I DeCreed This One A Powerful Sequel

Rating: 8/10 (22 November 2018)

The legacy of Rocky is an epic one that has etched its way into the hearts of sports movie fanatics until the end of time. Despite their outdated cinema work, the movies hold such epic bouts of fist flying destruction, brazen masculinity, and surprisingly deep portrayal of sport vs. life. It has worked super well for years, and with Creed reviving the series with a new, modern edge that showed a boxing movie can still pack the punches. So a sequel to continue the new boxer's legacy has emerged to challenge the rest of the Thanksgiving line up in hopes to win the championship of best box office. Will it succeed? Robbie K here to fill you in as I review:
Movie: Creed II (2018)
Director:
Steven Caple Jr.
Writers:
Cheo Hodari Coker (story by), Ryan Coogler (characters)
Stars:
Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson

LIKES:
The Character Development: Adonis Creed's journey was soul searching and inspiring in the first film, and the sequel follows that back in spades. This film is dedicated to the torture of balancing pride of your career while trying to balance the other aspects of life. Adonis goes through a lot of tough mental burdens, which helps stretch the limits of the character. Of course Rocky himself still is finding ways to expand his own dynamic, still finding lessons to teach and learn as he himself goes through the throngs with his indirect nephew. A Rocky films has always been about expanding the character and the traditions continues in the 8th installment.
The Music: You like rap, hip hop, and R&B, you've got yourself a soundtrack that captivates the essence of the film. It's edgy, aggressive beat mixes beautifully with the actions scenes, mirroring the fighting lion that is Adonis in his quest for reaching his goals. Be ready for some hard-hitting beats, with potential aggressive lyrics that can be offensive.
Expanded Villain: Most Rocky movies do a poor job of elaborating on the villainous boxer who wishes to stop our hero. In this film though, the villains get a small subplot that helps to give them more details and appreciation. Balancing this tale with the main story, crafts a much better investment in time when it comes to designing the rival boxer that I really liked, especially when even Ivan Drago contributes significantly to the tale.
The Rocky Feeling: Creed II continues the tradition of the boxing movies, by crafting a tale that is all about getting guys in the macho, masculine mode. Adonis' next tale brings the motivational force to full light, instilling the testosterone fueled training, hype, enticement, and whatever else you are looking for. Guys in my showing were hooting in delight, sometimes batting their hands together during the high adrenaline moments. As for the females, well plenty of shirtless scenes and chiseled bodies to get you swooning if you like that. Past these moments though, classic fans will enjoy the bonds of coach and trainee once again working together to face life gloves up and eyes sharp.
The Final Fight: We know the series is all about that final match, where contender and titan throw themselves into the ring in all their epic, sweaty glory. Creed II has the finale you wait for, filled with the high adrenaline special effects, sound editing, high energy shots magic that studios craft. As the bout progresses the raw emotion of both contenders is unleashed, in a manner worthy of the David Vs. Goliath status they were going for. It is an epic finish to all the buildup and lasts well enough to be worthy of inclusion.
DISLIKES:
A Little Too Aggressive at Times: For me the in your face, high adrenaline moments were sometimes perfectly executed. Other times it was a little eye rolling and overdone. The in your face moments, and fast to action attitude was fine in the first one, but at points in the movie it was a little sadder to watch. This plot point was supposedly conquered in the first one, yet they decided to harp on it as a recycled device. Small dislike, but we go with it.
Some Unnecessary Subplots: Creed II has a lot of heart and emotion with it, working to integrate a lot of angles to take Adonis' life in to help shape the character. Some of these angles worked quite well for me, and a couple of them didn't. I won't say anything to minimize the spoilers, but there are a couple of tangents they took that didn't quite add to the movie as much as they wanted. I would have liked a few other subplots to get some more detail instead, but given the grand scheme of the movie it's not quite as noticeable.
Carbon Copy: A point that might make or break the movie depending on the audience Creed 2 loses points for originality. While I understand that the first one wasn't unique in terms of stories, Creed 2 really modeled its structure quite closely to one of the original Rocky movies, guess which one. As such, the new coat of paint is quite refreshing, but given how much it follows the original in terms of main plot, it's a little disappointing given the predictability of the movie that comes with it. Will you be disappointed? It really depends on how much you hate carbon copy plots.

The Verdict:
Creed II delivers on the attitude the trailer promised long ago. By expanding upon the rivals, portraying more life components with career, and maintaining the feel of a Rocky Movie it's going to please many fans of the franchise. Yet, the film still suffers from a tad too much modern aggression, some plot devices that didn't quite need to be there, and a rehashed plot that will make or break the film. Overall though, I liked it and felt it fit very well in the universe and holding quality above a number of other installments. So if you are looking for the testosterone driven plot line for the weekend, check this film out in spades this weekend, maximizing your experience in the theater. Otherwise definitely get ready for this one when it comes out to the wide public.
My scores are:
Drama/Sport: 8.0
Movie Overall: 7.0-7.5