Creed lands every Jab, Hook, and Uppercut of Hollywood success with ease

Rating: 9/10 (16 January 2019)

Whether you're a veteran of the vast eight installment Rocky franchise viewer, or your own up-and-coming movie-going champion, Creed does not fail to hit you with a twelfth round knockout. The film follows a formula similar to Sylvester Stallone's original Rocky from 1976, but with extraordinary flashes of new era drip and style. The film hooks at legacy, love, and adversity all within a 2 hour and 13 minute runtime. Moviegoers may think that they will know the premise of a Rocky film but also be incredibly satisfied and otherwise blown away by the movies success to crown a new champion of the fighting genre as light heavyweight champion of the world.
The film introduces the audience to a new character Adonis Creed, played by actor Michael B Jordan, who is the forgotten son of world renowned boxer Apollo Creed. After Apollo dies in a boxing match against Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, Adonis is born and put into foster care after his unknown mother later dies as well. Adonis is drawn to seek achievement and legacy in the boxing world and travels to Philadelphia to find his late father's best friend in Rocky Balboa for training played by none other than Sylvester Stallone. Creed jounces about the streets of Philadelphia finding love and success in the boxing world and is put to the ultimate test of grit and perseverance with a match that'll determine his career and birthright. Director Ryan Coogler provides a Hollywood character of color that is able to avoid the stereotypes of the prototypical role yet still be famed as one. And although this is the first time we don't see Stallone's name on the script of a Rocky film, we still see his character as a focal point of the movie as he juggles another rise to stardom with his own aging career.
One of Coogler's other works Black Panther is also testament of a main protagonist of color that diverts from the norm of Hollywood blockbusters. Prevalent in Coogler's films is the thematic display of a rags-to-riches story where a character has lost it all and needs to regain their fame, or build something from a supposed nothing by themselves, crucial in the old-fashioned Rocky series.
A beautifully notable facet of the film is the exceptional photography and costume/makeup design. Creed for a lack of better words does not shy away from remarkable in the direction of photography present in the film. The use of slow motion shots, angle shots, and one-take pieces show viewers the life that Adonis Creed experiences and the position he puts himself in. In one of Creed's matches, the entire sequence is one shot, leading viewers to believe themselves that they would be watching fighters duke it out live. Every punch, each hook, spit of blood, drop of sweat are felt. Every strategy that Balboa tells Creed is heard and then immediately put into action. The costume design gives Adonis the look of an established boxer with knowledge and experience in the classic gritty world. While using odes to the originals like Balboa's famous climb of the Philadelphia Museum of art, or his iconic sweat suit, Creed is able to invigorate the new age of sports and athleticism. An example even better is the combination of the photography and makeup seen in one of Creed's fights, showing the literal blood, sweat, and tears of fighting for a living.
Creed examines the desire and drive of athletes wanting to make an impact in their realm of sports, but also explores the setbacks, motives, and toughness required to do so. Compounding off the grind to achieve greatness in sports is even seen in Michael B. Jordan's physique in the movie. In order to look the part of a determined boxer, Jordan had to gain muscle strength and cut fat for a lean and athletic greek god-like look. Along with his look he had to learn how to actually box and did so to an impressive level that fans will see and appreciate his speed and agility in the cinematic ring.
Stallone encapsulates his most famed character once again with exceptional content and ease. Stallone at an age of 69 during the movies filming, performs like he's no more than a day over forty. Reanimating the stoic tough guy that is Rocky Balboa, Stallone is able to creatively add new depths to the well loved character that we hadn't seen before. Coming 39 years after the original punch it out installment of the world's most popular boxing franchise, Creed satisfies the heirlooms of the series without merely recreating them. It provides all the nostalgia of a timeless thriller, and wins the fans with a twelfth round TKO.