Creed (2015)

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Tony Bellew, Wood Harris, Andre Ward, Gabriel Rosado, Liev Schreiber, Michael Buffer, and Max Kellerman
Grade: A+

Lucky bastard Max Kellerman has the bragging rights to say he’s called a Rocky Balboa fight, an Adonis Creed fight, and Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford. What a career this man has had.

Summary

In Los Angeles, California in 1998, a young Adonis “Donnie” Johnson gets into a fight while serving time at a youth detention center. Unbeknownst to him, his real mother Mary Anne Creed (Rashad) comes to the place to hopefully get him out of there. Soon after, she’s told by the worker that Adonis got into a fight and is in holding. They both know he’s a good kid, but he just fights constantly. Mary Anne is taken to Adonis’s holding cell and introduced, though Mary Anne stops the worker before she reveals Mary Anne’s name. Mary Anne talks to Adonis in private and questions why he was fighting. Adonis tells her that he’s not going to another group home. When Mary Anne says she’s not from a group home, he assumes she’s a social worker, but she dispels that too. After a pause, Adonis reveals that the boy he was fighting said something about his mother, so he beat his ass. She relates to him losing his mother because she was hurt for so long when they lost Adonis’s father. An angered Adonis says he doesn’t have a father, but Mary Anne reminds him that he did. He just passed before Adonis was born. Adonis asked if she knew him, and she concurs, revealing that it was her husband. With this, Mary Anne asks to adopt Adonis, prompting his fist to relax. He asks her what his father’s name was.

It was Creed. Adonis didn’t know, but he is the son of world-famous boxer Apollo Creed.

In Tijuana, Mexico in 2015, a now adult Adonis Johnson (Jordan) prepares for a fight against a popular local in some dingy locker room. He’s right across from his opponent too, as they share eye contact when they get ready. Soon after making his entrance from the short walkway from the locker room, the bell rings and Adonis wins with a first-round knockout. Even as the ref is in the middle of his ten count, Adonis is already taking off his gloves because he knew he won. Just 12 hours later in Los Angeles, he’s at his corporate job at some financial group. He’s in his cubicle and clutching his sore hands in-between typing. At the end of the day, he goes to the office of his boss, James (Brian Anthony Wilson). Despite just getting a promotion, he’s handing in his resignation. James is shocked, but Adonis has realized this career just isn’t for him. Still living with his mother in her mansion, Adonis comes home for dinner to reveal the big news. She’s excited to hear about how his new office is, how the promotion is going, and if they hired his new assistant. He ends up shying away from telling her. That night, he sits on the couch and goes to YouTube to watch “SuperFight II”, the second clash between Rocky Balboa (Stallone) and Apollo Creed from Rocky II. Still angry at his father, he imagines he’s Rocky and mimics his punches towards Apollo, as he has clearly watched this fight a lot. The next day, he shows up to the Delphi Boxing Academy, known as the home of Apollo Creed. Adonis has his hands wrapped upon walking in and walks over to trainer Tony “Little Duke” Evers (Harris), the son of trainer Tony “Duke” Evers who trained Apollo and later Rocky through the previous six movies. Adonis shows Tony a duffel bag with all the money he made in Mexico while detailing how he’s 15-0 with 15 knockouts. Tony is unimpressed with his stats from Tijuana, as he considers it barroom brawling. It doesn’t matter though because Adonis is all in. He figures they can start out local and go from there. Tony tries to give him a reality check. The boxers that work with him come in here because they want to survive. It’s kill or be killed, reminding him that Adonis’s own father in Apollo died in the ring. He stresses how this is no joke.

Looking straight ahead, Adonis says he doesn’t know his father, and it has nothing to do with him.

