CREED Review

I feel like I can make a fair assessment of the movie I'm about to watch simply by the quality and inventiveness of it's title card. There is just something about the way this opportunity can be executed that seems to somehow connect with how far the director was willing to go to make every ounce of his film thrive. This is all to say that Creed has a pretty great one and from the moment the title and namesake of our lead character rises on to the screen with an epic and bombastic score behind it the movie just rolls. What I truly appreciate about the suggested epicness that director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) implies with this title sequence-that is set up perfectly by giving us an epilogue of sorts that shows a young Adonis Johnson on the fast track to nowhere in 1998 as just another kid in juvy who likes to fight-is that it recognizes the legacy of what the film is taking on and in this moment sets a tone that encapsulates everything the rest of the movie will attempt to demonstrate through it's actions. In essence, Coogler sets the stage in such a manner that let's us know this movie means business and that, while it will operate in the world of Rocky, is a fresh perspective on an age old tale for a new generation of underdogs. The script by Coogler and Aaron Covington hits all of the expected beats of a film such as this, but they are executed with such authenticity and weight that finds real credence in the source material that it's genuinely effective. That's what makes a Rocky movie a Rocky movie, right? The overwhelming feeling of accomplishment, of overcoming insurmountable odds. As we've more or less seen Rocky grow from an ambitious thirty year-old with nothing to lose to a nearly seventy year-old man who's come down on the other side of life battered and broken, but never beaten there is little left to say. This isn't a movie about Rocky though, and so the real question moving forward was going to be if Adonis Johnson could resonate in a way that we'd feel the need to stand up and cheer. In summation, round one goes to Creed.

First Trailer for Rocky-Spinoff CREED

I've always relegated the Rocky films to something of a memory where I know I've seen the majority of them (specifically the first, second, fourth and Balboa, so I have a little catching up to do), but it was in the underrated Rocky Balboa (or the sixth film in the franchise) that I really caught a glimpse of what made the series mean so much to so many people. It was the film that came at the right time for me as I was really beginning to dig into cinema. That film deserved more than the pre-ordained bad word of mouth it received, but was too damaged to salvage once people saw it was actually a solid little closing chapter to the series. Almost ten years removed from that film though and we have a new chapter in the Rocky Balboa story, but this time it isn't about Rocky-we're talking Adonis Johnson, the son of Apollo Creed (as played by Carl Weathers) in the first four Rocky films and his quest to follow in his fathers footsteps despite never knowing him. This first trailer for the film that comes to us from Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler and once again stars Michael B. Jordan is as appealing as anything I've seen so far this year. While this film will clearly capitalize on the nostalgia of the subject it is also clearly very much intended to be Johnson's story and Jordan seems to be giving a wholly dedicated performance that will only push his star further, and if we're lucky, spawn his own boxing franchise. I love the style in which Coogler has seemed to capture the film and the music beats that match those of the footage gives off a sense of adrenaline with one of the final shots of the trailer inducing chills in even the most passive of Rocky fans. Creed also stars Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Anthony Bellew and opens on November 25th.