THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
In all honesty, we never really needed the Rocky franchise to keep going after the sixth film originally concluding its arc in 2006, but Creed fit so well into the mold, fans like myself did not mind seeing a new legacy live on. So after the success of the 2015 spin-off, we got the story fans were bound to enjoy.
PLOT
Creed II continues two years after Adonis ‘Hollywood’ Creed gained respect from the boxing world when going the distance against ‘Pretty’ Ricky Conlan. With Rocky Balboa continuing to be his trainer after recovering from lymphoma, he would continue his success as an athlete when beating Danny Wheeler (Andre Ward) for his first WBC Heavyweight Championship. Ironically, he would also win back his car he lost in a sparring bet. He would also propose to his girlfriend Bianca Taylor, who does accept it but also suggests starting a new life together in Los Angeles. Donnie is hesitant to agree due to not wanting to leave Rocky. New competition comes his way and it comes from a foe he never thought he’d encounter. He is challenged by Soviet boxer Viktor Drago, son of Ivan who killed his father Apollo during an exhibition in 1985. After Balboa avenged his friend and defeated him later that year, the former boxer has living destitute and has trained his son to regain the glory he lost. Backed by promoter Buddy Marcell (Russell Hornsby), they publicly challenge Donnie for the championship. The young Creed predictably accepts and tells Rocky first, but the latter is against it for rightful reasons: He knows he is going into it with hatred and doesn’t want to lose him like he lost Apollo. Off of that, he refuses to train him. This would inspire Donnie to move forward moving into LA with Bianca, who would later discover to be pregnant with their first child. Donnie would then tell his foster mother Mary Anne of his decision to fight Viktor, but even she knows this fight has nothing to do with his father. Without Rocky, he does reach out to Tony Evers Junior aka Little Duke (Wood Harris). Due to being overwhelmed of everything happening to him personally, the young Creed would get injured during the fight. Viktor however would get himself disqualified for choosing to attack Donnie on his knees. His actions would make him hated by the United States, but would make him popular in Russia. Feeling emotionally shattered as well as physically, he would reconcile with Rocky thanks to Mary Anne reaching out to him. Once they do so, Rocky agrees to train him for a rematch. In Russia, Viktor has pressure from Ivan to maintain the public attention from the media and various Russian delegates. He does admit to his father it bothers him to seek approval from those who cast them out, including his mother Ludmilla (Brigette Nielsen) who abandoned them both after losing to Balboa. Things would take another turn for Donnie because after Bianca gives birth to their daughter Amara, she is discovered to be deaf, inheriting it from her progressive hearing loss. Once the rematch is officially booked, Rocky & Little Duke train Donnie at a California desert, teaching him to fight from within and absorb the impact Viktor will deliver. Weeks later, the fight for the championship takes place in Moscow. The event goes much different in comparison to the first encounter. Donnie would withstand Viktor’s blows and exchange equal ones of his own throughout, despite enduring broken ribs. By the tenth round, Creed would knock down Drago twice. When Ivan sees Ludmilla leave by then, he understands his son’s point of view and chooses to forfeit, throwing in the towel to save him. With Viktor distraught from defeat and exhausted from the bout, Ivan embraces his son by telling him it is okay to lose. Following the epic rematch, the Dragos would continue training in Ukraine, whereas Rocky reunites with his son Robert Junior (Milo Ventimiglia) and meets his grandson for the first time. The film ends with Donnie visiting his father’s grave for the first time, making peace with him being gone and the burden of carrying his legacy.
