Solid franchise effort

Rating: 8/10 (22 November 2018)

While not as good as the previous film, this one is still worth a viewing. Picking up the threads left by Creed this one is basically a sequel to Rocky IV... bringing back Dolph Lundgren, who looks terrific, as Ivan Drago who has trained his son for a shot at Creed's title. This one hits all the right beats. Stallone is still terrific in a role he has now played EIGHT (!) times, Michael B. Jordan is good as Creed and Lundgren provides more depth than he did in the original as the disgraced former boxer who is living a second chance through his son. Brigitte Nielsen even pops up in a couple of scenes, reprising her role as Drago's now ex-wife. The film hits all the predictable franchise notes but they still work.. and when the iconic Rocky theme pops up during the climatic fight scene it still stirs the heart strings. Tessa Thompson is under utilized in this one and some of the mid section drags but I liked the movie anyway.