Tony doesn’t buy into Adonis’s tough guy act and refuses to train him. In fact, he tells Adonis that he’s going to make sure no one trains him. As Tony shouts encouraging words at his two fighters who are sparring in the ring, Adonis shouts to get the attention of everyone. Offering the keys to his Mustang, he challenges anyone to land one clean headshot on him. Immediately, Kevin “The Bank” Grieb asks what he has to put up for it. Grieb has a 12-1 record with 10 knockouts, was the 2010 California Golden Gloves Champion, and is the 6th ranked light heavyweight in the world. Adonis doesn’t say if he has to put up anything though. He knows Grieb is a professional and just tells him to put up his hands. Tony tells him not to and how he doesn’t have to prove anything to him, but Adonis ignores him and doesn’t even put on headgear. Seconds in, Adonis knocks down Grieb and taunts Tony, asking if Grieb is supposed to be a killer. Adonis then gets personal by asking where Tony was at when Adonis was in group homes. Adonis wants another challenger and wants Tony to pick who’s next. Danny “Stuntman” Wheeler (Ward) calls his own shot and shakes up with Tony on the way to the ring. Wheeler is 31-0, has 18 wins by knockout, is the WBA, WBC, and Ring Magazine Champion, and is the 2nd ranked pound for pound boxer in the world. Wheeler is confident he only needs one round and doesn’t want a warmup. He just tells Tony to get his stuff. Soon after, the two are in the ring and Adonis is wearing headgear this time because he knows who Wheeler is. They begin and Adonis tries to touch gloves, but Wheeler sets the tone by refusing to. After some back and forth, Wheeler lays out Adonis with a knockout punch. Tony comments to Adonis how he told him, but Adonis always wants to learn things the hard way. Following this, a sunglasses-wearing Adonis waits in the house for Mary Anne to arrive. He reveals that he quit his job. She takes off his glasses and sees his wounded eye, asking if he got it in Mexico. She is incensed, recalling all the times she had to carry Apollo upstairs because he couldn’t walk.

She even mentions the grizzly details of having to wipe his ass because he couldn’t use his hands, which she really could have left out.

She questions if Adonis wants brain damage. Adonis argues he can get hurt doing anything, but she is quick to say Apollo didn’t get hurt, he got killed. Mary Anne didn’t take Adonis in to go backwards. She knows he’s better than this. Pressing on, Adonis reveals he will be moving out soon to fight full-time. He just wanted to tell her face to face. She knows Adonis is definitely his father’s son, but she stresses that he doesn’t have to be him. Adonis tells her that he will call, but she doesn’t want him to if this is what he’s doing. Next, Adonis travels to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, gets an apartment, goes to see the famous Rocky statue, and heads over to Rocky’s restaurant, Adrian’s. It looks to be after hours, as Adonis is alone in Adrian’s looking at a framed picture of Rocky fighting Apollo. Rocky pops in to greet him, and Adonis asks if the picture is taken from the 10th round of the first fight. Intrigued with his knowledge, Rocky goes over to Adonis, and Adonis brings up the secret third fight between Rocky and Apollo from the end of Rocky III. He asks who won. Rocky passes it off as a secret before asking him his name. He says it’s “Donnie”, and he wanted to see Rocky about potentially training him. Rocky laughs this off because he doesn’t do that anymore and moves to close up for the night. Before he can, Adonis asks how good Apollo was. Rocky admits there was nobody better, so Adonis questions how Rocky beat him. Rocky passes it off to time beating Apollo and then tries to change the subject to closing the store again. Before he can though, Adonis brings up how Apollo came to talk Rocky out of quitting after Mickey died, took him to LA to train, and brought him back. Rocky asks how he knows this, so Adonis challenges him to make the connection. Rocky looks at the picture and back at Adonis and wonders if he’s a cousin, prompting Adonis to reveal that he’s Apollo’s son. Rocky doesn’t believe him, but Adonis tells him to call Mary Anne. He says the house number still works but then calls Rocky out for not calling since the funeral in Rocky IV.

Mary Anne apparently gave him credit for his eulogy though. Taking all of this in, Rocky sits down.

