Ever since the original Rocky, making a film about fighting has been an uphill battle. Sylvester Stallone’s 1976 boxing epic is one of the greatest movies in history primarily because it tells the definitive version of a simple narrative – of the underdog who tramples all the odds, rises to contender status, nearly loses it all due to his own ego, and comes back in the ring to walk away a better man. It’s a trope that extends for the length of an entire script, but it’s so tired it usually sinks most films that implement it. Creed, the seventh film in the Rocky franchise, faces this dilemma head on to remarkable success.
Creed tracks the story of Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), who learns at an early age that his father was legendary boxer Apollo Creed. With the weight of this legacy on his shoulders, Adonis embraces his natural boxing talents and sets out to train with Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) himself. Jordan plays Adonis with a perfect balance of heart and smarm. He’s a sympathetic character but cocky beyond his own talents. A convincing human character in a legendary tale, Jordan wins the right to be championed by the audience.
Director/writer Ryan Coogler approaches this classic formula with a refreshing modernity. There’s a level of personal intimacy in his directorial style, getting just as close in a tender love sequence as in a bare-fist fight. He’s never afraid to touch upon the iconic moments of the original Rocky series to make a point, but he always provides a meaningful reason for evoking such nostalgia.
The fights themselves are a sight to behold and employ some of the best camerawork you’ll see this year. Multiple boxing sequences unfold through unbroken shots, complemented by surround audio. It’s a perfect encapsulation of the sport, and it should get your heart pumping.
As Creed enters its third act, it starts to wear as it trades elevated realism for genuinely unbelievable stakes. It wavers but never loses the audience entirely, mostly thanks to Rocky himself. Stallone’s renewed take on Balboa is engaging to watch and ultimately is the emotional core of the film. Even when the events of Creed start to feel cliche, they’re delivered with enough heart to keep it going to the climax.
Cynical film fans might expect they’ve seen it all, that every story has been told. But sometimes a classic story still gets a reaction because you’re too entertained to try and escape. Creed isn’t original, yet it feels wholly new. It’s the new standard for retro revivals.