Movie Review: ‘Creed’ goes the distance!

MOVIE REVIEW: “CREED” (PG-13)

This article has nothing to do with the ’90s rock band, but it should be noted that audiences would be well advised to welcome the rousing new “Rocky” spinoff, “Creed,” with arms wide open, because it’s a total knockout! Actually, it feels inaccurate to refer to “Creed” as a spinoff, because while the focal point of this picture is certainly Adonis “Donny” Creed—son of Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers)—this is still a “Rocky” movie through and through.

“Creed” traces the life of Donny Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the illegitimate son of Balboa’s fierce, charismatic opponent in the in first two films of the iconic series. Life hasn’t been easy for Donny. He’s grown up with a chip on his shoulder stemming from the fact that he had a fatherless childhood; Apollo died at the hands of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) just before he was born.

Still, Donny is a fighter. It’s in his blood. So following a series of victorious bouts in Mexico, he quits his reputable day job and heads to Philadelphia in search of the perfect trainer. And he does so to the dismay of Mary Anne Creed (played by a terrific Phylicia Rashad, filling in for a departing Sylvia Meals), the woman who took him in as a teen.

Enter an aging Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) who, at this point, is the same age Mickey (Burgess Meredith) was when the cantankerous trainer helped him get his own shot at the title 40 years earlier. When Donny shows up at Balboa’s doorstep, a lonely but still fittingly earnest Rocky is reluctant to aid the up-and-coming boxer in his quest for a shot at the title, but after some soul searching he ultimately agrees to help. Shortly thereafter, a sort of father/son bond is forged.

Donny’s opponent is “Pretty” Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew), a brute of a champion who hails from Liverpool, and he and his manager will only give Donny a shot at the title if he agrees to let them promote the bout by exploiting the Creed name, a proposition that doesn’t sit well with Donny because he wants to make his own way. Meanwhile, Balboa is about to engage in a fight of his own and his opponent is far deadlier than Conlan or any of the fighters he’s battled in the ring.

Jordan is sensational in this picture, and it goes far beyond the physicality of his performance. Jordan digs deep emotionally as well. It should be noted that Donny is cut from a completely different cloth than Rocky. While both characters certainly have the same drive, Donny doesn’t necessarily fight because he has to. He fights because he needs to. While likable in his own way, Donny has anger issues and he isn’t so much an earnest underdog in the ring as he is a ball of confident energy with something to prove. Furthermore, it’s clear upon watching Donny in this picture that Jordan studied Weathers extensively, and the end result is one hell of a performance.

Speaking of amazing performances, Sylvester Stallone delivers one of the best of his career here. This is his strongest work as an actor since his underappreciated turn in James Mangold’s corrupt cop drama “Cop Land” from 1997, and that’s saying a lot because his performance in 2006’s “Rocky Balboa” was pretty damn great too.

Sylvester Stallone is so comfortable in Rocky’s skin at this point that it’s difficult to differentiate the actor from the character he’s playing. And that is meant as the best kind of compliment. Stallone’s depiction of Balboa in “Creed” is a beautifully poignant extension of the character we fell in love with in the first picture, an extension that continued in 2006. Stallone is quietly effective, bringing earnestness, loveability, and vulnerability in equal measure. In fact, it is his vulnerability in this picture that resonates most. He has a couple of moments with Jordan that simply break the heart. This is a moving, award-caliber turn and a reminder of how effective Stallone can be when given the proper material to work with.

Interestingly enough, Stallone didn’t spearhead this project. “Creed” is actually the brainchild of writer/director Ryan Coogler (“Fruitvale Station”), and it is his enthusiasm and fan-infused perspective that revitalizes this series in a new and exciting way. Coogler certainly honors “Rocky’s” legacy, but by telling the story from Donny’s point of view, he’s managed to fashion an incredibly effective drama that is both familiar and fresh at the same time.

Furthermore, the fighting in this picture is secondary. This is really a movie about the human condition. In the world of “Rocky,” boxing is a metaphor for life: “It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”

Having said that, this isn’t to say that the fights in this picture aren’t exciting! They certainly are! Coogler gives the boxing sequences a dynamic flare to be sure, but it’s clear that the fights truly deliver because we care about the man in the ring and we care about the man in the fighter’s corner.

Does “Creed” have its imperfections? Sure. Portions of the plot feel slightly accelerated, and there’s a moment in which Donny’s blooming romance with potential girlfriend Bianca (wonderfully played by Tessa Thompson) is threatened by what she perceives to be a lie, when in fact this seems like a petty plot contrivance. There are also a few moments here that are a bit over the top, including Donny’s triumphant run alongside a handful of bikers through the streets of Philly. But quite frankly, if this is one of the cheesier aspects of the movie, it’s the best kind of cheese. More troublesome is the way Rocky’s son is written out of the movie, but that was clearly done in the name of moving the plot along and keeping the focus on the bond between Rocky and Donny.

Some movies simply affect viewers in all the right ways, and “Creed” is certainly one of those films for yours truly. This movie certainly has it’s flaws, but I don’t care. In short, this is one of my favorite movie experiences of the year. It takes the “Rocky” franchise in a new direction, but it’s also the purest of reminders of why I fell in love with this series and its central character in the first place. “Gonna fly now,” indeed.