Creed is the Best Rocky since... Rocky

Rating: 10/10 (28 November 2015)

I had a feeling this movie would be good but I didn't realize that it would be one of the best films to come out all year (my opinion). The story is phenomenal, the acting is great, and the cinematography is spot on. This is the first Rocky film that actually felt like the original and it's not even called Rocky. The movie is directed by Ryan Coogler who is known for the amazing Fruitvale Station and he brings just as much drama to this film as he did his last one. Let's talk a little about the story.
Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) is the son of Apollo Creed. He was born from an affair that Apollo had with another woman but Adonis never knew his father because of his death during the events of Rocky IV. Adonis does know about his father though and has a strong desire to follow him in the world of boxing. He decides to travel to Philadelphia and get some training from former boxing champion and his father's close friend, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone, who else). Adonis's time in Philly allows him to build a new career and, more importantly, a new family.
The acting in this movie is absolutely fantastic, which isn't something I always get to say when Stallone is in a film. Michael B. Jordan kills it as Adonis. Adonis is out of his comfort zone but he's bound and determined to become a great boxer like his father. Jordan's range is incredible as we see Adonis's pride, anger, and vulnerability in this role. He also manages to portray the role physically very impressively. Sylvester Stallone returns to play Rocky Balboa and I have to admit that I'm impressed how well he did. I sometimes forget that Rocky was the role that Stallone won an Academy Award for. It sounds cliché to say this but Stallone really was born for this role. Rocky has always been a tough guy but he's also so innocent, it's hard not to like him. I also need to mention Tessa Thompson as Bianca. It would have been easy to just make her another love interest but this character is fleshed out with her own dreams and problems. It's nice to see more well-rounded characters like this. I'm not really familiar with this actress but she does a great job on giving us a strong female lead that doesn't need the male lead as much as he needs her.
The acting isn't the only thing that's great about this movie. We once again get to see Philly in all of its glory and it is fantastic to revisit this city so many years after the other films in the series. We see night clubs, restaurants, and gyms and the great thing is that they're actually surprisingly true to the actual city. It feels like these films are as much a love letter to the residents and the city itself as it is to the sport of boxing. Speaking of the boxing, these are some of the best boxing scenes I've seen in a movie like this one. I won't spoil who he fights, but there's one scene where Adonis's fight lasts two rounds and it's one continuous shot. I was blown away that they were able to do this in this kind of film. It's not only one of the best Rocky films but easily one of the best boxing movies I've ever seen.
I really don't want to spoil too much about the film so let me just say that everyone needs to give this one a shot. I always know a movie is good when it causes me to choke up while watching it. Any film that causes that kind of emotional reaction is definitely doing something right. Go out and see it, you won't regret it.