Review of Creed (2015) by Kenneth K — 03 Mar 2016

Creed is the third best Rocky movie, maybe even the second, if you count 1&2 as one movie like me. I love this series, 5 aside, so I was predisposed to enjoying it. That said, this movie really blew me away. Following up the barely believable, nostalgia trip that was Rocky Balboa, they deliver a reboot/sequel that not only payed homage to the beloved world we've known & loved for years, but effectively built a new world for Adonis to live in. I can really only compare it to the 2009 Trek reboot by JJ Abrams in approach to blending new & old, because in quality it blows Trek out of the sky.

The film shadowboxes with the history of it's franchise just enough, dancing along the line to mirror some things & spin others in just the right way. You see them move through a world, introducing future potential challenges for our hero while not rubbing your face in it. They give the character believable, modern motivations... arguably more relatable today than the original film. MBJ slays again, like he does in almost everything he's in, just dominating the screen with his presence. Whether he's charming the leading lady, fighting his opponenets, or wrestling with his inner demons, his performance is captivating throughout. Stallone absolutely earns his praise for his return, and nails a surprising unadvertised plot point for the character.

The cliche "Rocky for 2016" isn't inaccurate, as it is what a perfect Rocky film made today would probably look like. I hope with the success of this that we'll see them return to this world sooner rather than later.