Watch this movie !

Rating: 9/10 (22 December 2015)

Let me keep this short and simple. Creed is a loving homage to the original Rocky movie and at points it certainly recaptures it's greatness. Adonis is a charismatic lead and is supported by Stallones best performance as Rocky Balboa.
The whole movie feels completely in tune to the world the Rocky franchise created and it's always great to go back to Philly, Mighty Mick's Gym, Adrians and all the familiar places. Sadly the Spectrum is gone. It all feels so natural and fitting. The whole franchise is more than some dumb boxing movies because they chronicle the life of Rocky Balboa. So it's great to see him again and dealing with his problems. You may argue that the story doesn't break new ground but here it's a perfect example of not fixing stuff that isn't broken. Especially because Adonis starts his journey from a very different starting point.
The music is a fitting mix of familiar tunes and new Hip-Hop stuff. Direction is beautiful, the fight scenes are done very well. Probably the best in the series. Long takes and certainly the most realistic in the franchise.
The only minor gripe is the tradition of people getting hit way too much and too hard for me to stay invested during the fights.
Anyway in conclusion Creed is the prime example for a spin-off done right. Thumps way up!