Creed II Review

I listened to Living in America 4 times before writing this review.

Rocky IV is my favourite Rocky film of all time. Not even in an ironic way, the film holds a special place in my heart. I love everything about it. I love James Browne, Ivan Drago, THAT training montage, the robot and THAT speech. This film is an 80s-time capsule which we should protect at all costs. Little did I expect the sequel to Rocky IV to be Creed II. All my Rocky IV bias aside; Creed II had a lot to live up to. Creed ignited life into a franchise which everyone had written off. They didn’t only rescue the franchise. They reinvented it. Creed is film perfection. Michael B. Jordan gives a lead performance which blows Stallone’s first Rocky out of the water. Stallone earned himself an Oscar nomination (one he should have won) with his best performance as Rocky yet. Ryan Coogler propelled himself stardom with direction unlike anything we seen before in a boxing film. Creed II was the underdog coming into this film. Could a new director in Steven Caple Jr. live up to Coogler’s brilliance? Could Jordan and Stallone match the heights of their previous performances? Is Ivan Drago still the evil bastard we all know and love? I’m relived to say that the answer to all these questions is yes. Creed II proves once again that this series is still the champion.

Creed II continues the story of Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) as his professional and personal life are rocked by the arrival of the Dragos (Dolph Lundgren and Florian Munteanu). Plot wise Creed II is very strong.  The film balances the events inside and outside of the ring to perfection. When you’re in the ring you know that whatever happens it’ll have major consequences on the outside. When you’re outside the ring building up to the fight you feel like you’re going in to the ring itself. The film is successful in making the scenes outside of the fight just as enthralling as those in. Watching the trials and tribulations of Adonis is nerve wrecking. You want this character to succeed. You want what is best for him in life. I was surprised at how even the romance of the film had me hooked. A major flaw of Creed was the romance between Adonis and Bianca (Tessa Thompson). Bianca was nothing more than a plot device in Creed. There purely to raise the stakes without it feeling genuine. Creed II changes that. Their romance feels real. By the end of the film if anyone tried to get in their way I’d challenge them to enter the ring with me (they would win but it’s the thought that counts). The writers Sylvester Stallone and Juel Taylor deserve major plaudits. They took the melodrama in the last film which didn’t work and fine-tuned it. This is Taylors first writing credit and he nailed it. Stallone wrote all the Rocky sequels except the first Creed. It’s his love of the franchise that makes this sequel work. No other man would be able to make the Dragos relevant in 2018.

Normally when talking about performances I talk about the heroes. This time we’re going to switch it up. Ivan Drago deserves to be talked about first. After all he is the second-best villain of all time. For those wondering Hans Gruber will always be number one. Creed II turns the Dragos into much more complex characters than Rocky IV did. That film didn’t really give him much character besides being Russian and taking steroids. Creed II gives Ivan Drago justice. The 30 plus years that have passed since his fight with Rocky have been cruel to Ivan. Drago lost everything he had, not just the fight. Lundgren gives a remarkable performance as Ivan Drago. You can see on his face how miserable and fed up he is.  Lundgren could have played him the same as Rocky IV; giving him the same campy 80s vibe. Instead he takes the character further than I expected he could have. Lungren didn’t have the career he deserved after Rocky IV. After years of starring in B movies he’s finally getting his due. The actor is going to be in Aquaman too! It’s not just Drago Senior who shines. Viktor Drago is terrifying. Florian Munteanu is a monster amongst men. His physical stature gave me the impression that he’d knock me out just by looking at me. Acting wise Munteanu surprised me. It can be argued that bar Jordan he had the most difficult job to do. Munteanu sold how we can be affected by are parents’ failures. Since Viktor has the Drago name he is associated with failure. Munteanu and Lundgren feel like a father and son. Their performances excel because as the build to the fight progresses. You begin to feel that maybe they might have more to lose.

The heroes of the film do not disappoint. Michael B. Jordan gives his second stunning performance of the year as Adonis Creed. Jordan showed the he is the perfect villain in Black Panther. In Creed II he reminds us that he’s also the perfect hero. Adonis’ story is just as inspiring as Rocky’s. The vulnerability seen in Adonis is what sets him apart. When things go wrong he doesn’t bounce back immediately. Instead the film shows how grief and depression can change who we are. The knockbacks in his personal life hit just as hard as any punch. Jordan displays intensity in and out of the ring. Theirs moments where he screams in anger that gave me Goosebumps. Jordan has proven this year that he is going to be Hollywood’s leading man for years to come. The actor brings award worthy acting chops to any blockbuster he appears in. Tessa Thompson caps off a strong 2018 with another great performance. Thompson has realised what makes Bianca tick. Bianca is no longer a mere plot device. Bianca and Adonis’ relationship are where most of the drama takes place. Their chemistry elevates the ups and downs of their relationship. Stallone’s role is reduced in the film. Don’t worry this isn’t a bad thing. Creed II isn’t Rocky’s story. It doesn’t need to be. When called upon Stallone gives Adonis the fatherly love which he needs. Their relationship is key to these films’ success. Stallone and Jordan feel like father and son. This is a torch passing moment in the Rocky series. Rocky isn’t needed anymore. I applaud Stallone for not making this the Rocky show. These films unlike many other revivals aren’t an ego trip for an aged star. Stallone is one of the few people who realise that the future is now.

Steven Caple Jr. had huge shoes to fill. In Coogler’s absence he had to try and make a sequel that can stand alongside the 2015 masterpiece. Before Creed II the director had only made one feature called The Land. They couldn’t have picked a riskier choice for director. It’s a gamble that pays off. There may be no fight which tops the one-shot fight of the previous film in terms of choreography. Instead, Caple Jr. makes fights which breath through its intensity. Every punch that lands is brutal. I haven’t squirmed watching a boxing film in a long time. The fight scenes felt like the Tom Hardy MMA film Warrior. Drago V Creed is a fight which needed to be brutal given the stakes. The fight between them is nail biting. I felt like I was getting hit by some of the punches. One thing which I didn’t suspect to standout to me was the soundtrack. The music in this film is really good. Not only does it have Bon Iver and hip-hop anthems. The films score was composed by Ludwig Goransson. It’s amongst the best scores of the year. The behind the sense team played a huge role in Creed II being the success that it is.

Creed II does the impossible in not being average. I would have taken a good film but to have a very good film is a shock to me. I don’t know why I doubted it. Coogler’s absence may have left the film not feeling as slick as the first but it’s not a major disruption. Caple Jr. has propelled himself onto the scene with this film. I’m really happy for him because he used an opportunity and ran with it. Creed II should be the end of the series. If we’re going to revisit it wait for at least 20 years. The Rocky fans have been given two great films which are worthy of being spoken with the previous entries. How often do we get to say that? Creed is no longer Rocky’s baby brother. Creed and the Rocky films are worthy of getting into the ring together to have a battle of the ages. Apollo would be proud.

Liam’s summary of Creed II

Best Moment: The finale is tremendous. Cinema done right.

Worst Moment: Needs more James Brown and talking robots.

Best Character: Adonis Creed V Killmonger is a fight that needs to happen.

Worst Character: Russell Hornsby as Buddy Marcelle was too cartoonish for my liking.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5