Creed II continues the story of Apollo Creed’s son from the Rocky franchise, Adonis Creed played by Michael B. Jordan with Rocky Balboa played by Sylvester Stallone as his mentor. This time around, Creed goes up against Viktor Drago, played by Florian Munteanu, son of Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren, who is the man responsible for killing his father, in Rocky IV. The film is directed by Steven Caple Jr., taking the reins from Ryan Coogler. Creed was one of my favorite films of 2015, so I was very excited to see the follow-up, but also a little worried. I was a little worried because Coogler was no longer directing, and I thought it had the chance of being just a generic sequel. I sure am ecstatic that I had nothing to worry about. I loved Creed II and what Steven Caple Jr. did as a director in further developing Adonis Creed’s story.
What Steven Caple Jr. and everybody involved in this movie continues to capture so well that was so greatly established in Creed is the compelling relationships between all the characters. By far one of my favorite aspects of the first film was the relationship between Adonis and Rocky, and that is no different here. They have a beautiful and moving father-son relationship that is an absolute treat to watch, as well as see it grow stronger. Jordan and Stallone’s chemistry is excellent. Whether it be a scene revolving around heavy emotions or witty humor, the way they work off each other is seamless, and feels like two real human beings who love each other. The same goes with Jordan and Tessa Thompson as Adonis’ significant other, Bianca. It was amazing to watch their relationship grow in this film, and Jordan and Thompson are enduring to watch. It is a cinematic relationship that evokes a grand sense of emotional richness, and one that is impossible to deny.
One of the most surprising aspects of this movie was how they presented the Drago’s. They are the villains in the movie, but the movie reveals who they are as people and what they struggle with rather than them just being treated as generic bad guys whose only character traits are to act like villains. I actually really cared for them as characters, and even though, I was still always rooting for Adonis, I still had sympathy for them. They were brilliantly written three-dimensional characters, which was very refreshing to see and added so much more depth to the film.
Whether someone likes this movie or dislikes it, their is no denying the stellar performances from the entire cast. Michael B. Jordan once again gives a layered and powerful performance as Creed. He commands the frame and once again made me connect to Creed and his wonderful arc as a character. When tears fill Jordan’s eyes as Creed, it feels so raw and one can’t help but be impressed by the emotional depth Jordan is able to harness as an actor. Stallone, by no surprise gives another excellent performance as Rocky Balboa, arguably his most iconic role. Watching the film, I never saw Sylvester Stallone, but only Rocky because he disappears into that character incredibly well. Stallone also provides some good laughs in his portrayal of Rocky. It would not feel right if I did not mention in this review the breathtaking performance by Thompson as Bianca. This is my favorite performance given by an actress this year. She lights up the screen every time she is in frame, and delivers such a beautiful and complex character that I adore. Lundgren also gives an outstanding performance as Ivan Drago that is subdued, but has such underlying depth, and should not be overlooked. Same goes for Florian Munteanu as Viktor Drago who gives an impressive first performance in a full-length feature film.
With Creed II, Caple Jr. shows audiences that he is one great director that can tell a moving story with excellent characterization. He has such a great command over the camera with creating such beautiful shots with excellent composition and camera movement, and also makes the film enthralling and visceral even when the boxing is not occuring. Caple Jr. also brilliantly utilizes parallel editing, where in one sequence, the film is cutting back and forth between two different events. His use of parallel editing gives the film a great energy. He also, with the help of amazing choreography and cinematography creates incredible boxing sequences. The boxing is exciting and brutal, and is beautifully filmed with a lot of medium-shots and wide-shots with great long takes. Caple Jr. made me feel as though I was at a real boxing match where I wanted to stand up and cheer.
If I had to point out one criticism of Creed II, it would be, while the screenplay is very good, it is not as lean as the first film’s in that it can feel as though their is too much going on at times. The movie never feels unfocused and is paced extremely well, but their is just a lot going on, and maybe a little bit too much. Since everything going on is enthralling to watch and the film is focused and very well paced, it is definitely more of a nitpick, but just something I felt I should address.
It is such a great feeling that Creed II lived up to the excellence of the first film. It may not be as good as the first film, but it certainly comes close. It develops Adonis Creed’s story in a compelling and satisfying way, and once again delivers amazing character relationships. I absolutely recommend going to see Creed II to experience the outstanding boxing sequences on the silver screen, as well as Steven Caple Jr.’s sure-handed, wonderful direction and the phenomenal performances from the entire cast.
GRADE: A-
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