Creed

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Andre Ward, Tony Bellew, Ritchie Coster
Directed by: Ryan Coogler
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Former boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) reluctantly mentors the son (Michael B. Jordan) of his former enemy turned friend, Apollo Creed.

Review:

Tim: The Rocky Balboa franchise is a fascinating, unparalleled one. It started with an Academy Award Best Picture winner. It was followed by a good sequel, a great sequel, a disappointing sequel, and then the very bad Rocky V with that atrocious street fight. The franchise lay dormant for 26 years, before Rocky Balboa delivered another very good film. Already, that's more twists and turns than almost any other franchise out there. Now, 10 years after the last film, we get Creed, a film that puts Rocky Balboa in his most unique position yet- as a supporting character. I have to say, I love the idea of this movie, I love the idea of using an iconic character to pass the torch to the next generation. But, the question that would need to be answered was- "Is this movie worth it?"

Director Ryan Coogler obviously cares deeply about the character of Rocky and he treats this film as you would pray someone in his shoes would. Sylvester Stallone was rightfully nervous about dusting off Balboa again. The franchise "ended" strongly in 2006, would this film tarnish that legacy? Thankfully, the answer is no. The very, very good Creed shores up that legacy and delivers another strong movie in this unique franchise.

I love that we've gotten to see the character of Rocky over the course of 40 years. That's nearly unfathomable. One of the most mind-blowing facts I read is that Stallone was the same age in this film as Burgess Meredith was in the original Rocky. That hurts my head to think about, but it's incredibly cool. This film makes sense within the arc of the character. He's long since retired, but loves the sport. It makes sense that he would eventually get back into the ring as a trainer. This film treats the character and the subject with great respect and I really, really appreciated that.

The most challenging thing about this endeavor was to find a character and an actor who could hold his own and not disappear into Stallone/Rocky's shadow. The film gets it right on both accounts. I love the idea of having the film be about Apollo Creed's son. It makes perfect sense, given the character and his arc through the various Rocky movies. The idea of Rocky Balboa training Apollo Creed's son is a brilliant one. To pull it off, though, you needed an actor worthy of playing that role. Michael B. Jordan was a great choice. While some of his roles have been questionable lately (see Fantastic Four), I think Jordan has great potential as an actor. He got to do a lot with this role. He has the charisma needed to pull it off and is able to identify with the audience so that you start to care about his character on his own terms- whether or not Rocky was in his corner. That is an achievement. I liked the pairing of Jordan and Stallone, they worked very well together. Speaking of Stallone, he gives one of the best performances of his career. I was so glad he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. This was his second acting nomination (the first was for 1976's Rocky). I really wish he would have won- his performance was exceptional.

I do think the story was very good, but it wasn't quite great. It is a little predictable. You have to keep in mind, this technically the 7th film in the Rocky franchise. We've seen it all. This movie offers a new take, a new spin, but ultimately, it follows the same path we've been down before. That's not a fatal flaw, but it does hold the movie back just a bit.

While not quite great, Creed certainly exceeds most expectations. This is a very, very strong film. It's entertaining. It pays respect to the films of the past but it blazes a new trail ahead. I certainly hope this is the beginning of a new franchise. I thoroughly enjoyed this unexpectedly good movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, Rocky Balboa