Creed II (2018)

Rating: 7/10 (6 January 2020)

Directed by Steven Caple Jr. Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Dolph Lundgren, Phylicia Rashad, Florian "Big Nasty" Munteanu, Russell Hornsby. (PG-13)
Despite a satisfying wrap-up with closure at the end of "Creed," the temptation to return to the well for another go-around was too strong to ignore; fortunately, while the script reverts to formula and offers few surprises, it still works, thanks in large part to its commitment to character and heart. The premise is the sort of thing that could only exist in Hollywood: after Adonis Creed (Jordan), son of the deceased Apollo Creed, wins the heavyweight championship belt, a challenger arrives in the form of Viktor Drago (Munteanu), son of Ivan Drago (Lundgren), former opponent of Creed's trainer Rocky Balboa (Stallone) and, oh, yeah, the man who killed Creed's pop. Though the boxing scenes are competently-staged and rousing enough, it's the performances, relationships, baggage and emotion that make this a cut above the routine cash-grab sequel level--not just the well-worn ones from the prior film, but also the morose fate of elder Drago and his family after losing his mid-80s bout. Brigitte Nielsen reprises her role from "Rocky IV" as well, though it would best be classified as a cameo.
71/100