Creed (2015) Review!!!

Synopsis – The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.

My Take – Honestly when this film was announced I didn’t care much, sure I like the Rocky series (even though I have seen only Rocky & Rocky Balboa), Michael B Jordan is one of the most promising young stars in the field right now, & Ryan Coogler directed Fruitvale Station two years ago (one of my favorite films of that year). But something about another installment of the series didn’t excite me, maybe because I am not a fan of Boxing & had my fill of boxing this year with the excellent Southpaw (Read my review here). Frankly, this film is actually more of a ‘Rebirth’ for the Rocky franchise a passing of the baton in a way. Cut from the same cloth maybe, this film is much more than just the seventh installment in the Rocky film franchise. As a no-holds-barred sports drama, this is every bit an exceptional crowd pleaser with a lot of heart, plenty of amusing jabs to the ribs, and an unexpected but emotional haymaker to the gut. And a lot more. Trust me, missing out on the previous Rocky films will not harm your experience with this film. This is definitely not a ‘Rocky movie’, it definitely stands on its own and the main focus of the film is Adonis Creed. Of course, being in the same universe and featuring the series’ main protagonist does lead to many callbacks to the other Rocky films. But these callbacks (apart from the obvious) are not crucial to the plot and really are just there for die hard fans of the series. Yes! Director and writer Ryan Coogler‘s spinoff is awesome. Director Coogler brilliantly reinvents the “Rocky” saga for the hip-hop and cyber versed generation. Coogler with his film is beholding to heart, love, and the journey of rediscovering our innate greatness—what made the original “Rocky” so special. Visually the film is staggering, light, texture and motion all draw you in. Ironically the fight music from the Rocky franchise is called, “Alone in the Ring” at least twice I was drawn into this film deeply that I would have swore I was in Adonis’s corner if not in the ring myself. The story follows Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), an illegitimate son of Apollo Creed (played in the first four Rocky movies by Carl Weathers), born shortly after the latter’s death in Rocky IV. Appolo’s widow Mary Ann (Phylicia Rashad) rescues young Adonis from what is certain to be a life on the streets and raises him as her own in the plush Creed estate in Los Angeles. Cut to present day and Adonis is a corporate executive half way up the ladder. Like Rocky, Adonis (calling himself Donnie) knows he is destined for something else, so heads to Philadelphia to meet his late father’s rival turned best friend. His search lands him in his father’s old Philly stomping ground, where he pesters one Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) into training him.

He pulls every angle to get Rocky to help him since his pop and Rocky were combatants and close friends before he died. Once Rocky begrudgingly gives in, things begin to coalesce. Adonis finds balance as he falls in love with beautiful musician and singer Bianca (Tessa Thompson), who is also dealing with her own adversity. Jordan displays a gentle and playful side with Thompson. In a funny twist, Bianca outs Adonis for not telling her that his Uncle is Rocky Balboa. As stories collide reigning Light Heavyweight Champion Ricky Conlan (real-life former champion Tony Bellew) has one more fight before serving a prison sentence. His anger costs him a fight with the top contender. Suddenly, he needs to find a legitimate sacrificial opponent. So would that be the son of Apollo Creed? Rocky gets a call and this is all too familiar. Also Adonis and Rocky poignantly deal with mortality. It is life. Time is undefeated. Co-written by director Ryan Coogler, there’s no doubt that this film is a passionate love letter to the first film, which in itself is a poetic love story about fighting the good fight. Although boxing is the central theme, and often frowned upon as a brutal blood-sport that causes serious injuries, it’s never been about the fight but more about what you are fighting for. This film is an excellent example of mixing newcomers with established names on both sides of the camera and having the end result come out perfect. The crew and cast turn in great work. Coogler had the fortune and skill to work with people who know what it takes to put together a film that would appeal to critics and audiences alike. There were a couple scenes that are “wow” moments, not just fight scenes, which are are amazing, but little scenes that are set up, shot (by Maryse Alberti) and acted that will have a lasting effect on the viewer. Maybe classic isn’t a stretch. The meeting with Rocky is one of several great moments in the film while also serving as a nostalgic homecoming occasion for every fan of the franchise. It’s a fascinating intersection of the past but none better than the fact that in many ways, this film is an inverted mirror image of Rocky. And before sending this film off on its own pulsating trajectory, Coogler reveals a full hand of spades. One of which is the legacy Rocky bestows on Donnie, and in essence, Stallone handing over the franchise baton to Jordan. We may not realize this at first and that’s because we are already smitten by the father-son relationship developing between Donnie and Rocky. Their character study is the most significant aspect of this film. Donnie has always been an orphan and the reason why he never took on his father’s name is an emotional revelation. Who he is and why he wants to become a professional boxer is his darkest secret. Having Rocky Balboa in the film and being a mentor and coach for Adonis was a really great aspect of the film that worked in every way. This could have easily been a very forced element where they just threw Rocky in a few scenes occasionally to make sure people know “Hey come see this film because of Rocky”. But he really was an integral part of the film and contributed to the plot, bought a slight tad of humor to lighten the mood occasionally and also really emphasis the emotional weight of some of the films key moments. Sylvester Stallone was great in the role, i can’t speak for whether it compares to the other Rocky films but you could see that he was a very experienced boxer who has definitely been through a lot in his life. If anything, this film made me want to go and see the other Rocky films because even seeing him at this stage in his life was fascinating and i wanted to know more about the character. But despite the big name and the fact that he is so loved by film fans, he did play second fiddle to Michael B Jordan, and i don’t think anyone should be mad about that.

