Creed II

First Hit: For something that started in 1976 and having 7 previous films, it holds together well enough.

Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) is getting long in the tooth, still wears that funky round hat that makes his head a roundish funny shape, and is managing Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan). He managed Adonis in the last film as well.

As champion, Adonis is having a good life and decides to ask his longtime partner Bianca (Tessa Thompson) for her hand in marriage. What makes this set of scenes so good is that he asks Rocky how he asked Adrian, his now deceased wife, for her hand in marriage. For those who saw the Rocky series of films, we can always recall the way Rocky worked up his nerve to ask for her hand. It was hilarious then and it brought up a wonderful memory now.

Adonis’s father Apollo was killed by a Russian fighter called Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) and Rocky, in a fit of rage, fought Ivan and beat him. Ivan’s loss made him become a disrespected person in Russia. So much so that his wife Ludmilla (Brigitte Nielsen) left him for a high-level government official. Raising his son Viktor (Florian Munteanu) alone, he trains Viktor to fight to get the championship belt back and to make the name Drago great again.

Rocky doesn’t want Adonis to fight Viktor because he’d be doing it for the wrong reason. Ignoring Rocky’s advice Adonis fights Viktor.

The fight and boxing ring shots were very good. The story is way to telegraphed which takes away from the film. The nice touch is Rocky reconnecting with this son Robert and grandson Logan.

Stallone is strong as Rocky, a character that he created and enhanced over the years. I loved him bringing the bouncing ball back into a couple of the scenes. Jordan is excellent as Adonis. His softness with Bianca belies the way he makes a living. Thompson is very good as a hearing-impaired musician. Lundgren was very good reprising his role as Ivan. Munteanu was excellent as Ivan’s son Viktor. He showed a great sense of loyalty to his father and it came through during the film. Nielsen was fun to see and she still commands the camera with her powerful look. Phylicia Rashad reprised her role as Adonis mother and Rocky’s close friend. Juel Taylor and Sylvester Stallone wrote a good and predictable screenplay. Steven Caple Jr. did a good job of directing this predictable story with finesse.

Overall: I wasn’t enthralled with this version of the Rocky series.

Creed

First Hit:  This 133 minute film flew by because it was engaging and well done.

I enjoyed the first 4 Rocky films. I didn’t see the 5th because they were deteriorating as the series went on. Of course, like many others, I thought the first Rocky film was wonderful and a great story.

This film feeds off of Rocky IV where Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) is killed by a Russian fighter. One of Apollo’s out of wedlock children, Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), never met his father before he died and now carries resentment towards the Creed name and his roots.

He grows up going from foster home to foster home and getting into fights over everything and anything. He likes fighting. Apollo’s wife finds him in juvy and takes Adonis in to raise him, puts him through school and helps him get a great job. But even with a great job, he loves fighting and quits everything to become a professional boxer.

He goes to live in Philadelphia looking for Rock Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) to ask him to become his trainer. When we meet Rocky, he’s a little tired, isn’t engaged with boxing any longer, and runs Adrien’s, his deceased wife’s namesake restaurant. When he discovers that Adonis is Apollo’s son he begrudgingly helps him.

This film is about both Adonis and Rocky growing through their relationship to become better people - together. The boxing scenes are well done, not as violent as the scenes in “Southpaw” or a couple of the earlier “Rocky” films, but they are effective.

This script has Rocky talking to Paulie and Adrian's headstones was vintage Rocky and very touching. Having Adonis meet Bianca (Tessa Thompson) was a throwback to Rocky and Adrian’s budding and then lasting relationship.

Jordan was very good in this part and his ability to be touchy and touching are a wonderful strong point. Stallone was magnificent. I wouldn’t doubt he will receive award nominations for this performance. Subtle, true to the character, and very engaging. Thompson was a great conduit for and in this film. She rounded out the testosterone nature of this film. Phylicia Rashad was perfect as Apollo’s widowed wife and Adonis’s stepmom. Ryan Coogler and Aaron Covington wrote a wonderfully insightful script that brought together wonderful historical aspects of the old Rocky films. Coogler did a great job of putting the script and actors together to make this film really work.

Overall:  This was a thoroughly enjoyable film.