Pregame Hype

Rating: 9/10 (20 February 2019)

Ryan Coogler has created one of the most inspirational, dramatic, and captivating sports movies of all time. Creed follows the story of Adonis Creed in his early stages of his boxing career. He struggles to make a name for himself as he follows in the footsteps of his late father, Apollo Creed, who had controversially been the best boxer in the world before he died in the ring. Adonis is caught in his father's shadow and is hit with the question of , "Can he be as good as his father?" With barely anyone behind his back, he turns to his father's friend and former world champion boxer, Rocky Balboa, to train him. As Rocky takes him in like the son he never had, Adonis improves dramatically in his skill and technique of boxing and is met with his toughest challenge to date: facing the world's number one heavyweight boxer, "Pretty" Ricky Conlan. With actors who perfectly fit the character roles, a complex plot displaying inspirational values, and breathtaking music blending in seamlessly into individual scenes, this movie is worth watching over and over again.
The characters in Creed are portrayed perfectly by every single actor. Every aspect of each character is displayed through speech and action. The two main characters, Adonis and Rocky, obviously play an important role in creating a captivating story. Adonis, played by Micheal B. Jordan, is introduced as a scrappy young boy in juvenile prison. He grows up to be a strong man with the same personality who feels the urge to be in the ring fighting against another boxer. This character of Adonis is perfectly displayed through Micheal B. Jordan's acting. He fully takes on the role as this temperamental fighter who has the drive to accomplish anything he believes in. In personal scenes of Adonis, feelings are very much felt by the audience. Rocky, played by Sylvester Stallone, is my personal favorite character. Rocky's character originates from the original movie series Rocky, where he was a world champion boxer and very close friends with Apollo Creed. In Creed, Sylvester Stallone plays the most emotional character by far. Sylvester Stallone acting as an aged old man who lost his entire family pulls off nothing but perfection. With a depressed, slightly humorous, caring character, Stallone fits right in. His verbal and physical acting allows for the audience to clearly see the tired, old character he is right off the bat. Micheal B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, and the rest of the cast allow the movie to feel personal and full of life.
Correlating to the main topic of the movie, boxing, Creed clearly displays reoccurring themes based around determination and fight. By having a plot which brings out different elements of struggle, it truly enhances the feeling of the movie to a more personal level. We can see an example of this in Adonis's struggle to not only win the biggest fight in his career, but to beat back the social expectations of being a Creed, which has haunted him ever since he was a young child. This is also seen in the very emotional journey through Rocky's unexpected experience through cancer. As the two main characters fight their own individual battles, they come together to display a real sense of friendship. These two strong, reoccurring themes of friendship and determination give the movie a sense of value and really allow the audience to take something great away from it.
The music of Creed is an amazing compilation of captivating music which will make you cry, hype you up, and take you through a roller coaster of excitement. The motion picture soundtrack, composed by Ludwig Goransson, perfectly fits the scenes of Creed. With two different contrasting themes, we are easily able to tell the mood and feel the emotion of the movie. When the main subject of the movie is Rocky, we hear a peaceful, slightly depressing sort of tune playing softly. These moments evoke a calm, relaxing mood for the audience to take in. During the times focused around Adonis, we hear a hip hop style of music. This brings out his youth and uprising while giving us moments of "hype" as we see him fight his opponents in the ring.
Creed is a special movie which had me wide-eyed and nearly drooling for over an hour. The plot of this movie is one of the most inspirational and real-feeling movies I have seen with my own eyes. The journey of Adonis Creed during his uprising in the boxing arena is one of much heart, grit, and emotion. It had me captivated on a whole new level to the point where I was completely taken over for the next day with images of boxing in my mind. If there is any movie that you would watch as pregame hype, Creed would be on the top of my list. With great actors to support the roles of an amazing plot and music to fit seamlessly into every scene, Creed will have you hitting the gym and getting yourself a pair of boxing gloves in no time.