Just Shy of Great -- The Best Rocky Movie Since 1976!

Rating: 7/10 (23 December 2015)

When I saw the trailer of this film, I was thrilled. The way Rocky's story is turned inside out and upside down, with the son of his old enemy seeking Rocky's guidance to become champion, really fired my imagination. This was going to be something new!
Well, I watched the movie and I loved it. I think Stallone has given his best performance in more than thirty years. If you've ever lost a parent, this movie is really emotional. You see someone you always thought of as strong and all-powerful suddenly needing your help just to get from one room to another. Watching Rocky fall brought tears to my eyes. Watching young Adonis Creed help him stand up made me stand up and cheer as well. It's something we all must face, and we all hope to face it like Rocky. Like the man says, "time takes down everyone sooner or later. Time is undefeated."
Stallone works a miracle, taking a character we all know and adding new dimensions as he ages and confronts the end of his days. Now Michael B. Jordan, the young actor who plays Adonis Creed is equally brilliant. I've admired his work ever since he played the doomed young drug runner in the HBO series THE WIRE. But the character of Adonis Creed isn't really as compelling as the character of Rocky Balboa. And I think I know why.
When you watch the original ROCKY, what really jumps out at you in the first half hour is not that Rocky is tough, or a great boxer. What jumps out at you is that he's a nice guy in a tough neighborhood who takes abuse from literally everyone. The mob boss, the boss' driver, the lady who runs the pet shop, the kids on the corner, the guy who runs the gym -- Rocky has a place in their world, and it's at the bottom of the pecking order. Like Will Ferrell says in LAND OF THE LOST, they treat him like a toilet!
The point being, audiences cheered for Rocky because they had a full sense of the man and his place in the world. But that isn't really true of young Adonis Creed. He has a rich mother who adores him, and a father he's never met, and that's about it. We don't know what his buddies think of him, or the neighborhood he comes from, or who he really is -- other than the son of Apollo Creed. You just can't buy into a hero you don't really know. And that's why this movie, as wonderful as it is, remains just shy of great.
But it's still the best Rocky movie since 1976.