Cliches and all, Creed 2 delivers

Rating: 7/10 (4 December 2018)

It may not have the surprise factor of the first Creed, a film that no one really thought would be even half the film it ended up being, but by embracing its clichés and allowing its quality cast to shine, Creed 2 is one of the year's most accessible crowd pleasers and another above average entry into the franchise that won't stay down on the canvas.
Stepping into the shoes left behind by the first films director Ryan Coogler, relative newcomer Steven Caple Jr. may lack the imagination and filmmaking pizazz that Coogler instilled in his boxing outing, but thankfully this polished looking and well put together boxing drama gives good material to its three main cast members Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone and Tessa Thompson, meaning Creed 2 is as competent outside of the ring as it is in it.
Allowing for ample intense boxing scenes (and a stand-out desert set training montage) to keep the long-term fans satiated, Creed 2 is just as much a family drama as it is a boxing expose, as Jordan's newly crowned world champion Adonis Creed comes face to face with demons from his family's past in the form of Dolph Lundgren's Ivan Drago and his boxing protégé and son Viktor (seemingly one of only a handful of male Russian names if you are to believe the movies), as well as coming to terms with fatherhood with Thompson's up and coming musician Bianca.
The danger with these type of films is that when the dramatic beats take over, time ticks ever so slowly, audiences impatiently waiting for the next bell to ring and the punches to fly but after Coogler's film set things up so nicely, Creed 2 feels like a natural and well-earned progression of the story, that despite not surprising you in any way, shape or form, remains an engaging and likeable experience from start to finish.
A lot of this likeability and entertainment stems from the interactions between Jordan and Thompson, who share an easy going and believable chemistry, while it's a joy to once more see Jordan and Stallone interact together, with the later showcasing that his Oscar nominated turn in the first Creed outing was no fluke, with Creed 2 giving the aging action star another chance to show off his more vulnerable and down to earth persona and if reports of this being Stallone's swansong as his Balboa character are to be believed, we can be thankful the classic cinematic creation has been given such an enjoyable final hurrah.
Final Say -
An enjoyable treat for long term fans and equally as entertaining for casual cinema goers, Creed 2 does little to avoid its well-trodden clichés but that doesn't stop this from being another bout of rock solid feel good movie-making from the Rocky series.
3 ½ head weights out of 5