Creed: A Movie to Believe In
By Stephen Fasulo II
Creed is the perfect successor to the Rocky franchise. What made the original Rocky film was Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa, a hapless fool who had his fists, and little else. He has no idea how to do anything besides fight, and he proves he can go the distance in a climatic finale, a boxing match with the world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers. It’s the definitive underdog movie, and probably the most influential movie series about sports, ever. It brought home an Oscar for best picture and made Sylvester Stallone a household name. While Creed might not do the same for Michael B. Jordan, who plays the titular Adonis Creed, he aptly fills the shoes left behind, and the film tells a refreshing take on an old classic.
Story-wise, the film is a re-hash of the original Rocky. A fighter, struggling to find his way in life, lucks his way into a battle with the current champ and manages to go the distance. They prove that even though they aren’t worthy to jump to a fight with the champ, they can still hold their own and prove themselves. The film does basically the exact same thing, including subplots about a turbulent romantic relationship and a reluctant mentor.
The important in continuing a new series or in rebooting a series is not to abandon the formula, but at the same time avoiding doing something exactly the same. Adonis is not a carbon copy of Rocky, but his struggles mirror Rocky’s. Adonis goes the distance, proving to himself that he wasn’t mistakenly born, and that he deserved the name Creed, while Rocky proves he is more than just some nobody. The parallels used to remind the audience of the original films, mesh perfectly with the new, leaving you feeling satisfied as you walk out of the theater.
I’d go so far to say that Creed is probably the best sequel to come out in the 2010s. The film’s masterful use of rap in the score integrates you into the modern setting. After all, it isn’t Rocky’s 1976 anymore, and Creed knows just how to integrate today’s conveniences in realistic ways. When Rocky agrees to give Adonis some workouts, he writes them down with a pencil, and Adonis snaps a picture with his phone and walks off. This leads to a genuinely funny joke about the dissonance in generations, a major theme as the aging Rocky mentors the young Adonis.
It’s got the heart of a classic feel-good 1970’s blockbuster and the soul of a gritty independent film. Ryan Coogler, the Director and Co-Writer, is great at capturing the wants of a character and he refuses to show society in any other way than what it is. Coogler’s devotion to portraying the truth of societ leads to moments you wouldn’t expect in a mainstream film. Creed is worth your money, and if you’re a fan of the Rocky movies, than you’ll find yourself revisiting an old friend while you and others cheer in the theater.
