Creed II

Creed II

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lundgren

Directed by Steven Caple Jr.

The Story:
Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) has finally been able to overcome the shadow of his boxing father Apollo to the point he has just been named the world heavyweight champion.  He's still headstrong and determined, and uses that to his advantage both in and out of the ring, while growing in his relationships with both his trainer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and girlfriend Bianca Taylor (Tessa Thompson), whom he proposes to.  Shortly after their engagement, they discover Bianca is pregnant, and Adonis's private life is going nowhere but up.

Meanwhile in Russia, Apollo's old opponent Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) is training his son Viktor (Florian Munteanu) to fight Adonis, to get revenge against loosing to Rocky after he killed Apollo in the ring thirty years earlier and to get his reputation back in his mother land after his humiliating defeat.  Having challenged Adonis, he takes up the challenge despite Rocky's misgivings, and finds that he's still afraid of his father's shadow as well as letting him down, and has to dig deeper than he's ever done before in order to beat a seemingly unbeatable foe bent on revenge.

The Synopsis:
When it comes to sequels, there's a typical script that they tend to follow - be bigger, be louder, and accomplish this at the sake of building their characters more.  While "Creed II" is indeed bigger (including not one, but two major fights) and louder (the music is deafening, and the fighting sequences are so loud you feel like you're actually in the ring with them), the film did something relatively unheard of for sequels - it didn't squander the acting talents and actually gave the characters more development and emotions that gives an amazing all-around aspect that will have you cheering one moment and tearing up the next in the most beautiful way possible.

Thirty years after Russian boxer Ivan Drago killed his father in the ring, Adonis has finally made a name for himself, becoming the World Heavyweight Champion thanks to his trainer Rocky Balboa.  As he begins a family with the love of his life Bianca, he is issued a challenge by Ivan Drago's son Viktor to fight him in the ring.  Even though Bianca, Rocky, and his adopted mother all share their displeasure, Adonis feels obligated to do it to honor his father's name - or at least that's what he tells people.  Essentially, the film is about Adonis's ego and how sometimes the echoes of the past resonate in ways we can't imagine.

The first "Creed" was a huge hit, and earned Sylvester Stallone another Oscar nomination for portraying his longtime character Rocky Balboa, while it made Michael B. Jordan an even bigger star, and gave us a scrappy young underdog to root for.  Now, we get to see these characters develop in different ways as they go through their own trials by fire, and we eagerly anticipate how they'll be once they step out of the flames.  Rocky's relationship with his son is so nonexistent that he's never met his grandson, while Adonis faces a looming shadow from his past in the form of a human wall who wants to literally break him in the ring.  Both stories are told with sheer brilliance and determination, and both are done perfectly.

Yet that's not the whole story, as we also see Adonis's personal life and the ups and downs that come with it.  His relationship with Bianca is a perfect balance, and he finally gets the courage to finally ask her to marry him - and then they find out she's pregnant in one of the most humorous ways possible.  The chemistry between Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson is undeniable, and they bring out the best performances in each other, and you can't help but root for their happiness.

In regards to chemistry, there's also the deep surrogate father/son chemistry between Jordan and Sylvester Stallone as well, as we see two sides of the same coin coming into conflict.  Rocky was once the young cocky boxer, but age has taught him more patience and intelligence, while Adonis is still headstrong and egotistical.  When Rocky tells Adonis he shouldn't fight Viktor, Adonis ignores his trainer's advice and goes for it anyway.  As the film continues, we see Adonis's pride come before a fall, leading to a tearful reconciliation between the two, and once again we witness an underdog rising like the phoenix.

Meanwhile, we also get a glimpse into the life of Adonis's rival, and notice that it's not all sunshine and lollipops.  Viktor Drago is essentially a human wall, a towering muscular entity that makes the term "intimidating" seem too simple.  Yet his outward strength is hiding an inner vulnerability when it comes to his family life.  His mother left them after Ivan's defeat, and Ivan himself has become an outcast to Russian society, and he feels like he can use Viktor's talent to once again reclaim the family name.  There's a lot riding on his shoulders, and first-time actor (and real-life boxer) Florian Munteanu manages to express emotion through simple gestures and facial expressions instead of stinted soliloquies, while Dolph Lundgren (much like Stallone) has a towering presence all his own, a gruff older man beaten down by life and commands the screen every moment he's on it.  You almost feel bad for Viktor, but essentially we're on Adonis's side throughout the film.

Yet the film is essentially a boxing one, and to that end we're gifted with some amazing work in preparation between Adonis and Viktor in some truly epic training montages with catchy music and raw emotion being portrayed through the two fighters that only heighten expectations for their eventual match-up.

When it comes to the boxing matches, it truly feels like we're right there in the ring with them.  For someone who's not a sports fan, I found myself cringing, yelling, and getting excited during the matches like I would if I was actually watching a match in person.  The cinematography, the makeup, the sounds, the lights and the cheers from the crowd are deafening and empowering, filling the audience with excitement and eager anticipation.

While there's no doubt there'll be a "Creed III," I really hope they continue the trajectory the first two have taken, and doesn't start riding off the rails like the "Rocky" franchise did near the end.

The Summary:
Serving up much more than your typical sequel, "Creed II" shows Hollywood how it's done, providing not just a bigger, better sequel in visuals, but also in emotions and performances as well, bringing out the best in all the actors on screen that seeps out to the audience.

The Score: A+