2015’s Creed was a risky move, especially after Rocky creator and caretaker Sylvester Stallone had successfully
resurrected his character ten years prior for Rocky Balboa to say
goodbye and allow the series to retire with some dignity. As great of an ending
as Rocky Balboa proved to be, Creed
was an even greater reintroduction of the character to a new generation,
finding an organic way to reboot the franchise without stripping it of its
identity. And now, Creed’s own
sequel has arrived, which exists on a very shaky premise: the son of fighter
Apollo Creed versus the son of the fighter who killed him – events which unfold
in 1985’s Rocky IV, the corniest
sequel in the franchise.
Creed II ranks as the Rocky II of this new franchise – not nearly as good as the original, but
good enough to stand on its own two feet and justify its existence. As a whole,
the Rocky series maintains not
because every film is blemish-free, but because of the series’ spirit, and what
it represents. Creed II ably carries forth with that spirit,
as Adonis Creed’s (Michael B. Jordan) family grows, causing the fighter to
redefine exactly what it is he’s fighting for. Structurally, the events of Creed II’s story feel a little more predictable: you can forecast the
various conflicts that will inevitably arise before they actually do. By now,
the franchise has a very familiar pattern: dream, train, fight, lose, wallow, thrive,
train, and win (or lose). Creed was
unique enough to feel like a fresh take on a standard sports movie. Creed II, meanwhile, is certainly well made, but not enough that it
overcomes that familiarity.
What’s lacking the most in this
entry is the emotional connection the audience shares with its characters.
That’s not to say that Creed II lacks heart, because that’s not at
all the case — even the worst Rocky
sequels had heart — but there’s nothing here that compares to, say, Rocky
railing against a boxing commission denying his desire for one last fight, or a
training montage that juxtaposes Adonis Creed running down Philly streets with
Rocky in a hospital room receiving chemotherapy. (A deleted scene included on the
Blu-ray shows Rocky giving a eulogy at the funeral of fellow fighter Spider
Rico, whose character dates back to 1976’s Rocky,
which would’ve beefed up Creed II’s emotional core considerably.)
Every Rocky entry has done what so few mainstream movies have been able
to do: transcend being movies and feel like events. As such, a Rocky movie, and now, a Creed movie, has to feel big. It has to
recognize that its audience hasn’t just come for the story, but for the presentation
of that story, and they know that
said experience demands the inclusion of certain series iconography. The city
of Philadelphia, or the front porch of Rocky’s modest row home, or even his
crooked fedora—all these little things defined what a Rocky movie was. Director Steven Caple Jr. (a colleague of Creed director Ryan Coogler, who
recommended him for the helm after moving on to Black Panther) recognizes this as well, just as we recognize that
any Rocky movie has to feel
cinematic. As Ivan Drago (a returning Dolph Lundgren) and his fighter son
Viktor (Florian Munteanu) stand on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum and
look on in amusement as passersby take photos with the Rocky statue, or do the
famous run up the stairs, Caple is banking on the audience feeling territorial
toward Philadelphia, the home of Rocky, the ultimate underdog. Though the level
of villainy is far down compared to Rocky
IV, we know that the Dragos are essentially
the villains, and when the camera pans around to capture them from the back as
they look out over the city they hope to dominate, those chills you’re feeling
are very real. That’s why we’re here.
As expected by now, Creed II offers an array of excellent performances, from Jordan’s Adonis
to Stallone’s weathered Rocky, even to an understated but evocative take on
Ivan Drago by Lundgren, who except for Stallone-backed projects like The Expendables franchise has been out
of the mainstream limelight for twenty years. The aging action star has made a
career playing the hero in direct-to-video action movies, so to see him getting
the chance to act instead of perform is a rare treat. Wisely, Creed II uses him sparingly and keeps his dialogue at a minimum (half of
which is Russian), maintaining Rocky
IV’s mythical qualities of Ivan
Drago’s Frankensteinian persona. If a Rocky/Creed fan were to have mockingly
predicted the plot of Creed II knowing that Stallone would be
writing it, what eventually came to pass wouldn’t have been that far off.
(Jokes abound that Creed III will see Adonis fighting the son of
Clubber Lang.) But Stallone, who continues to surprise in the franchise he
knows better than anyone else, has helped usher in one more respectable entry
in the face of a gimmicky plot.
Creed II boasts a very solid,
stable, and bright image, and contains the kind of disciplined and specific cinematography
essayed in the previous movie, only Caple Jr. embraces the glitz and flashiness
of the final throwdown between Adonis and Viktor. Wonderfully complementing
this visual component is the musical score by returning Swedish composer Ludwig
Göransson, who revisits some of his earlier themes (which were a spin on those
by original composer Bill Conti) to create a score that is cinematically
stirring, but peppered with hip-hop influences in ways that never feel
exploitative or commercial.
Creed II is a welcome
addition to the series, and, in spite of Stallone’s threat to retire the
character again (this time for good), it probably won’t be the last word on
Adonis Creed. Here’s hoping that Creed
director Ryan Coogler returns to helm the third (and final?) entry and complete
his intended trilogy.
