Creed II

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Dolph Lundgren, Florian Munteanu, Russell Horbsby, Wood Harris, Milo Ventimiglia, Brigitte Nielsen
Directed by: Steven Caple Jr.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) tries to convince Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) not to fight the son (Florian Munteanu) of his former rival, Ivan Drogo (Dolph Lundgren).

Review:

Tim: I'm not sure why Creed II flew so far under the radar for me. I enjoyed the first movie. Maybe some of this has to do with director Ryan Coogler not returning. Regardless of the reasons, they were wrong. This movie is every bit as good as the first Creed movie and a film I thoroughly enjoyed.

I like how this movie felt very much about Adonis Creed. It's really his journey, especially in terms of his relationship with his deceased father. The movie dives deeper into this character than in the first movie. It's a redemption tale in many ways. That being said, as much as these two films have worked to establish Adonis Creed as an incredible character in his own right, they are still heavily reliant on Rocky Balboa. Balboa is one of the all-time great characters and a big reason why this movie is so good is because of Rocky's legacy. One of the greatest aspects of this film is how they weave Adonis' story into the longer story of Rocky.

My favorite part of this film was how it incorporated the events of Rocky IV. Although that film always felt disappointing to me, there's no doubt that the death of Apollo Creed and the revenge Rocky sought against Ivan Drago were monumental events in that character's life. It's stunning to watch see these characters reunited after three decades. Ivan is back, this time with his bruiser son, Viktor. And he pits his son against Rocky's surrogate son, Adonis. Adonis is in the fight because it's his chance to seek his own revenge against the man who literally killed his father. This might seem somewhat obvious or simple as a premise, but it's beautiful. It speaks to the longevity of this franchise. I was trying to explain this to my wife, just saying how incredibly cool it was to see these two characters face off in the ring, knowing their parents fought an epic battle over thirty years ago that resulted in one of their deaths. That's something so cool that can only be done with an extensive longevity in a movie franchise. You don't see that very often and it's amazing that the Rocky franchise can give us this story. Hands down, that's the coolest part of this movie and a big reason I enjoyed it so much. I have to say that the entire story is exceptionally well written. I also really appreciated how the two fights between Adonis and Viktor were written. It makes perfect sense the way the story unfolded. That really made the entire movie.

The cast is once again so remarkably strong. I'd watch Sylvester Stallone play Rocky for another two decades if he so decides. I thought the balance of the time spent with Rocky and Adonis was appropriate. It felt like more of this film focused on Adonis (appropriately), but Rocky was an essential supporting character. Stallone was so enjoyable. I also really enjoyed the performance of Michael B. Jordan. He's really embracing this character and making him stand on his own. After two films, I'd sign up for future Creed movies, even if they didn't have Stallone (but I hope we never have to deal with that). I'm really hoping he at least makes this a trilogy and it could certainly go on longer than that. Jordan works well with Stallone as well as the rest of the cast. Tessa Thompson once again adds a strong supporting performance. It feels like she's everywhere these days and whatever the film and whatever the role, she is enjoyable in it.

I have to say, I absolutely loved seeing Dolph Lundgren return to the role of Ivan Drago. He's obviously much older but still has that dangerous look in his eye. The scene between he and Stallone in the restaurant was absolutely fantastic. I thought his performance was so impressive. Florian Munteanu is an absolute beast. I'm not sure what kind of acting talent he has, as he wasn't called upon to do much more than the physical here, but I was impressed with him here. He looks intimidating and he was perfect for what we'd imagine Ivan's son to be. He makes for a formidable opponent for Adonis. It was nice seeing Phylicia Rashad here, and I was so impressed with the small roles for Brigitte Nielsen and Milo Ventimiglia, whose presence further weaves together all these films into one long story. I was a big fan of the cast here.

I'm a bit surprised by how much I thoroughly enjoyed Creed II. I remember the first film feeling like a big deal, but I almost forgot about this film. I didn't see a huge marketing push for it. I was actually pretty shocked when I saw that this movie made $6 million more than the first one. It's pretty rare for a sequel to surpass the original outside of the biggest tentpole blockbusters. I was somewhat concerned about the loss of director Ryan Coogler, but Steven Caple Jr. did more than a sufficient job. This film continues the excellent boxing action while further developing these characters. It's every bit as good as the first Creed and a movie I truly enjoyed watching.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Creed, Rocky IV, Rocky Balboa