"Creed" Review

It's easy to go meta when talking about Creed. Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) undergoes a balancing act, juggling his personal merits wit the pressures and expectation that befall him as Apollo Creed's son. In the same manner, Creed has to maintain the spirit of the Rocky series preceding it, but offer the kind of originality necessary to stand strong on its own, to justify its existence in a series whose last film (2006's Rocky Balboa) already served as a triumphant swan song. And it's with chest-palpitating excitement I report that not only does Creed succeed, it's one of the best in the entire franchise.

Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers)

Apollo Creed (played in Rocky I-IV by Carl Weathers) was the former heavyweight boxing champion in the world, the man who gave Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) the underdog's chance at the belt. During the peak of Apollo's career, Adonis was conceived, the product of an affair, but unfortunately, before his birth, Apollo died during his match with Ivan Drago. Adonis's mother died later in his childhood, so he was kicked around from foster home to juvie detention center until Apollo's widow, Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad) found and adopted him.

Adonis grows up, sharing his father's penchant for boxing. He studies all of Apollo's fights, sneaks across the border to participate in Tijuana bar brawls, and quits his cushy accounting job to pursue boxing professionally. Moving to Philadelphia, Adonis hopes to train under Rocky Balboa, and make his own mark outside of his father's legacy.

Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan)

What Whiplash did for Miles Teller, Creed does for Michael B. Jordan. He delivers a muscular, magnetic, multi-layered performance.  Not many actors walk a tightrope of braggadocio without either being unconvincing or irritating, but Jordan dances upon it well, reminiscent of early Will Smith.

Given Adonis' identity crisis, I find myself a bit more tolerant of his ego trips. The bulk of the movie sees him try to escape his father's shadow - he almost starts a fist fight after being referred to as "baby Creed" and there's one scene where he's watching an Apollo-Rocky fight on YouTube and shadowboxing...as Rocky. However, for all his efforts, Jordan betrays a sentiment in Adonis, that perhaps he's not fully ready to abandon his upbringing; something may be pulling him back towards his father. 

Stallone delivers his best performance in a decade, and really, what else would you expect from his career-defining role? Rocky still lives a simple life; he works at the restaurant, looks after his turtle, and continues to visit Adrian's grave, bringing flowers every time.  However, the "beast" that sat in his heart in Rocky Balboa has been purged; Rocky approaches life more peacefully, with an awareness and acceptance that he's achieved everything he ever desired, and has no qualms about waiting for time to eventually sweep him away. The film allows us to view a more developed state of introspection about Rocky's deteriorating health, a recurring theme from the end of Rocky IV onwards, and it's fascinating, though bittersweet, to witness Rocky living through such a vulnerable period of his life.

Jordan & Stallone deserve their praise, but Creed's true star is writer-director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station). His screenplay (co-written with Aaron Covington) and direction are lean and focused. No scene goes on longer than it's supposed to, and when the film starts going into familiar territory (a liar revealed, the couple fighting, etc.), he makes sure to nip it in the bud and prevent the movie from lingering on. His story deals with heavier subjects - infidelity, mortality, abandonment, but it never feels alienated from the rest of the franchise. This is one of the few times a PG-13 feels right at home with the subject material, never watered down. 

The boxing is done phenomenally. Adonis swings blows with his opponents, raw and no-holds barred, but the camerawork is smooth, tracking each fighter as they go for broke, are propped against the ropes, and formulate strategies. To the casual eye, these scenes will fly by, unassumingly. However, the best illusionists present their work unannounced. These fights are remarkable because they're seamless, a window of time in which director, cinematographer, actor, choreographer, and camera operator are in sync to present a fight from the point of view of where a referee might be standing. Coogler smooths out the motion, dims light, mutes sound, orchestrating these fights to be exhibited almost like gallery art. The boxing ring is his canvas, and he plays it well.

Creed is one of 2015's best thus far; it takes a formula we've seen before, even up to this July with Southpaw, and breathes new life into it. Coogler directs a faithful, ambitious addition to the franchise, and does it with aplomb. I keep hearing Oscar talk for Stallone as a supporting role, and I can't say I'm opposed. With this film, Michael B. Jordan should become a household name. Creed motivates, excites, tugs at heartstrings, and inspires. At the end of the film, you'll want to run up those now-famous steps of Philadelphia's Museum of Art, and really, that's when you know a Rocky movie is done right.

It comes out on Wednesday. Head to the theater and have a blast.

Thank you all for reading; I'm the Man Without a Plan, signing off.