Adonis again brings up wanting Rocky to train him, adding that Rocky at least owes him that. Hearing the way Adonis talks, Rocky can figure out he went to school and is relatively intelligent, so he questions why Adonis would pick the life of a fighter when he doesn’t have to. He knows Apollo would say the same if he was alive. Adonis is quick to say that Apollo isn’t around, he’s been fighting his whole life, and how he doesn’t have a choice, though the latter really isn’t true at all. Recalling Apollo’s fight with Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, Rocky admits the fight should have been stopped and he should have been the one to stop it. Adonis counters with how Apollo may have wanted to go out like a fighter and did exactly what he wanted. A somber Rocky knows he would have rather been here talking with Adonis. Rocky gets up, notes the resemblance Adonis has with his father, and invites him to come back to Adrian’s if he’s in the neighborhood, as he spends most of his time there. Adonis tells him he will be at Mighty Mick’s Gym tomorrow, but Rocky says he hasn’t been there in a long time. Seeing them as family in a way, Adonis asks who won the third fight that they had behind closed doors. Rocky replies that Apollo did. While in bed that night, Adonis watches an HBO special on Liverpool, England’s own “Pretty” Ricky Conlan (Bellew), the undefeated, best pound for pound boxer in the world. Currently, his name has been attached to many controversies like gun possession charges that could land him 7 years in prison. With this potential prison sentence looming, he will face the undefeated Wheeler in a huge fight. Wheeler is looking to take over the sport with Conlan potentially heading to prison, but Conlan notes how he’s never even been knocked down, let alone lost. In the middle of the night, Adonis tosses and turns because of the loud music being played by a neighbor tenant. Angry and ready to fight whoever this is, he heads down to bang on the person’s door. However, his approach changes completely once Bianca Taylor (Thompson) answers the door.

He calms down a little bit before introducing himself. She’s confused over why he’s doing this now because it’s late, so that’s when he brings up how her music is too loud and he has to wake up early in the morning to work out. She messes with him a bit, agrees to turn her music down, and shuts the door. You can still hear it though, and he notices this when he heads back upstairs. The next morning, Adonis heads over to Mighty Mick’s Gym. It’s got a brand-new sign, revamped facilities, and it’s a calmed down atmosphere from what it was in year’s past. Upon getting inside though, Adonis does get to see Leo “The Lion” Sporino (Rosado) training in the ring, and they share a glance. Sporino is 17-0, has 12 wins by knockout, was on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, and is the 4th ranked light heavyweight in the world. The trainer Pete (Ritchie Coster) strikes up a conversation with Adonis, so Adonis talks about wanting to sign up. Once he says he’s from LA when Pete asks, Pete comments “Hollywood” before asking which gym he was with because he knows all those guys. Adonis tells him how he doesn’t have a gym and is more self-taught. Once Pete confirms that he knows Rocky because they grew up together, he tells Adonis that most members work themselves out. For an extra $20 though, he will give them drills and check in when he can. Adonis is cool with it and gets in a workout after. From across the gym, he eyes Sporino who works with Pete on the heavy bag. At night, Adonis gets in a jog around town and passes by a local club. On the wall is a poster promoting Bianca, as she’s a singer holding a show there. Interested, Adonis goes in to see what she’s all about. During her performance, she can see Adonis in the crowd and smiles. The next day, Adonis and some other fighters at the gym watch SportsCenter on the television where they show footage of Conlan punching Wheeler during the weigh-in after they exchanged words. Wheeler suffered a broken jaw and plans to sue Conlan and the WBC. Soon after, Adonis goes on another jog and finds Rocky unloading ingredients from his van to Adrian’s.

