Creed II

After the seventh installment of the Rocky series titled “Creed,” became a sleeper hit among critics and movie goers alike, a sequel was in the works with Michael B. Jordan reprising his role as Adonis Creed & Sylvester Stallone returning as Rocky Balboa and writing the script. Ryan Coogler wasn’t available to due around the fact he was busy on post-production Of Black Panther. Michael however, managed to return without getting sidetracked.

Creed II is currently out in theaters. So far, it has earned decent reviews from critics and movie goers alike. In addition to critical praise, the film is still earning money at the box office.

The following review doesn’t contain any SPOILERS. If you’re haven’t got a chance to watch Creed II, feel free to read my non-spoiler article.

Victory & Defeat Aspects

Victory: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson & Phylicia Rashad reprise their roles and they all did a fantastic job for their respective performances.

Dolph Lundgren reprises his role as Ivan Drago. He too did a fantastic job for his performance.

Drago has more lines than his first appearance in Rocky IV. He paraphrases his line, “I must break you.”

Besides Dolph, Brigitte Nielsen also reprises her role as Drago’s former wife. Thank god Flavor Flav didn’t appear. Otherwise, it would’ve felt outta place.

Florian Munteanu portrayed Drago’s son, Viktor, he did a good job for his performance.

Ryan Coogler’s replacement, Steven Caple Jr. did a great job for directing the sequel.

Character Development involving Adonis. After fulfilling his father’s legacy from the last film, he moves on to make his own path.

Chemistry between Adonis & Rocky continues to flesh out. Besides Rocky, Adonis’s romance with Bianca continues to add more depth.

Call-Backs to Rocky IV & Creed are linked to Creed II just in case if you forgot what happened.

We get to learn more about what happened to Drago after his fight with Rocky from the fourth installment. He’s more fleshed out than as a father rather than a unstoppable killing machine.

If you remember viewing previews of Creed II, Adonis has a kid he must support besides Bianca. Thus, raising the stakes emotionally.

Ludwig Göransson (Creed, Black Panther, Venom) composed music for the movie.

The Tone is less goofier than Rocky IV. This time the storyline is played for Drama. Sly kinda learned his lesson for directing and writing. I have to admit, the robot made me laugh and I want to know what the heck happened to it.

A Training Montage takes place in a desert. Adonis need all that training in order to fight Viktor. I would’ve loved to hear “Hearts On Fire.” Which is my favorite song from Rocky IV.

Adonis wears black and grey shorts. A subtle reference to the climatic battle in The Dark Knight Rises. Batman obviously wears his black armor.

Adonis’ fight with Viktor is brutal just like his father’s fateful battle with Drago.

Rocky’s iconic theme is used effectively for an important scene.

A familiar character from previous installments makes a cameo appearance. Can’t tell you who he/she is, you’ll have to see for yourself.

HBO Boxing is featured during Adonis boxing matches. The program is no longer around anymore & now for a moment of silence to remember HBO’s Boxing.

Real life ring announcer, Michael Buffer makes a cameo appearance as he did in Rocky Balboa & the first Creed.

I don’t wanna give away the ending. See for yourself. I’m trying to keep it discreet.

Defeat: Cinematography features usage of Shaky Cam. Who the heck was in charge of filming, Hammy The Squirrel from “Over The Hedge?”

Without giving too much away, the narrative recycles plot elements from Rocky III. For those who haven’t seen Rocky III, it’s basically The Dark Knight Rises.

The Final Verdict: B, FOR BIGGER & BETTER!

Creed II is a predictable but decent installment of the Rocky franchise. I’m not saying it’s bad or a disappointment than Rocky V, but it managed to keep me entertained. If you’re eager to see the latest film, I recommend it. Don’t forget to watch Ralph Breaks The Internet if you’ve already seen Creed II. I’m willing to watch a final Creed movie that’ll possibly conclude the Rocky series and a Creed Trilogy.

R.I.P. HBO’s Boxing. Thanks for a four decade run.