Film: Creed

GENRE: Drama

RATING: PG-13 for boxing violence and some langauge
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 13 minutes

STARRING: Michael B Jordan (Friday Night Lights, Fruitvale Station)

Sylvester Stallone (Rocky); Tessa Thompson (Selma, Veronica Mars)

DIRECTOR: Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, upcoming Black Panther)

WRITERS: Aaron Covington (newcomer) & Coogler (Fruitvale Station)

PLOT: Rocky Balboa trains and mentor’s Apollo Creed’s son where both have to build up courage for the fight of their lives.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’ve only seen the original Rocky and only parts of Rocky III & IV.

STORY STUFF: I found this to be a very clever way of continuing a franchise. By shifting the focus from Rocky to a new fighter, you really get the best of both worlds. I thought the story was engaging although a bit predictable. Who doesn’t love a good underdog plot?

ACTING STUFF: One of the reasons I watched this film was to check out the performances of Stallone and Jordan. Stallone’s Supporting Actor nomination is well deserved. He effortlessly steals every scene he is in. Jordan is a great actor but I’ve seen him in this type of role time and time again. He pulled off similar arrogance and humility in the series Friday Night Lights. It’s for that reason, I am fine with him not receiving a Oscar nomination despite the category being so white. It was nice to see Phylicia Rashad (Cosby Show) in her small role.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Some nice shots, especially during the boxing match. The one thing that made me giggle was the music. I know it was an homage to the original Rocky with its “Gonna Fly Now”-ishness but it just took me out of the film at times. I’m sure those who are die hard Rocky fans had tears of nostalgia in their eyes though.

VERDICT: Three

SEE IT IF: You love Rocky or haven’t seen Michael B Jordan’s skills

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Deadpool; Zoolander 2