Creed II

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Dolph Lundgren, Florian Munteanu

Director: Steven Caple Jr.

Adonis Creed (Michael B Jordan) has recovered from losing to Ricky Conlon and has won 23 straight matches on his way to the Heavyweight title. This has caught the eye of promoter Buddy Marcelle (Russell Hornsby), who has discovered Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) is training his son Viktor (Florian Munteanu) in the ring and is destroying the competition. Unable to resist a Creed-Drago matchup, the challenge is issued. Ignoring the advice of those close to him, which includes Rocky (Sylvester Stallone), Bianca (Tessa Thompson), and even his mother (Phylicia Rashad), Creed takes the fight. Outmatched and humbled, Creed must overcome the past and challenge Drago again to retain control of his title and more importantly, the Creed legacy. After the massive success of Ryan Coogler’s reboot Creed, there was a lot on the line with the sequel. The smartest thing the film does is focus on the emotional and human aspects. The film really works when it takes the time to stop and focus on the characters and the consequences of their actions. It helps that the acting across the board is stellar. Michael B Jordan, who somehow is more jacked than he was in the first one, continues to show why he is one of the best and most sought after young actors working today. Stallone, who was originally going to direct as well, wisely stays in front of the camera in a supporting role and shows his nomination for the first film was no fluke. Surprisingly, Dolph Lundgren shows off some impressive range as well. Steven Caple Jr. does an admirable job, but you can definitely feel the absence of Coogler behind the camera. There just isn’t the same energy as the first film. Being a sports film, there is also one of two ways the film can end, so it’s hard for the film to not feel predictable. There is also some artificial drama between Rocky and Creed that felt forced to me as well. The film is rousing, cheesy, and although predictable, doesn’t suffer in the wake of expectations. It’s not as good as the first one but it honestly didn’t try to be. B+