Creed II Review

The eighth installment in this near 50 year franchise follows Apollo Creed's kid becoming  a boxing champion, and facing demons from his past and present. Drago is back, and his presence leaves everyone vulnerable as he and his son take back the U.S. and their honor in a come back that's too brutal for TV. Adonis is at his most vulnerable in this emotional and surprisingly worthy sequel that honors what has come before while paving the way for the future.

What is so great about this sequel is that the "villains" of the piece, AKA the Dragos, do so much with so little. Neither of them have dialogue until much later into the film, and yet their silent beginnings can be felt wafting off the screen with their powerful intent, training, and presence. Viktor, Ivan's son, is a tank of power and emotion as he struggles with the shame inherited upon him from his father, and the knowledge that his mother left him because of that. His motivation is so clear, and heartbreaking that when he and his father are accepted back into their country that shamed, and shunned, them it becomes one of the most powerful scenes in the movie.

Adonis starts off as champion. He and Rocky went the distance, but now that they're at the top it's finally time to figure out where they belong. His relationship with girlfriend Bianca is going swimmingly. Where big franchises are concerned, relationships with their "heroes" Adonis and Bianca have to be one of the most mature relationships on screen. She supports him fully in his boxing career, even using sign language with him to talk personally around everyone else, and he supports her too in his own way. But, the biggest piece of dialogue between the two is from a short scene where Bianca brings up her hearing loss and how she wants to move out to the west coast and get a record label deal before it's gone. The film doesn't resolve this, but it's a huge decision that you don't often see in movies anymore and Adonis practically agrees with her if not for one man in his life that he doesn't want to leave.

The fights themselves are great. The first Creed took a realistic approach that had fantastic lenses that made the fights sparkly and exciting, but here it's a realistic and brutal fight as every hit landing on each contender can be felt, and you can see the toll it's taking on them from round to round. In many ways this felt more like classic Rocky where the fighting took a back seat for the emotional character stuff, but when it comes on it comes hitting hard.

Speaking of emotional characters, other than Viktor's relationship with his parents, Adonis is stripped in this film and has fallen emotionally farther than he ever had before. His relationship with Bianca changes after his first fight with Viktor, and once a special little someone enters into his life Adonis finds himself also stripping the brave barrier he put up and is letting out his emotions dealing with his father, and his contender, and rocky, and the inevitable hearing loss of his loved one. He has a lot on his plate this time around and it's handled beautifully.

Then there's Rocky. Sylvester Stallone is so good as the old and tired mentor. Here he is confronted with teaching Adonis everything, watching him move on with his life, and coming face to face with the one regret he had in life; not connecting with his son. In many ways this film feels like either a farewell, or a set up to Rocky's farewell from the franchise. If that is the case then Stallone has earned it. He can put up his gloves once and for all, now or next movie, because the Creed franchise is only going to get bigger from here on out.

If there were any fears about Ryan Coogler not coming back and putting the pizzazz back into this breath-of-fresh-air franchise then put them aside, it turned out there was nothing to fear for Steven Caple Jr. was there to pick up the pieces and deliver a well told story that was super personal to the characters, and even delivered a great B story with the Dragos to produce a stellar sequel.

Overall, Creed II is a wonderful movie, and a satisfying time at the theater. It can be predictable, especially if you're a Rocky fan, but in the end its the emotional character arcs that'll keep you enthralled as an avalanche of turmoil unfolds before your very eyes. The fights are not as glamorous as its predecessor, but are brutal and meaningful to the characters themselves. Adonis is going places, Rocky is staying in places, and the third installment will surely be most appreciated.

8/10