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Creed (2015), PG-13, ★★★1/2

Adonis Creed and Rocky Balboa. 
"Do we really need another Rocky movie?"

We keep asking that repeatedly for the last 25 years ever since Rocky V ended in 1990. I think Rocky is an absolute fantastic movie that is inspiring for never want to give up and also as a great rags-to-riches story as an Italian boxer who is not really going anywhere in his boxing career. But, it's a great romantic movie and it produces a fantastic boxing match between him and Apollo Creed. Personally, I think Rocky II still has the boxing fight in the series and it's a good movie. Rocky III had moments, but it was a bit forgettable. Rocky IV is cheesy montage fun with him going against the massive Russian. Rocky V was horrendous and Rocky Balboa redeemed itself with inspiration. This seventh entry does not focus on Rocky, however, this new entry focuses on a newer generation with the same attributes and settings as the first movie and it is the best movie since the very first one.

Adonis "Donnie" Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) is a boxer who has heart and motivation to become the next best thing of a heavyweight champion. When defeating his opponent and collecting his earnings, he quits his job as a desk worker and moves to Philadelphia to start a new life. In his news apartment, he watches a news segment regarding an undefeated boxing champion named "Pretty" Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew), who is set to compete his last professional boxing match before maybe heading to jail for gun possession.

When Donnie tries to sleep, he hears loud music below his apartment. He goes downstairs to meet his neighbor, Bianca (Tessa Thompson), demanding to turn the music down. She replies that she will do it, only to keep it at the same volume. Donnie goes to Adrian's Restaurant and when glancing at some pictures of Rocky and Apollo Creed fighting and knowing some history, Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) asks how he knows all of the history and Donnie replies that he is Apollo's son. Donnie asks Rocky to train him, but he says he is done with that.

Donnie continues to seek Rocky's help while he is developing a relationship with Bianca, who is a nightclub performer. While Rocky visits the cemetery (not a spoiler alert, it is revealed in the trailer) of Adrian's and Paulie's graves as it is Paulie's birthday, he decides to take Donnie under his wing and Donnie starts calling him "Unc" (Uncle). They start developing a mutual working relationship and friendship as they go on an up-and-down journey to his big fight towards the end of the movie.

Yo, Bianca! It's me, Donnie!
I know that this movie of its caliber is going to have its sentimental moments with speeches and manipulative heart-tugging emotions but their cliches start to revolve around a fresh story that is re-invigorating and crowd-pleasing. Crowd-pleasing is the word I am going to describe this movie because this is a film is genuine and passionate filmmaking taking a person of a new generation in a familiar narrative setting of Philadelphia and still have an interesting storyline with its main character.

The technical filmmaking is dead-on because Ryan Coogler, the director of the excellent Fruitvale Station, is a natural storyteller that tells a straight story with some conflicts in the process, one that felt a bit forced which I will not reveal, that can an audience viewer attached to the characters and they resonate so well with our time. The movie continues the Rocky legacy with starting a potential new legacy with a character with the Creed name.

The performances are excellent all the way through. Michael B. Jordan, I can forgive him now for Fantastic Four (it's not his fault), is still the next potential new star of our generation. I would not call him the next Denzel, I would call him by his name because he is that good of an actor. He is tremendous. Sylvester Stallone probably gives his best performance of his career playing a familiar character he can dial in but he is an older and flawed Rocky who just wants to count the years of his life away. But, he is the Mickey of the story now, as Stallone and Jordan have great chemistry with each other. Tessa Thompson is exceptional and Phylicia Rashad is great as Apollo's widow, Mary Anne.

Even though there are a few storytelling flaws and a few too familiar nostalgic notes, this is a terrific movie with some great storytelling and technical camerawork, especially in a one-take fighting scene. That scene was brilliant. The nostalgia still does gets to you, even with some montages and poetic editing and artistry with the iconic Rocky theme. Even though I am not that biased because Rocky is one of my favorite sports movies, it is hard to top that movie that started it all with its inspiration and speeches. But, this movie is near the top of the famed steps in from of the Philadelphia Museum of Art that gets you jumping in the air joining Rocky to cheer for Creed now. Yo, Creed, you did it.

***1/2


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