Generic black lad tries boxing on a whim

Rating: 3/10 (24 December 2015)

Before I begin I must say that Rocky is my favourite movie of all time. What made Rocky so gripping is the fact that the protagonist was a classic underdog striving to reach his potential and stand up to his critics and those who set out to humiliate him. It's a film about determination, passion and persistence and we get to follow him on this tough journey.
Creed, on the other hand, is a story of a generic black lad who takes up boxing on a whim because his dad was a boxer. Unlike his father who radiates charisma, Adonis Creed has a distinct lack of a personality and just fits into the stereotype for two dimensional black male protagonists. In fact, I would say he's the most two dimensional character since Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace.
Of course, the Hollywood template requires a love subplot, so throw in generic black girl. We also have Rocky making a token return. To his credit, Stallone has a couple of emotional scenes and plays them very well, but the subplot seemed somewhat rushed and undeveloped...like the rest of this movie.
I just couldn't get behind Creed. I didn't feel his motive for boxing; I didn't feel any emotion behind his performance or see any real heart or passion. It's like he gets his opportunities handed to him and just comes across as an advantaged kid.
For me, the most interesting character in this movie was the champion, Ricky Conlan. He is cocky, brash and intimidating and Tony Bellew plays the role in a convincing way. In fact, he's very reminiscent of Apollo Creed in the first two Rocky films and his characteristics would've made for a much more interesting Adonis Creed in my opinion, as an anti-hero protagonist.
Unfortunately "Pretty Ricky" gets limited screen time and doesn't get the build up he deserves. As a result, there is no rivalry between the two boxers and no real sense of adversity. I soon found myself backing Conlan and hoping for him to teach Creed some humility.
Maybe I am being harsh on this movie because I'm comparing it to Rocky, but this is clearly a rehash of the original classic, so a comparison is inevitable. And on the whole it falls drastically short, lacking all the main traits that made the original movie so successful.