Classic Underdog Returns

Rating: Null/10 (18 December 2015)

Creed is a Rocky sequel that now focuses on the illegitimate son of the late Apollo Creed, who is now aiming to become a boxer without bearing the reputation of being the son of Creed. And as the story goes, it actually follows the classic underdog story of the first Rocky movie. The style may be a little more bombastic in comparison, but everything else is just the simple character study of an underdog reaching into his goal, except maybe in a newer generation. There isn't much novelty to it, but it's impressively put together, resulting into a surprisingly moving picture, thus it's kind of remarkable for its own thing.
Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) leaves his pampered life with his father's widow to build this boxing career independently, by starting from the bottom and live at the same city where Rocky Balboa came from. There isn't much luck for this guy, unless he is trained by his father's old friend, Rocky, and we also get to explore their relationship and how Johnson rise the same way as Balboa did. So this might be just another underdog story, except in a different context: Adonis doesn't want to rely on his blood. He wants to establish his own self as a boxer. And while it's sort of following the same steps as the original, every moment feels genuine, like Donnie's determination, how he lives with this new lifestyle, how faces the decisions he makes. It has all the qualities it may get, but also having the consequences of acknowledging where he came from; the son of a legendary boxer.
But the more stronger moments of the film is exploring to what has happened to Rocky these years. It's just a simple heartbreaking witness about the cruelty of time; how he lost some friends, how age has taken him over. The movie really spares no risk on developing this iconic character and that's what truly makes it utterly compelling. The filmmaking is downright impressive. People have been talking about the single take boxing match scene and what they're praising for it is absolutely correct. Everything else is just stylish, slick, but never misses the heart. Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone are both terrific at keeping their roles engaging.
Creed is easily a worthy sequel. The story stays compelling, the spirit of the franchise is still felt, and whenever it tries to revisit some elements from the original, they're not made for empty fan service, but rather does a part of keeping the film downright moving. Overall, it all works and probably even better than expected. It doesn't quite top Rocky since it doesn't quite have the exact same authenticity in character, then again, Creed is more of this generation's voice. It's relatable, dramatically effective and really earns its own triumph. It may be bigger in style, but it never overlooks what made it all special to begin with.