CREED – The Review

Yes, Creed – as in Apollo. Who knew one of the most popular and tragic characters in the Rocky mythology had a son? This is the premise in the latest installment of the Rocky franchise (technically Rocky 7, for those of you keeping count) titled CREED.

At first I thought this was just a clever way of disguising the fact that this is indeed a “Rocky movie”, because let’s face it, after the triumphant original (Rocky, 1976) not all the sequels lived up to the standard. The first few were good, but after Rocky IV (1985) – the one where he beats “the Russian” – Rocky V (1990) and Rocky Balboa (2006) just felt old and desperate. And not done very well. Even Rocky himself, Sylvester Stallone, couldn’t save them. So naturally the idea of another Rocky movie couldn’t have been an easy pitch, not to mention there was a certain disappointment that everyone’s favorite underdog was going to go out that way. Until CREED.

Written and directed by Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station), CREED is the perfect vehicle to sort of wrap up the Rocky saga. And it’s not a ridiculous “comeback” premise, as Rocky is clearly now too old for any of that nonsense, and Coogler smartly sidestepped that landmine. It’s more like a throwback to the original, where an unknown neighborhood fighter gets his big chance at the title, and with a little help from a ratchety old trainer (the beloved Mickey, played by the late Burgess Meredith), he nearly wins. Only this time, the ratchety old trainer is Rocky and the fighter is Adonis Johnson – the son of none other than Rocky’s nemesis-turned-best-friend, Apollo Creed.

Turning in a stellar performance as the title character, Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station) is both physically and emotionally perfect in the role. He is not over the top or cocky – searching to understand where he came from and determined to make it on his own, despite following in his famous father’s footsteps.  Adonis (going by Don Johnson to hide his famous last name) finds Rocky still living sadly alone in Philadelphia, surrounded by the ghosts of his loved ones that have passed (his beloved Adrian and brother-in-law Pauly), and convinces him to train him for one big fight – a move that sends both of them down a road of redemption for the “father-son” relationship that they missed out on in their own lives. The scenes between the two are heartfelt and sweet, without being overly sappy. (Have a tissue ready for some of these scenes).

But the most joyful surprise of this film is Sylvester Stallone. His quietly subdued performance as the aging fighter and Philly’s favorite son is sublime. Stallone could have easily fallen back into a caricature of Rocky – with the punch-drunk mannerisms and slightly slurred speech. But he doesn’t. Instead, Rocky is wistful and sentimental and noticeably sad. No longer interested in the glory days, he is just passing time until he can be with Adrian again. In fact, Stallone has been getting such great nods for his performance, it’s a safe bet that he’ll be on many Oscar radars this award season, and you can pretty much bet that he will be invited to the big show – for the first time since 1977 when Rocky won best picture and Stallone was nominated for playing the iconic title character and for writing the screenplay (along with Best Picture, Rocky also took home statues for Best Editing and for Director John G. Avildsen).

Special note: the look of the film is amazing due to the great work by director of photography Maryse Alberti. Her cinematography gives the audience different perspectives in the ring from what one usually sees in the movies. Alberti used a steadicam throughout the film, particularly in the fight scenes, and the fight between Adonis and Sporino was shot in a single, two-minute take. Additionally, composer Ludwig Goransson’s thrilling score is reminiscent of Bill Conti’s iconic ROCKY theme.

Set to open Thanksgiving weekend, you can expect the box office numbers to be pretty impressive – the highest grossing Rocky movie thus far is Rocky IV (1984) and CREED is the perfect holiday fare for families, young adults and die-hard fans of the Rocky franchise.

OVERALL RATING: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS

CREED opens nationwide Wednesday, November 25, 2015.