Creed

Plot:  Boxer Adonis (Michael B Jordan,) son of ex-champ Apollo Creed, finds ex-champ Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) to train in him for big-time fights. He trains every he second that he is not with girlfriend Bianca (Tessa Thompson). After a few plot twists Adonis ends up at the big fight for the finale.  [imdb]    [photos]

Review: Creed is good fight drama. Adonis, Bianca, and Rocky are well-realized and likable characters. As the fight gets closer, Rocky and Adonis get closer emotionally too. Creed is more about the relationship than the fight, and there are only two boxing matches in the film.

When the fights come, they are as dramatic as ever with jaw-shattering punches, and high-speed punch exchanges. The final fight is tension-filled and exciting. 

One especially good scene was Adonis running in the streets of Philadelphia with the guys from the neighborhood hood doing wheelies on their street bikes. The rap song over the top made it all memorable.

The message of Creed is something about working hard can help you achieve your dream, and that having a dream is OK. There is a more subtle message about not needing to have money to be fulfilled.

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylester Stallone, Tessa Thompson

Directed by: Ryan Coogler 

Written by: Ryan Coogler, Aaron Covington based on the characters by Sylvester Stallone

The Music: I liked the music which were of three kinds, pop rap songs sampled for the action scenes, traditional orchestral music by Ludwig Goransson, and vocal music by Tessa Thompson singing as the character Bianca, and these were composed by Goransson. The best one is Breathe. The rap music was great during the actions scenes. Listening to the rap tracks at home wasn't the same. 

The Visuals: Creative and gritty visuals. The art direction evokes the mood of the first Rocky movie. 

Rating: 3.0 stars: I liked it. It was fun to watch, and more people oriented than expected. 

More: Creed succeed by pairing the underdog story back, and only bring two of the old characters back, Rocky and Adonis's mom. Creed benefits from moving the story to a black subculture because it is so different from the ethnic Irish and Italian cultures of the earlier ones.

Major Spoiler: Everyone may not realize that Creed ends just like the first Rocky did. The upstart fighter loses the fight but wins an emotional victory and the respect to come back and try again.

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