When any franchise gets to its seventh film, whether it’s a direct sequel/prequel/spinoff, there usually isn’t a lot more of the original story to tell…
At that point it becomes more about delivering what the audience wants to see more of and what the studios know is going to rake in the profits. James Bond, Alien, Star Wars etc, they all tend to retread similar themes and plotlines because it’s safer to stick with what you know. After all, clichés are there for a reason and there are only so many stories that are going to meet with approval from audiences. Therefore, with any long running franchise the story often takes a backseat in favour of the storytelling as that is where filmmakers can be more creative.
Creed is the story of Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the illegitimate son of former foe and later friend of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers). After being rescued from a Los Angeles young offender’s prison in 1996 by Apollo Creed’s widow, Adonis (or ‘Donnie’ as he becomes more commonly known) is raised in her plush mansion (paid for by her late husband) and 17 years later is working in security.
The young Adonis enrols the help of Rocky to take him to the top.
Realising that he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps, he travels to Philadelphia to seek out Rocky to help him train to fulfill his ambition. After winning his first match, word gets out of Donnie’s heritage which catches the eye of current Light Heavyweight Champion Ricky Conlan (played by current real-life EBU Cruiserweight Champion, Tony Bellew). Soon to be forced to retire due to a prison sentence, Conlan’s team offer Donnie a shot at the world title – as you do.
In basic terms, this is your classic underdog story and there’s nothing new on show here, although in some ways you have to admire their creativity for managing to re-hash it so admirably. The plot draws so many parallels with the original Rocky film that you might even think it was a reimagining if you weren’t aware of the many sequels the original spawned.
However, the joy in Creed is in the wonderful script and the excellent performances of both Stallone and Jordan and the dynamic that exists between them. The chemistry is there for all to see and it manages to strike the perfect balance between sports drama with a dash of humour. Like in the original, the real story is in how the main character manages to progress and soldier on rather than the plain fighting story that the Rocky franchise fell into in its middle stage. Whilst it could have been very easy to just churn out another bland film a la Rocky 5, the excellent fight sequences and cinematography add a very healthy sheen to the basic plotline and do well to demonstrate the intensity of being in the ring.
However, like Rocky Balboa (or Rocky 6 as it’s easy to call), a lot of the quality of this film is in the human element and not just the action sequences. There’s also a healthy share of character development for Rocky himself too as things are set up for Jordan to easily take the reins of the series for the already planned sequel in late 2017.
Overall, Creed is a well-made film that ticks all the right boxes for fans of the series and also those who just want to be entertained for 2 hours. It doesn’t try to be something it’s not and instead prides itself on delivering excellent performances. It’ll be interesting to see where they take the next film as I feel there’s only so far you can stretch the basic plotline but if this first instalment is anything to go by, I suspect the sequels will still entertain. Definitely worth a watch!
Author – Steve, Bristol store
