My Review

Rating: 7/10 (25 May 2019)

All in all, probably as good as a movie with such a predicable worn-out plot could possibly be.
You know what to expect: Creed gets to big for his boots, loses his next fight, Rocky is on stand-by to give him some sage advice, blah blah blah... and then a million montages later, he defends his title, the triumphant music blasts out, everyone celebrates... Roll Credits.
Oh, and Rocky reconnects with his family, and Creed's wife has just had a baby. Got to give everyone the 'perfect' ending, right?
The boxing sequences are as usual the standout here, especially the final one. You'll actually feel like you're being pounded in the ring with the combatants... which believe me, is much more gratifying than it sounds.
It was also a stroke of genius bringing Dolph Lundgren back from Rocky III (a much inferior movie to this) providing a true rival to our leads as him and his son resurrect the ghosts of the past to cause angst in the present. Chilling.
Stallone is as charmingly dunderheaded as usual in the role of Rock Balboa he was born to play, Michael B Jordan as Creed is a moral fighter who it's very easy to root for... in fact everybody here acquits themselves well, the only problem being that we've seen this kind of stuff loads before and despite the many positives here, it still feels like the same old format warmed up a bit.
Still, I won't deny having enjoyed the experience. Just a little more innovation to the standard storyline would be nice next time... okay? 7/10