I finally got to watch "Creed." I heard it was good, but I didn't expect it to be as great as it was. This was one of the best movies of the year, and the best of the Rocky movies.
I am a fan of the Rocky series. I loved almost all of them, even the unabashed jingoism and cheesiness of "Rocky IV." Ironically, the only one in the series I didn't like was "Rocky V," even though I appeared in it with my high school marching band.
"Creed" takes these movies to a whole new level. The movie is about the illegitimate son of Rocky's opponent-turned-friend, Apollo Creed, who was killed in the ring by Ivan Drago in Rocky IV.
Adonis Creed, who, at first, prefers to be called Adonis Johnson, is trying to start a boxing career, but doesn't want to use his father's fame to do so. He is turned down by Delphi Boxing Academy in Los Angeles, so he heads for the City of Brotherly Love to seek out Rocky.
This movie is great in so many ways. The characters are fleshed out wonderfully. The friendship between Rocky and Adonis develops naturally and believably. Rocky, who is now without his wife, Adrian, and best friend Paulie, (Rocky Jr. moved to Vancouver with his wife) has no one close to him, except for Adonis, who becomes an adopted son of sorts as he battles cancer. Stallone gives a great, vulnerable performance and fleshes out the character of Rocky who is now older and wiser. I give props to Stallone for keeping his ego in check and allowing a fresh face to write and direct a Rocky movie.
Michael B. Jordan is also great as Adonis, who, like his father, is appropriately cocky and arrogant, but knows his limitations and weaknesses. The chorus of complaints about the lack of black Oscar nominees is warranted here, because Jordan deserved a nod for this performance.
Although writer/director Ryan Coogler is from the Bay Area, this movie is a love letter to Philadelphia. We see Adonis eating his first cheesesteak (from Max's Steaks in Germantown), and he finds out what "jawn" means. (I didn't realize "jawn" was a Philly term). The movie, filmed in Philly's working-class Kensington neighborhoods, and even focuses on the dirt bike and ATV culture embraced by the city's teenagers. This had a lot of viewers scratching their heads, but it really is a "thing" in several large cities, including Philadelphia. Most of these vehicles are illegal on city streets. The police in Washington D.C. go after these vehicles, but the police in Philly are smart enough to turn a blind eye, because they realize it is a diversion keeping teens away from drugs.
Finally, the movie's visuals and technical prowess is outstanding, especially from a 29-year-old director. The highlight of is a fight in the middle of the movie. The two-round match was shot in one long steadicam shot. The filmmakers insist this was truly one shot, and there was no trickery. They did 13 takes, and used the 11th take. To be able to coordinate this shot while choreographing this fight is an achievement. I am no boxing expert (I defer to my old boss at the Reading Eagle for boxing knowledge), but the boxing scenes seemed more authentic than ever. Most of the fights in the other Rocky movies had enough uppercuts, hooks and headshots to render most mortal men comatose. The fights in this movie actually use body blows as a strategy. Creed's opponents in the movie are all portrayed by professional boxers, and it shows.
I look forward to seeing what Coogler is going to do with Marvel's "Black Panther" movie.
This movie is a perfect way to continue the story of Rocky while bringing a fresh perspective and new look to these movies. This movie appropriately pays homage to the previous films (the music, training montages, etc.) but doesn't become an all-out nostalgia fest like, dare I say it, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
They did leave a few doors open for sequel possibilities, and, after the success of "Creed," I am sure another movie is in the works (Latest reports say November 2017). For now, any fan of the Rocky movies needs to see this jawn right now.
Update: Supposedly a "Creed 2" is in the works, in which Adonis fights Ivan Drago's son. Sign me up!
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