There was also one incredible moment in the film that was made even more amazing by the camera-work in this scene. There was a fight that was filmed so amazingly I was mesmerized and totally sucked into the scene. The entire fight was filmed with one continuous tracking shot that takes you all around the ring and made you feel like you were literally in the ring with these fighter, truly incredible film work right there. Apart from the story within the film, we see the real-world torch passing metaphor work as we observe Stallone’s role in the franchise that he created noticeably diminishing – both on screen and behind the scenes. Just as he hands off the main role to rising star Michael B. Jordan, he has handed off writing and directing duties to Ryan Coogler (who Jordan served very well in 2013’s “Fruitvale Station“). In less talented hands, this transition could have resulted in the dropping of the torch, but Coogler‘s updating of Stallone‘s legacy proves effective and entertaining and should appeal to fans of the original Rocky movies as well as fans of both Coogler and Jordan. Both equally emotive and with comic interruptions, Jordan and Stallone deliver impressive performances. Stallone in particular gives what has to be his career best performance since Rocky Balboa, and if this is his franchise swan song (owing to a devastating but befitting plot device) that’s all the more reason why this film must be seen. Sylvester Stallone is excellent as the “Mickey”-esque Balboa. Although he didn’t write the screenplay for Creed, he is one of the producers and his presence is felt. The dynamic between his character and Donnie is perfect. The right combination of old school and new school. One scene is indicative when Adonis takes a picture on his phone of Rocky’s workout routine then tells him it’s “in the cloud” to Rocky’s bewilderment. Here, director and writer Ryan Coogler is reunited with Jordan. As titular lead, Jordan‘s performance is on part with Stallone‘s. He imbues his character with just the right amount of bravado, not cockiness, just confidence, hunger, and drive. He also trained and bulked up for the role. But he’s not all fierce competitor, he has funny, sensitive sides as well. Coogler‘s team decided he should have a love interest. The relationship he forges with a local neo- soul artist played by Tessa Thompson (Dear White People) could have been syrupy, but thankfully it doesn’t overshadow the main theme or feel forced. Frankly, some of the scenes with Thompson and Jordan are very good and so is their chemistry. Tony Bellew does well. On the whole, Creed is an gritty, emotional & exceptional crowd pleaser for Rocky fans & the new generations alike. If you have watched the original Rocky and think it is a near classic, then Creed is close. Maybe not a classic, because only time will tell. But it is close in terms of look and feel. There are scenes, tempo, performances, music, and of course the setting (Philadelphia) which harkens back to the award winning 1976 film. This is not a comparison piece, but Creed is what the earlier release of this year Southpaw was close to being; the best gritty, modern day boxing film of this decade.