember to like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter: @TheFatmovieguy!