"Creed III" Review: The Message in The Whisper
In 1 Kings YHWH speaks to Elijah in a whisper after an earthquake and a fire. Now, Creed III is not a Biblical epic nor am I putting it on that level. I’m only using that example to illustrate how it speaks in a whisper if you can see past the boxing action and grudge match rivalry, and the film did speak to my soul. It lands on a poignant character drama with themes of overcoming trauma, being emotionally vulnerable, letting go of grudges and of course, the underdog story we’ve come to love.
The film picks up at a time where Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) has decided to step away from the sport while he’s on top. No sooner does he do that than an old friend, Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors) comes back into his life. Damian has been locked up for the past eighteen years. He’s watched Adonis’s meteoric rise to a position he feels should have been his. How their history is intertwined is a major key to the story.
This is a by-the-numbers Creed movie, infused with intimacy and originality that makes the film stand out. You get what you would expect but it continually strives to slip the predictable as well. From a technical perspective, Jordan (in his directorial debut) finds a way to show boxing visually from a fresh point of view. He uses the camera, sound and fight choreography to allow us to see the fight but step into the mentality of the fighter in the present moment of it. This is seen throughout the film but is beautifully executed in the final act.
Jonathan Majors is showing that he is a force to be reckoned with on screen. His physicality of Dame in the film is like a character choice from a Kurosawa picture. He has certain ticks that he repeats throughout the film that embody his raw rage. He’s carrying eighteen years of baggage internally and it comes out in his voice, movement and how he makes eye contact. He’s constantly studying. Jordan is serviceable as Adonis and gives a nuanced nod to being an aged fighter. Tessa Thompson gives Bianca a soul. Many times, the “wife” can be lost in the film as a side character, but here she is a present, integral part of Adonis’s life. Mila Davis-Kent is a welcomed addition as Amara Creed. Amara uses ASL to communicate and the relationship with her parents is beautiful.
Some may note the lack of a certain figure in this film. However, I think it’s intentional. Sylvester Stallone and the shadow of Rocky has been in the first two films. This installment allows Adonis Creed to make a name for himself. Ties have not been cut, and while Rocky’s absence is noticed it certainly doesn’t hinder the movie in anyway.
Whether you are looking for entertainment at the theater or dealing with middle aged thoughts and issues, this movie delivers on all levels. We’re reminded that at the heart of every Creed film, there is an intimate, dramatic story that is universally understood. You just might have to catch the message in the whisper!
Rating: A
"Creed II" Review: A Sequel 30 Years in The Making
With eight films under its belt, the Rocky franchise has seen its share of recycled story with a new twist. Creed II knows its legacy and the pressure to get it right had to have been high on writers Juel Taylor and Sylvester Stallone. Director Steven Caple Jr. gives us a film that doesn’t live up to the power of Ryan Coogler’s Creed, but still goes the distance.
The film opens with Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) rising to the height of boxing. Simultaneously, in the Ukraine, Viktor Drago (Florain Munteanu), lives a hard life as a blue collar worker while training with his father, Ivan (Dolph Lundgren). The inevitable fight is brokered by promoter Buddy Marcelle (Russell Hornsby), who tells Adonis his father understood he needed a legacy story that would “stick to the ribs”. Thus, the central concept of Creed II.
The film understands the dramatic weight it carries and plays off of the hype, although at times feeling undercooked. Yet, much like a fighter, it discerns that it has to shake up the story to keep its audience entertained and engaged. It does that in the form of building character backstory. We learn just what we need to about life for Ivan after the infamous showdown and the affect it had on his son. We see Adonis and Bianca’s relationship bloom as their family grows. With key placements like Phylicia Rashad’s Mary Anne Creed and Brigitte Nielsen’s Ludmilla Drago giving just the right touch of nostalgia and added spectacle, the film manages to make it out of the ring in one piece.
The original Rocky was a little engine that could film. It was a character drama Trojan Horsed inside of a boxing film. It’s the man vs. man, man vs. self storytelling that Creed II hones in on and creates a decent installment in the franchise. After all, seeing Adonis fight Viktor isn’t really what we are going to the movie for. Instead it’s to answer the deep rooted question of what would you do if you could avenge your father’s death in the ring? Will you get back up when you get knocked down? It’s in this space that the the franchise lives and Creed II delivers. It doesn’t quite pack the same punch as Creed, but certainly a solid entry and sure to please fans that never knew this purported sequel to Rocky IV was the film we’ve been waiting over thirty years for.
Rating: B
"Creed" Review: Embracing the Legacy while Charting New Territory
When I was a kid I used to watch Rocky on VHS over and over until the tape wore out. I would work out with Rocky during the training montages in Rocky IV, and I could probably still quote not just the dialogue, but the sound effects in the fights and montages as well. So when it comes to Creed, I know that I’m not alone in thinking that the new film has to stand on it’s own, while honoring the past. Folks, the torch has been passed, and Creed goes the distance!
Michael B. Jordan is Adonis “Donny” Johnson, son of the late champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). While he never met his father, fighting is in his blood. Whether fighting other kids in foster homes, juvenile detention, or fighting the feeling of illegitimacy, Donny’s life starts out on a fast track to nowhere. His father’s widow, Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad), steps in and helps save him from the system.
While his new life trajectory puts him in a more affluent position, his thirst to fight is still unquenched. Fighting underground in Mexico on occasional weekends, Donny wants to take a real stab at professional boxing in the States but no one will train him. He turns to Philadelphia, to find Rocky (Sylvester Stallone), hoping to find not just a trainer but perhaps answers to questions about his father from the Italian Stallion as well.
From there, the story writes itself, following the underdog layout of films before with themes of determination, romance, struggle, and the will to overcome against odds. This new story is told beautifully however, and performed by a skilled cast. Sylvester Stallone has lived with the character he penned for over three decades now and it shows in his performance. The history of Rocky is on his face, and the relationships he’s had and lost (Apollo, Adrian (Talia Shire), Paulie (Burt Young)) can be heard in his speech. Michael B. Jordan gives an absolutely stellar show as Adonis. Both his physical transformation and his internal struggle as Donny, blend together to create a genuine character that the audience can get behind.
Coming off of Fruitvale Station, co-writer/director Ryan Coogler understands how to boil down a big story to an intimate character drama. With the weight of the Rocky franchise, Creed could have been an epic story that’s all pomp and no heart. Instead, Coogler finds the root of the underdog theme of the franchise and creates beautiful character moments in an ultimately well crafted story.
Creed is a love letter to both the films of the past, and more importantly the essence of what has made the franchise endure in the hearts of fans globally for years! It won’t disappoint. So after you finish eating turkey and all the fixings, wake up and make sure you head out to the local theater for the main event!
Rating: A