The Best Rocky Film Since "Rocky"

Rating: 7/10 (13 November 2016)

The greatest Rocky films were always dramas at their core - the boxing was just for decoration. The first Rocky movie or two were dramas that focused on human elements, but the sequels proved to be the silly turn-your-brain off kind of movies with pop songs blaring over training montages. They were pretty much a mock of the original Rocky, so when I heard a new Rocky film titled Creed was going to be released, I was a bit hesitant. To my surprise, it ended up being my favorite film of 2015, even over Star Wars. This film is so good because it does what made the original Rocky so good and the sequels not nearly as good. It realizes that it's about the human characters - not the fight scenes or montages. This film, like the original Rocky, cannot be viewed as a sports film. Anyone going into this just to get some boxing fights will be disappointing.
There are some things you must know before going into the film. It's not a 'Rocky' movie, it's a spin-off. An older Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) agrees to train Apollo Creed's son (Michael B. Jordan). You can clearly see the passion of director Ryan Coogler to the material, and Michael B. Jordan gives an Oscar worthy performance as Adonis Johnson, the son of Rocky's rival turned friend Apollo Creed. Sylvester Stallone nearly steals the show as an older Rocky Balboa who agrees to train Adonis. Sylvester Stallone gives the best, most thoughtful, performance of his career. The film brought tears to my eyes on multiple occasions with a world-weary Rocky nearing the end of his life and Adonis Creed's struggle to escape his father's shadow. and Adonis have great on-screen chemistry together, and the teacher/student relationship is really well-done. This film isn't about boxing. It's about two people, one at the end of his life and one at the beginning of his career, who need each other.
What's surprising here is the huge emotional impact the film has. Watching that final enthralling match, I was shaking in my chair. Not a single film in 2015 affected me so deeply, and that is just why "Creed" is my favorite movie of 2015.
"Creed" is undoubtedly the best Rocky since the first. Anyone who skips this one for thinking "it's just another Rocky" is doing themselves a major disservice. Don't miss out on this.