Who doesn't love a good underdog story, right? The irony of Ryan
Coogler's rousing, spirited, and totally unlikely Creed is that it is the ultimate
underdog. Like the great Rocky Balboa himself, the film had to battle against
nay-sayers practically from the beginning; those who scoffed at the idea that
the once-great franchise could ever bounce back, much less in a spinoff on the
son of his greatest foe. And yet the film is not only the franchise's most
visually dynamic, it's an emotional powerhouse that recaptures everything that
made Rocky great.
Let's be honest...nobody was asking for a
seventh Rocky movie. The Italian Stallion's
story has long since been told with nothing really new to add, right? There was
always the "passing the torch" option out there, and in a way that's
what this is. But the trick behind Creed is how it both embraces boxing movie clichés,
specifically Rocky clichés, while dodging and weaving others. Of course, it
also benefits from the proven pairing of Fruitvale
Station's Coogler and Michael B. Jordan. For Coogler it re-confirms him as
a great cultural filmmaker, able to easily capture the mood and feel of both
L.A. and Philadelphia. For Jordan it's a reminder of how great a physical actor
he can be when given the right material to work with.
Flashbacks tell us the early story of
Adonis Johnson (Jordan), a troubled L.A. kid shuffling through the juvenile
detention system and certainly destined for a bad end. He's a fighter; he can't
seem to stay out of them, actually. It's like fighting is in his blood. That's
because it is, he learns, when he gets a visit from Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia
Rashad) who informs him of his heritage. Turns out that late boxing legend
Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers, seen only in photos and old footage) had an
illegitimate son. Mary Anne, who turns out to be Apollo's widow, brings Adonis
home where he begins studying his father's old fights. Years later and he's a
talented young fighter, albeit in the illegal underground circuit. Quitting his
boring white-collar job, Adonis decides to fight full time over Mary Anne's
objections. So he heads to Philadelphia to train in the sweet science, and
connect with his father's nemesis-turned-friend, Rocky Balboa.
And naturally this brings Sylvester
Stallone into the picture, reprising his most famous role once again. For the
first time it's not Stallone penning Rocky's latest chapter, with those
responsibilities falling to Coogler and Aaron Covington. The result is a Rocky
that feels more genuine than he has in years; less like a caricature or walking
advertisement for brain trauma. Adonis wants Rocky to train him, put some of
that old school knowledge into a new school fighter. Rocky's not into it at
first; he's settled in his ways. He's slowed down. Something's up with him. But
he likes Adonis and sees his talent. The least he can do is teach the kid how
to channel his rage for the ring, rather than letting it eat him up inside.
They become close, and when Adonis hooks up with the beautiful musician Bianca
(Tessa Thompson, fantastic as always), she becomes part of their newly-formed
and close-knit family unit.
Adonis is a bit of an entitled jerk. He's
got the family name but none of the cred to go with it. He doesn't want people
to know who his father was in hopes of making it on his own. Of course, it's
the name "Creed" that gets him a title shot against the champ (played
by real-life boxer Tony Bellew) way before he's ready. The training
montages are pure Rocky; chickens will get chased in this little scenario. All
it needs is the crackling voice of Burgess Meredith for the full nostalgic
effect. But Coogler adds plenty of new, modern touches, invoking the urban dirt
biking culture for an incredibly stirring jogging sequence. If you aren't ready
to step into the ring yourself and fight after that, you simply aren't alive.
The film is awash in Rocky references and imagery, but also
sticks to the well-worn formula. While it works in telling a story everyone
will want to stand up and cheer for, it does miss a few opportunities to truly
stand on its own.
Fortunately, Creed delivers so many spirited moments
that a little familiarity isn't much of a problem. The boxing scenes themselves
are visceral, brutal, and shot with an energy that puts you right into the
fighters' boots. Rocky may want to teach Adonis how to fight smart, but what
would these movies be without two guys getting pummeled like piñatas? Defense?
What's that? In these scenes Jordan is incredibly convincing. He has the look
and the nimble movements of a trained pugilist.
Is this the beginning of a Creed franchise? That's hard to say; but
let's say that it's not. If it all ends here we can say that for one more film
the Rocky franchise burned its brightest.
Seeing as how this is far and away the best Rocky movie since the first one, it'd be
nice to see the champ step back in the ring at least one more time.
Rating: 4 out of 5
