Creed II – Film Review

In 1985, Russian boxer Ivan Drago killed former U.S. champion Apollo Creed in a tragic match that stunned the world. Against the wishes of trainer Rocky Balboa, Apollo’s son Adonis Johnson accepts a challenge from Drago’s son — another dangerous fighter. Under guidance from Rocky, Adonis trains for the showdown of his life — a date with destiny that soon becomes his obsession. Now, Johnson and Balboa must confront their shared legacy as the past comes back to haunt each man.

You know what’s just as hard as making a good film in the Rocky franchise? Making a sequel that actually manages to feel like the stakes have been raised. Heck, it’s hard to make a Rocky sequel that fans really enjoy, but that’s exactly the kind of movie that Steven Caple Jr. made in the form of Creed II.

Is it as good as the first one? Unfortunately not, but it’s still a relentlessly entertaining sports drama that further develops the titular character of Adonis Creed, as well as the other people in his life such as the legendary boxer turned mentor Rocky Balboa and his girlfriend Bianca.

One thing that I will say that Creed II does better than the first is present us with a more menacing villain. It shocks our lead protagonist when he finds out that he needs to fight Viktor Drago, the son of the infamous boxer Ivan, who killed Adonis’ father Apollo in a boxing match decades ago.

So, of course now, as they say, things are personal. Is it cliché? Sure, maybe a little bit, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t totally invested in this story. The film also does a wonderful job at making us feel like Creed is extremely vulnerable and is capable of losing this fight.

In the first little bit of the movie, we watch Adonis fight Viktor in the ring and he loses severely. He ends up getting hurt so badly that he winds up in the hospital broken and bruised, and the rest of the movie afterward is his recovery process, learning to be a better man for his friends and family, and getting back in the ring to show Viktor that he is never going to back down.

It’s an insanely inspirational movie that really benefits from Michael B. Jordan‘s incredible performance that feels so layered and complex. Sylvester Stallone also returns to deliver yet another phenomenal performance as Rocky Balboa. Both Jordan and Stallone also share terrific chemistry with one another. They seem like they would be best friends in real life.

This film doesn’t quite manage to reach the highs of the first, but it’s nevertheless an incredible film and a worthy sequel that is sure to make any fan of this franchise outrageously excited to see where they go next. Let’s hope it’s just as memorable and exciting.

Although Creed II doesn’t manage to pack as hard of a punch as the first, it’s still a relentlessly entertaining sports drama with tons of thrills.