Rocky is a franchise that I don't love but i'm quite fond of, there is a charm to it and i've never really felt like i was let down by any of the films, each one game me something to enjoy, even Rocky V which people often consider to be the worst of the films I still found enjoyments from parts. Creed is the newest film in the series directed by Ryan Coogler, a very talented director, Michael B Jordan, someone whom i'm a fan of, and was receiving critical acclaim left and right, people calling it as good as the original Rocky. It was okay. Creed follows the story of Donnie Creed, the son of Apollo Creed who is now trying to make his own way to become a boxer and make a name for himself and in doing so he enlists the help of Rocky Balboa played once again by Sylvester Stallone.
*Spoilers Ahead*
So let's talk about the best things about this movie, the acting and the directing. The direction of this movie was so expertly done, the long takes done in one shot, the brutality of the fight scenes, the great pacing and style of the film to give it this grounded and realistic feel, which is especially needed for a franchise that kind of went off the rails near the end of its run. Then there is the acting, now Michael B Jordan in my eyes is one of the best up and coming actors today, with Chronicle, Fruitvale Station and now Creed, this is a future Oscar winner if I ever saw one. The raw emotions he expresses, going through fits of rage to pure bliss when the fight is over, he doesn't care if he won or lost, he's just happy that he made it this far. Then there is Stallone who is giving his best performance in over 20 years, and never going overboard and becoming melodramatic, there's a lot of subtlety in his performance, his heath gradually getting worse and worse, always sounding tired and in pain, a man who has gone past the prime of his life and is now wandering with little purpose.
But then there are the two most important things about a movie, the story and characters, and they just ain't very good. Looking at the story overall it is just basically a retelling of the original Rocky, now Rocky itself isn't a very original film, but how it chooses to tell its story is what makes it stand out. It's a very personal movie about achieving one's personal goals and realising what's important in life, that's why at the end of Rocky, Balboa doesn't care that he lost, he cares that he fought. So when this movie is hitting those exact same beats it just seems repetitive. The relationship with the girlfriend that goes through trouble because of his fighting, the end of the movie not caring about winning or losing, just making it to the end, even down to setting the damn thing in Philadelphia again. But of course none of it is as effective as it was in the first Rocky movie because we've already seen it! The best way to describe it is to just look at the big 'Training climax' Rocky ended his by running up the Philadelphia Steps, Donnie ends it by...running down the street. Well if that just doesn't represent the relationship between these two movies perfectly.
Now some people might think it's unfair to judge this movie solely to Rocky, well i might not have if this movie doesn't constantly do it so much! Donnie's arc is supposed to be about creating his own legacy and not just ride the success of his fathers name but is constantly comparing himself and being compared to not just his father, but Rocky as well! He want to create a name for himself as a boxer, so his first thought it to go to the guy who trained his dad!? And then when he turns him down he goes to the guy who fought his dad!? The movie is constantly sending these mixed messages here of Donnie trying to create his own identity but always doing these things that mean of course people are going to compare the two! Even down to his fight, his mother sends him a gift with the card "Make your own legacy" and the gift is the exact same shorts his dad wore! How is he able to create his own legacy when he keeps being reminded he's Apollo Creed's son?! Even during the fight commentators keep talking about how he keeps fighting like Rocky, ya know, you never saw commentators in Rocky talking about how he fought like Mickey.
But then Rocky has a story in this movie, he gets cancer and refuses to get treatment until Donnie convinces him to. Now this is a good set up for a story, a man who though he isn't suicidal or depressed, he's lost everything that matters to him, now he's got a new family member in his life and the two can help each other in their problems. Where my issues come from is that his story is never resolved. Does he beat cancer? Does it kill him? I dunno, and we're never told. So yeah, that storyline ended up being a waste.
Then there is the supporting cast, which was just meh. The biggest supporting character is Donnie's girlfriend Bianca, a partially deaf musician, interesting enough set up, wasted character. In the end she's nothing more than just Donnie's girlfriend, someone there for him to date, break up with in the second act and get back together in time for her to be his cheerleader by the big fight. I've said it before and i'll say it again, this isn't a character, it's a character's girlfriend. And the antagonist of the movie, oh god could they have gone for something more stereotypical, he's just a standard jerk, no development, nothing interesting about him, just an obstacle for Donnie to fight, and despite the fact that he is an asshole for 98% of his screen time, by the end of the fight he decides he respects Donnie? Where the flying fuck did that come from!? Finally is Donnie's adoptive mother, who does nothing for the movie and just reacts to Donnie's actions. Which is another but much smaller problem of the film, in the climax he's fighting in Liverpool, England and she's watching back home in Los Angeles, and it's somehow night time in both cities. Okay assuming this film takes place at winter and even then we're still being generous, the fight would have to be taking place at 1am for it to be night time in LA. I know that may seem nitpicky-which it is-but for a film this technically well put together it's amazing that they missed something like that.
In the end, the movie was just simply okay, I was really looking forward to this film after a great first trailer and universal acclaim, but i don't chalk this up to the movie being overhyped, honestly that word gets thrown around too much for people to justify why someone was disapointed with a popular film. Sometimes a film is just okay because the things that appealed to a lot of people doesn't necessarily mean they'll appeal to others. 7/10.
-Danny
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