It’s a reminder that this franchise has always been at its best when it pairs smaller-scale stories of its characters just trying to live their lives with the spectacle of the big boxing matches. And when Donnie encounters a setback that makes him hesitant to return to the ring, the movie enters a surprisingly powerful stretch that just lets Jordan work through his emotions, trying to process the traumatic things that have happened to him. They move to Los Angeles to be closer to his mom (the great Phylicia Rashad). Instead, it’s Donnie’s attempt to figure out what his life might look like without boxing. (We’ll get into this plot point in more detail in just a moment.)īut what holds Creed II together isn’t the conflict with Drago. And it does, pitting Donnie against the son of Ivan Drago, the man who killed Apollo. If you know anything about the plot of Creed II - and the Rocky franchise in general - you’ll probably expect the film to follow in the footsteps of Rocky IV.

Three parts Rocky II Donnie and Bianca have a child, thus batting for the Rocky II cycle. Let’s examine the recipe that went into making this film. Creed II might not be the near-perfect movie its predecessor was, but it’s still pretty good.

the reason there are so many Rocky movies is that their base formula still works. It pillages Rocky history wholesale, becoming a kind of remix of two of the other movies in the franchise.Īnd yet. Where the first film meditated on the legacies that black fathers leave for their sons, on the notions of aging and mortality, and on what it means to build a name for yourself that distinguishes you from your parents, the second film is mostly concerned with who wins boxing matches. What makes Creed II just a little disappointing, then, is the way it simply becomes another Rocky movie. He shot Creed’s fight sequences with a balletic grace, and imbued the film’s interpersonal scenes with just as much heart and heft (before delivering on his potential with the impressive follow-up project of 2018’s absolutely massive hit Black Panther). Vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark vox-markĪnd as if that wasn’t enough, Coogler made the world aware of how great Tessa Thompson (who plays the film’s love interest) is and gave Sylvester Stallone (Rocky himself) his best role since the 1990s - while simultaneously announcing himself as one of the most promising directors of his generation.

Rocky by Bianca D'Arc