Creed is more than a boxing film, it’s a film on life. The illegitimate son of a famous name, Adonis Creed has more than the shadow of his legendary father in his path. Going by his mother’s last name of Johnson, Adonis finds himself in and out of juvenile hall and foster care due to his inability to avoid a fight.
The Premise
A faithful visit from the wife of his father leads to a drastic turnaround for Adonis thanks to the stability provided by Mary Anne Creed. Adonis, or Donnie as he likes to be called, has a successful office job that just involved a promotion and yet it isn’t enough. The desire to fight is still within him. Finding fights in Mexico thanks to the trainer at his father’s gym basically black balling him from fighting in the Los Angeles area, Adonis is hungry to make a name for himself without using his father’s name to get it, a reoccurring theme throughout.
Creed ends up in Philadelphia where he introduces himself to Rocky in hopes that he’ll train with him. Rocky is in rough shape and wants a friendship with Apollo’s kid, but isn’t willing to get back into his old life. Creed is definitely part of the Rocky franchise as the training begins after Donnie wears down Rocky leading to the fight of his life.
The Saga Continues
Creed is a great edition to the franchise and might end up being my favorite film in the bunch. Excellent chemistry between Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone and one of Stallone’s best performances of his career. A kid hungry to prove himself while stepping out of his father’s shadow and an aging legend dealing with what the end of life brings lead to these two becoming family. Throw in a love interest with the beautiful Tessa Thompson that excels early but drifts a bit away near the end of the film and you still have an outstanding film.
Great story with career best performances by our two leads on top of a soundtrack that helps progress the story lead to Creed being the surprise late hit of the fall.