"Now you know what you're fighting for".

Rating: 8/10 (7 December 2018)

Three years after the events of Creed, Adonis Creed (Jordan) is at a career high. As the proud owner of the WBC World Heavyweight Championship title, Adonis has found himself in a worldwide spotlight. With his relationship with singer-songwriter Bianca (Thompson) going strong and Rocky (Stallone) in remission, Adonis prepares to leave Philadelphia behind in order to begin the next chapter of his life in Los Angeles. Shortly after taking ownership of the Heavyweight Championship title, Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu) arrives on the scene with his father, Ivan (Dolph Lundgren), seeking a victory that will reclaim glory to the Drago name following Ivan's defeat by Rocky thirty years prior in Moscow. Fueled by hatred for his new rival, Adonis does not hesitate to go toe to toe with Ivan. Still guilt-ridden for what happened to Apollo in Rocky IV (1985), Rocky refuses to help train Adonis for the fear of history once again repeating itself. Adonis refuses to back down and moves forward in training without Rocky, unaware of the challenges that will push him to his limits.
Steven Caple Jr takes over directing reigns from Ryan Coogler here, but Creed 2 is no slump of a sequel. Creed 2 is a much more personal story than its predecessor as it follows Adonis desperately trying to prove himself in order to successfully continue his father's legacy. Michael B. Jordan is brilliant once again and provides strong depth for Adonis, portraying him as a much more complicated and troubled character this time around. Stallone (back on writing duties once again) proves that Rocky is his definitive role and is an exceptional screen presence as always. Although Rocky keeps to the side-lines here, the film dives further into his lingering guilt for not throwing in the towel during that pivotal moment during the Apollo V Drago fight, and we see how those troublesome memories cloud his judgement when Adonis expresses his desire to take on Viktor in the ring. As for the fight scenes themselves, they're brutal and shot ferociously. The final fight between Adonis and Viktor is one of the very best fights featured in the entire Rocky saga and easily matches the raw, nail-biting energy of Apollo's fight with Ivan in Rocky IV. What Creed 2 also does rather well is shine a light on the Drago family, making sure they are not portrayed as one dimensional antagonists. The film takes the time to give them proper characterization so we can understand their motivations clearly, and even gets us to care for them a little too.
Creed 2 is a great sequel with heart and strong characterization throughout, and it serves as a beautifully fitting end to Adonis Creed's story, as well as Rocky's.