A great knockout boxing film,fans of the rocky series will be happy.

Rating: 7/10 (25 November 2015)

I am not huge fan of boxing other than jumping on the Floyd Mayweather bandwagon for the last 5 years, and the Rocky series is not the same it used to be with the last couple of films being mediocre at best. So with Creed my expectation were literally zilch. Fortunately for me Creed was highly enjoyable, and way better than I excepted. It not only brings back the rocky series too life, but Stallone finally gets a role he can flourish in, and that suits him. While the film does take the predictable route, its still a highly inspirational, and motivating film. Michael Jordan most be applauded for the shape he got into for this film. Bravo. I must say this is one of the better sports films I have seen, but thats not saying a lot, because most of the sport films are full of clichés and bore me to death. However without giving any spoilers away let me tell you its not only Adonis Creed battling it out, so is Balboa but in a different way.
Story wise Adonis Johnson never knew his famous father, boxing champion Apollo Creed, who died before Adonis was born. However, boxing is in his blood, so he seeks out Rocky Balboa and asks the retired champ to be his trainer. Rocky sees much of Apollo in Adonis, and agrees to mentor him, even as he battles an opponent deadlier than any in the ring. With Rocky's help, Adonis soon gets a title shot, but whether he has the true heart of a fighter remains to be seen.
Acting wise Michael Jordan is just a few films old but the kid has dedication to make it big, the level of fitness he shows in this film is amazing. He has a bright future and is picking the right films, but his acting skills need to polished he is a bit raw. Sylvester Stallone in my opinion has given his best performance in the last 10 years, he is finally playing his age, and the emotional depth he brings to his role is commendable.
Creed is pretty much a lead up to the films heart pounding climax. The climax is what makes the film notches above the ordinary. Its a standout sequence.The film also goes into the nitty gritty of boxing and is very technically sound. Watching the athletes go through the gruelling training was very motivational and inspiring. Creed had great emotional depth, and the two main leads were made to be very venerable, and that did wonders for the whole underdog, trying to get out of hid dads shadow angle in the film. The film's highlight for me though was when 2pac's Hail Mary was playing the background and Adonis was walking out for his final fight, that scene gave me goosebumps. The fighting choreography was amazing, and the boxing scenes were realistic as could be. Bravo for those scenes to the Dir Ryan Coogler . But the film at times was way too melo dramatic, and those scenes lead to same clichéd, predictability we see in every other sports film. And what was need for a love story in the film. However these are minor blemishes the film has, and they are more than made up by the cast performances, and exhilarating fights.
Overall Creed is not only made for fans of boxing, or the Rocky series, it is just a good film in general, that the whole family can enjoy this holiday season. Its a clean film, that has got some very good boxing sequences and some top notch acting.
3.5/5* or 7/10