Creed - a new era for the Philadelphia folk hero

Rating: Null/10 (6 December 2015)

Rocky Balboa returns as Adonis Johnson Creed's mentor in Ryan Coogler's Creed. Who knew that Stallone still had some acting chops?
Creed is about Adonis Johnson played by Michael B. Jordan who wants to be his own man and step out of his father's shadow. His early years as a youth were struck by group homes and juvenile detention, but Apollo's wife, Mary Anne, takes him into their lavish home. The movie jumps into Adonis as a 20-something promising boxer who decides to dedicate himself fully into the sport. He goes by Johnson to ensure that he's not cashing in on the legacy, but he has some difficulty in finding a mentor. He travels from LA to Philadelphia to find Rocky Balboa played by Sylvester Stallone to convince him to train him.
The movie does nearly everything right. It follows the Rocky formula correctly with some deviation, and it has a good mix of a serious and dramatic tone with some bits of humor throughout.
At first, the stakes aren't as fully realized since Adonis has a decent job and lives in a nice mansion with his mom due to Apollo's earnings. Despite the cushy lifestyle, he doesn't embrace it and he wants to make a name for himself as a boxer. As the movie progresses, his dream to be a fighter in his own right becomes more important and forefront, since he wants to become his own man. If he fails, he disgraces himself and the name. His dignity rather than his possessions are more important to the story.
At times, the movie was a bit heavy handed in the dramatic department, but this was a nice generational shift into grittier and more dramatic movies since the ones in the 70s and 80s were a bit more light-hearted.
Michael B. Jordan does a great job in playing Adonis or as he's more commonly called, Donnie, and throughout the whole movie, the childhood trauma of group homes and juvenile detention is evident. The need to be his own man rather than living in his late father's shadow is prevalent. His pain and memories are reflected in his training, motivations, and how he carries himself.
Sylvester Stallone is natural as Rocky, and it's been a while since Stallone has done a serious acting job. The Rocky franchise is what he does best, and it brings the heart of his acting out. He's good at bringing humor in the midst of a serious Adonis Johnson.
The mentor-student relationship between Adonis and Rocky was done well without being hammy at all. It hits all the right emotional and dramatic notes.
The way the fights were shot were close. It was like watching a close to the shoulder 3rd person shooter. There are hardly any distant shots like from pay-per-view boxing. This closeness shows how personal and meaningful this fight was for Adonis. Throughout the movie, the camera-work was close- up as well.
I didn't like the music as much in this movie, but I'm not a big hip hop and rap fan. I missed the classic trumpet-roaring Rocky music, but it's still in the movie but briefly and sparsely.
This movie was directed well overall by Ryan Cooper and there are hardly if any flaws in this movie. It's tight and well edited, especially the fight scenes. The movie does have some references and homages to the previous Rocky movies. Some of them seem cheesy, but what's a Rocky movie without cheese?
Creed is a good movie, but I didn't absolutely love it. I should have loved it, since it was well put together. I think there was no need for another Rocky movie, and that's why I didn't enjoy it as much. Nevertheless, it's worth it to see in theaters this holiday season. Creed is a worthy successor that begins the Rocky franchise in a new and refreshing era.