Remember that twelve round Mayweather/Pacquiao fight so many of us found to be a dud, because by the end both fighters looked like they’d barely taken a slap to the face? Rocky movies might have had a lot to do with those gripes. In movies, fights involve bloodied noses and swollen faces. But these brutal, sensationalized onscreen battles aren’t the only reason the Rocky franchise has managed to survive nearly 40 years and six sequels. Likable characters and great stories have been an important factor in making not all, but most of the Rocky movies some of the most iconic in the genre.
If you’re going to make a seventh Rocky movie, it helps if you can make things feel fresh. Rather than focus on Sylvester Stallone’s former Boxing Champion, Rocky Balboa, Creed centers on aspiring boxer, Adonis “Donnie” Johnson (Michael B. Jordan). A former juvenile delinquent, Donnie is the illegitimate son of Balboa’s former rival/friend Apollo Creed. In a quest to make his own name as a boxer, young Donnie quits a good job and enlists an aging and widowed Balboa to become his trainer.
If there’s a gripe to be found with Creed, it is that the film follows a relatively predictable arc that is similar to the first Rocky, but that still won’t keep you from wanting to stand and cheer when all is said and done. This is due in large part to well rounded characters and a stellar cast to bring them to life. As expected, Michael B. Jordan is incredible in the lead role. Jordan is fierce, charismatic, and gives the perfect dose of heart to make audiences root for the underdog character as much as they did for Rocky Balboa.
Then there’s Stallone. Somewhere between the second and third Expendables movie, it got lost that Sylvester Stallone can be a really good actor when he wants to be. Stallone gives his best performance of his career as Donnie’s mentor and reluctant father figure. And the chemistry between Jordan and Stallone is electric. Every dramatic or humorous moment shared between the two actors feels so genuine that you almost want to believe that all of this is based on a true story.
The supporting cast also doesn’t disappoint. The always captivating Phylicia Rashad is heartwarming as Apollo Creed’s widow and Tessa Thompson strikes the perfect chord as Donnie’s songstress girlfriend. And although the cast is phenomenal, kudos should still be in order for Directort Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) and the writers of Creed who managed to reinvent a classic underdog story and make the Rocky Balboa character as infectious as ever. Just when it seems as if the franchise should be put to rest, everyone involved in Creed manages to rise up and create arguably the best film in the franchise and one of my favorite films of 2015.
FINAL GRADE: A