THOUGHTS
Ironically, I always a imagined a movie called Creed would be about a similar premise, but I also knew it wouldn't make sense without properly developing both sides. So after seeing the 2015 spin-off, all I did was wait for this follow-up to become a reality. When the wait ended, I easily satisfied with the final product. Filling in for Ryan Coogler, Director Steven Cable Jr. comes through in creating such an event of a film, which makes sense given the environment it's set in. Knowing this, the score and cinematography are once again hand in hand in making you feel part of the spectacle. These past films have been known to deliver a reality check, which only makes it no exception here. This time, we are taught of how when chooses to do something, it's going to not ever be just about themselves, but for everything else you represent. If you're remembering what you're fighting for, then you'll never thrive as hard as you wish. When you follow the boots of Adonis Creed, you know it's a complicated answer to express. Michael B Jordan makes clear that this character's actions define his exact reasons. There is a part of him that chooses to fight to honor his father, but he also does it to enhance his pride and prove his worth. He wants to prove the world he can do what his dad couldn't, beat a Drago. You respect him for pulling it off, but it's fair to dislike how he approached it. He's at his most arrogant here, but you definitely how he chooses to overcome that to have a clear mindset to defy the odds. For the last time, Sylvester Stallone warms our hearts with the role that made him the superstar we've known him to be. As Rocky, he is the first one to quickly express wisdom and tell Donnie to have a clear conscience with what he wants to do or he won't get the results he seeks. He was rightfully against him at first because he was not going to bare burying another Creed. Knowing how close it could've been without him at the corner, he knew he needed the chance to save him and thankfully he does when resuming to train him. Seeing him tell Donnie it was his time after beating Drago was the beautiful solidification that the torch had been passed and the Stallion's arc was finally complete. Balboa no longer had regrets and it gave him the newfound motivation to reconnect with his son again before it was too late. Whatever they do now, it'll indeed involve special memories together. While Rocky spoke the loudest for concern over Donnie, he wasn't the only who shared similar feelings. Apart from Phylica Rashad's Mary Anne, Tessa Thompson further elevates the role of Bianca and expresses the impact she has made on Donnie's life. She is still open minded and opportunistic when it comes to building a comfortable future, but quickly knows when to share her heart. She will not stop supporting the man she loves, which is proven when she sings for him to the ring for the main event in badass fashion, but she is able to remind him that his actions do affect others. It's easy to consider Ivan Drago a villain after what he did in Rocky IV, but Dolph Lundgren reminds us that he was much more than that. The man lost his spirit and misses the glory because it was the only thing that got him to fit in. With his son, he found the meal ticket to get him there again. That is where he messes up because he thinks about himself more than his own, blindly wanting something he longer needs. Florian Muntenau did an incredible job showing Viktor as more emotionally fragile than his dad, since being abandoned by his mother really did the work in making him a ticking time bomb. What differs him from his dad is that he sees right through his beliefs and knows he doesn’t need approval to prove his worth. Ivan finally caught on to it when seeing his son endure so much pain, thus doing the right thing by throwing in the towel. It was beautiful to see the two comfort each other because both finally came to an understanding that winning is not the most important thing to do. Seeing Viktor appear in Creed III would only also prove that you can’t hold grudges forever. Knowing all of this, it’s safe to say that the Russian father & son duo will continue being stronger more mentally than they already are physically. This film holds up pretty well, yet there are still moments that bother me when re watching. Like for instance, how is Viktor starting up as an unknown boxer? The name should be infamous for Ivan's past, which makes it a weird way to prove how bottomless they've been. I feel bad for Donnie giving his heart out to Bianca when proposing, yet she didn't hear it at first due to not having her hearing aid on. Since he knows she's going through hearing loss, he should've checked if she had it on before going forward with the proposal. I then wonder why it takes so long for Donnie and Rocky to find about the challenge? Yeah Rocky probably doesn't have a phone, but it ain't like he doesn't have friends that are up to date. The same thing goes with Donnie: If he ain't on his phone and he's locally famous, someone should've told him way before the end of the day. The hardest part that made us feel very complicated towards Ivan was when he taunts Donnie before the fight, calling him smaller than his dad. If they really want us to sympathize with him, that backhand comment was pointless. And I know he lives a much different life to motivate others, but how does it count when telling your son him slacking is the reason his mom left them? I mean that is asking for your kid to hate you too. And why does the rematch have to happen in Russia? It is one thing for Viktor to be in a safe environment, but it is too easy of a demand to give in since the Drago does not have the championship. Other than that, this is still an awesome boxing film. In short, Creed II is an impressive follow up for giving the fans what they want and being just as big as expected. If you were impressed with the first Creed, it is a no brainer that you'll like this too.
Comentarios