One of the great strengths of the Rocky franchise is its sense of a true continuing narrative, rather than a momentum-devoid series of rehashes orchestrated purely for financial gain. From the original Rocky through Rocky III, and again with 2006’s Rocky Balboa, the series’ characters actually change in interesting, logical, and significant ways from film to film. We’ll neglect
And it does so by shifting the focus off Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky entirely. Creed’s protagonist is Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), illegitimate son of the late Apollo (Carl Weathers), who defeated Rocky in the original film. Adonis has an understandable disdain for his father, whom he never knew, but in seedy Tijuana brawls he shows a clear talent for the ring Apollo dominated. Determined to make a name for himself in his father’s sport, Adonis moves from his Los Angeles home to Philadelphia to seek out the mentorship of his father’s old adversary-turned-chum. Rocky is at first hesitant to leave his quiet retirement, but soon gives in, and the legacy of the Creed name quickly draws Adonis’ first big fight against unsavory British light-heavyweight champ “Pretty” Ricky Conlan (Anthony Bellew).
Creed’s producers could scarcely have come up with a better injection of new blood than Jordan, consistently one of the best young actors working today. The actor makes an immediate impression, painting Adonis as a driven young man with a point to prove, but also a sympathetic character with a sense of humor and deep wounds left by his father’s absence. He works well with his supporting cast – particularly Tessa Thompson as his feisty and nicely developed romantic interest, but especially Stallone as the old pro himself. Stallone settles gracefully into the supporting position in a surprisingly moving story arc, giving his best performance since, well, Rocky Balboa. Rocky and Adonis develop a relationship based upon mutual respect, and given the rich interplay between Jordan and Stallone it seems likely that the actors developed the same between themselves.
All in all, Creed is a thoroughly rousing flick that gives us everything we expect of a Rocky movie – strong characters, humor, and an underdog tale of personal betterment – while moving the series’ narrative forward and even moving its original title character out of the spotlight. Unlike Balboa, it doesn’t feel like a coda of any sort. As Creed ends, it seems Adonis is only just beginning. Given the extraordinarily solid job the filmmakers have done establishing him as the new star of the long-running Rocky show, it’s impossible not to muster at least some enthusiasm for where Jordan (and, hopefully, Coogler) will take the franchise next.
Patrick Dunn
Latest posts by Patrick Dunn (see all)
- Interview with Alex Garland, writer/director of Ex Machina - April 24, 2015