Creed

I knew that this review would be hard to write for several reasons. One, I've never seen any Rocky films. Two, I thoroughly dislike the likes of Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Rourke. Not because I think they are bad actors, but because I feel like their time has passed and I feel like they're delusional to believe that they're not a faded, decrepit version of their once great selves. And three, boxing films have never been at the top of my 'must see' list.

All of that aside, I saw the newest Rocky instalment, Creed, today. Happy as I am that the film has taken on a new name despite being an obvious follow on from previous films, I still left feeling entirely unsure. Spin-offs and sequels like this are rarely popular but with the recent success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I was willing to give the film the time and energy I would dedicate to any other cinema experience. Directed by Ryan Coogler, who is also the concept creator for the film, Creed follows the life and training of Apollo Creed's son with the help of a very weathered Rocky Balboa. The redeeming qualities within the film were resting on the shoulders of new title character Adonis Johnson Creed portrayed by Michael B. Jordan.

Jordan was the best part of this film. He was dedicated (clearly he worked incredibly hard to get into shape for this film), believable and actually had me enjoying large chunks of a film that I thought I would hate. I didn't think that I'd seen any of Jordan's previous works until it clicked on the way home from the cinema - Friday Night Lights. I binge watched the show last year and fell in love with (several of) the characters. Jordan played Vince, someone who would probably empathise a lot with Adonis. Once I started looking through the rest of his IMDB, I realised that Michael B. Jordan has a history of impressive and compelling work. He's a talented actor and hopefully he won't slip into the trap that action films can sometimes be. I'd love to watch him continue to stretch himself physically and emotionally to become a better and more noteworthy actor. 

The fight scenes, which some would argue is the focus of any good boxing film, were captivating. I was incredibly surprised at how much I loved these scenes, considering my predisposition of disdain towards boxing/fight films. But watching Jordan and his opponents go head to head in clearly, physically demanding, precisely choreographed scenes was hypnotising. My first thought throughout these scenes was that the training for this film must have been exhausting and that it was SO worth it. I'd love to know a little more about the preparation that went into these scenes and how they were shot/directed by Coogler. 

As I mentioned above, I left the cinema unsure. I felt like there were many areas that the film could have succeeded and propelled itself out of the shadows of its predecessors but instead it was almost stagnant. Creed should have developed itself as a step forward and then quickly ditched its attachment to Balboa. It's a horrible thing to wish on someone, even a fictional character, but I felt like Rocky should have died in this film. When he was diagnosed with cancer and initially refused treatment, it was my hope that he would die either just before or just after the fight. It would have been the perfect catalyst for Adonis to fight harder and would have solved the whole Stallone problem. The problem being he felt unnecessary. The film could have succeeded without him in my opinion.

Regardless, I think if Creed is to continue on to a sequel, I'll venture out again into the world of boxing. I did thoroughly enjoy Jordan's performance and his portrayal of this role. So, if you love boxing - go and see it. If you don't - maybe see something else. I can't say for certain whether or not this film was a hit or a miss.