The “Sweet Science” (that’s boxing for you non-pugilistic types)
is deceivingly complex – full of stratagem, complicated by opposing styles, and
subjective in its measure and scoring. But, at its core, and as viewed by most casual
spectators, its boils down to the landing of four basic punches – the jab, the cross,
the hook, and the uppercut. These may be thrown in different combinations, with
different speeds and from various angles, but they make up what the boxer does over
and over again until it is done. When he or she is not defending against those
four things, he or she is throwing those four things. The Rocky franchise has fought this way for three decades now, pivoting
occasionally, rolling out left or right at times, but always throwing the same
punches - hoping that enough land. Creed
II is no exception – it is no less predictable than any other Rocky film, no more mysterious in its end
game. And yet, it excels; like the champion fighter, it lands and lands often –
to the body to the head to the body – until you can’t resist and you’re just
rolling with the punches.
It’s hard to say why one Rocky movie (and we count the two Creed movies in this genealogy) is better
than the other. Like a good boxing match, I suppose it depends on the combination of the
ingredients in the ring – the skill and the heart and the story of the participants
– Creed II succeeds in all areas. For
the latter, the film reaches back into Rocky
lore (Rocky IV) to the death of Apollo
Creed in the ring at the hands of the evil Russian boxer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).
Now, Apollo’s son, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), who came out of obscurity to
challenge for a title under Rocky’s tutelage in the first Creed film, is a world champion experiencing all of the trappings
of boxing greatness. On the other side of the world, Ivan Dragos (played again
by Dolph Lundgren), having been forgotten by his country since losing to Balboa
all those years ago, has been training his only son Vitor (Florian Munteanu) to
one day redeem them in the ring. With Adonis Creed now a world champion and
with his old nemesis Balboa his trainer, Drago knows that it is time to strike
a deal for the fight of the century – a Creed/Drago repeat.
This soap-opera plot seemed ripe to produce some jump-the-shark
story telling. I entered the film worried that I might see all the good that was
done in Creed I turned to corn ball. My
worries were unfounded. I’ll grant that the writing (Stallone returns as part
of the team) and direction (new guy Steven Caple Jr. directs) in Creed II are not as deft as its predecessor’s,
particularly in the mixing of the tough and the tender – a bright attribute of Creed I. But, Creed II, it turns out, doesn’t really need gracefulness. Oh, the
film has its poignant pieces, but it’s the chemistry of its characters, the
balance of new and nostalgic, and the adrenalin rush of its battles that
intoxicate. Jordan and Stallone are just superb together in their struggle up
the mountain. And training and fighting montages – a Rocky-film staple, moving
between Adonis’ and Viktor’s camps - are as impressive as any from the parent
films. Heck, there’s even some defense displayed by the young Creed – a fight
component never shown by Balboa (Rocky never slipped a punch in his career). Creed II pushes all the right buttons and by the time the original Rocky theme music makes its appearance during that final battle, you are
ready, yourself, to step into that ring, double roll as you pass through the ropes, pound your gloves together and rumble. Creed
II gets an 8 out of 10.
