Year: 2015
Director: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Tony Bellew, and Phylicia Rashad
Tagline: Your legacy is more than a name.
Synopsis: Adonis Johnson, son of famed boxer Apollo Creed, enlists Rocky Balboa to train him to follow in his father's footsteps.
Tagline: Your legacy is more than a name.
Synopsis: Adonis Johnson, son of famed boxer Apollo Creed, enlists Rocky Balboa to train him to follow in his father's footsteps.
Review
If you saw the title of this film and wondered what on earth it was, Creed is the seventh entry in the Rocky franchise. This time, instead of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) being inside the ring, he is on the outside, training a new hopeful. That new hopeful just so happens to be the (illegitimate) son of Apollo Creed, Rocky's former opponent turned trainer/friend. As the unknown son of a famed boxer, Adonis feels the need to prove himself, to prove that he is his own man.
Creed is every ounce a Rocky film. It mostly takes place in Philadelphia, Rocky's hometown. There's the usual underdog story. There's the requisite training montages. There's the fitting doses of humor, heart, and humanity. Rocky even still has a pet turtle.
The film is certainly nostalgic, hearkening back to the original Rocky on numerous occasions. (It may reference the other films as well, but I'm only familiar with the first Rocky). The filmmakers understood what made the first film so endearing and enduring and decided if it ain't broke, don't fix it. It's a tactic that works for the story. Adonis is following in his father's footsteps while also trying to be his own man. The film follows the same path.
At this point I should probably confess that Creed is not the type of film I would normally see. I saw it with my division at work. While I didn't vote for it, I was also not opposed to seeing it. It did get very good reviews after all. I think nearly all my coworkers (male and female) enjoyed the movie. As for me ... I was completely bored and checking my watch. The only character that was remotely intriguing to me was Mary Anne Creed, Apollo's widow and Adonis' adoptive mother. Her part was minimal and underused. As for Adonis, I simply don't know how to cheer for a character whose dream/ambition is to beat another human being into submission.
Creed is a good film. I'll give it that. It's nostalgic and well-crafted. If you like sports films in general or Rocky films in particular, then you will likely enjoy Creed.
*** Spoiler Section ***
How to end the film was probably a quandary. With this kind of film, you couldn't have the hero simply lose. That's not how Rocky movies play out. But it would have been a stretch to have Adonis win against such a formidable opponent. That leaves the "split decision" loss where he loses the fight but "wins the night." It worked for the original Rocky and it works for Creed, but it does feel a little bit like a copy/paste.
Creed is every ounce a Rocky film. It mostly takes place in Philadelphia, Rocky's hometown. There's the usual underdog story. There's the requisite training montages. There's the fitting doses of humor, heart, and humanity. Rocky even still has a pet turtle.
The film is certainly nostalgic, hearkening back to the original Rocky on numerous occasions. (It may reference the other films as well, but I'm only familiar with the first Rocky). The filmmakers understood what made the first film so endearing and enduring and decided if it ain't broke, don't fix it. It's a tactic that works for the story. Adonis is following in his father's footsteps while also trying to be his own man. The film follows the same path.
At this point I should probably confess that Creed is not the type of film I would normally see. I saw it with my division at work. While I didn't vote for it, I was also not opposed to seeing it. It did get very good reviews after all. I think nearly all my coworkers (male and female) enjoyed the movie. As for me ... I was completely bored and checking my watch. The only character that was remotely intriguing to me was Mary Anne Creed, Apollo's widow and Adonis' adoptive mother. Her part was minimal and underused. As for Adonis, I simply don't know how to cheer for a character whose dream/ambition is to beat another human being into submission.
Creed is a good film. I'll give it that. It's nostalgic and well-crafted. If you like sports films in general or Rocky films in particular, then you will likely enjoy Creed.
*** Spoiler Section ***
How to end the film was probably a quandary. With this kind of film, you couldn't have the hero simply lose. That's not how Rocky movies play out. But it would have been a stretch to have Adonis win against such a formidable opponent. That leaves the "split decision" loss where he loses the fight but "wins the night." It worked for the original Rocky and it works for Creed, but it does feel a little bit like a copy/paste.
Quotable Quotes
- "Time takes everybody out. Time's undefeated." -- Rocky
- "I fight. You fight." -- Adonis to Rocky
- "How many fingers" [Rocky taps the number on Adonis' neck] "Four." -- Fight official and Adonis
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