Adonis goes over to help him out, even though Rocky is insistent he can do it. Adonis continues anyway and asks if there are some drills he can do to get his hand speed up. Rocky just says the guys at the gym can help him, referring to Pete as being a good trainer. Adonis tells him how Pete is mostly with his fighter and how he trains by himself. Rocky wonders if they know he’s a Creed, but Adonis stresses how he doesn’t go by that name because he wants to make it on his own. That’s why he goes by his mom’s last name of Johnson. Plus, it makes life easier. Stopping for a moment, Adonis argues that since no one around Philadelphia knows him, they can train under the radar together. Rocky is still consistent with just not wanting to. Adonis is cool with it but asks if he can still give him some drills to practice on his own. Noting his persistence, Rocky agrees to give him a few but that’s it. Sitting down with him, he writes out a solid workout of five rounds of jump rope and three rounds on each of the bags, though he stresses not to keep throwing his hands at the heavy bag because he can hurt them. It’s also about using his legs. Adding to it, he writes down five rounds of shadow boxing, though Adonis has to help him spell “shadow”. Once he gets this down, Adonis takes a picture of it on his phone, unloads a sack of onions out of the van, and then heads out. Rocky asks if he wants the paper, but Adonis explains how he has it on his phone. Rocky brings up how he could lose his phone or break it, but he says it’s already in the “Cloud”, referring to Cloud storage. Rocky has no idea what he’s talking about, but Adonis is already back on his jog. That night, Adonis leaves a voicemail to Mary Anne to let him know he’s doing good, he’s got an apartment, how he misses her, and to call him back. Hearing Bianca playing her music again, Adonis goes to knock on her door. She assumes the music is too loud again, but he instead asks if she wants to take a break to get some food. After he says he’s from LA, she messes with him by asking if this is how he asks women out over there. He tries to play it straight. He says he’s not asking her out but decides instead to take it as her saying “No”.

Thankfully, she stops him from walking away. She has about an hour and questions if he knows where to go. Since he’s new here, he was hoping she could take the lead since she’s from Philly, so she does. A random tenant passes Adonis down the stairs and comically wishes him good luck before Bianca comes out. Bianca takes him over to North Philly to check out Max’s, a Philly cheese steak place she frequents. Adonis pays for the both of them because he asked her out, so Bianca reminds him what he said before about this not being a date. He agrees with her, even though everyone watching knows he’s lying. The two sit down to eat where they discuss the slang term “jawn” that he’s not familiar with and how she’s not with anyone right now because of how busy she is with her music. She’s opening at the Electric Factory next month, which is a big deal. He notes her hearing aide, so she admits she has progressive hearing loss. Bianca only needs them in places with a lot of background noise, at least for now. Unfortunately, she will be deaf at some point down the line. To her credit, she tries to stay positive about it and is getting used to the hearing aids and learning sign language. She laughs however because she can only remember the bad words. She mimes the word “bullshit” for him, and he laughs. Bianca notes that Adonis doesn’t seem like a boxer to her since they tend to be more street. She asks what made him want to fight, so he is vague in saying that his dad was a pro fighter. When she asks if his dad trains him, he reveals that he died before he was born. Changing the subject, he asks Bianca what made her want to sing. She smiles saying that it makes her feel alive. He wants to know when her next show is, so she details how she has a residency at the place he saw her before, Johnny Brenda’s. She’s there on Friday. He wants to know if she’s cool with him showing up to support, so she says she’ll think about it.

At the cemetery, Rocky grabs his chair he places in the tree for his return visits and puts a bottle of alcohol on Paulie’s grave since it’s his birthday. Then, he places a rose on Adrian’s grave, as it’s right next to Paulie. He sits down to speak to his loved one just like he did in Rocky Balboa. He gives Adrian an update like she’s there, saying how things are good and the bills are paid, but he’s having trouble sleeping due to back pain. Rocky pulls out the newspaper to read but pauses for a moment and looks in the distance. Following this, Rocky makes a long-awaited return to Mighty Mick’s Gym. All the old timers greet him at the door, and one guy jokingly asks if he’s going to make a comeback, which he is sure to dispel. Knowing Rocky however, this is a fair question. Pete greets him, and Rocky gives him credit for what he’s done to the place. Pete goes on about his son in Leo and how great he’s been doing, reiterating the offer of getting involved. Rocky looks almost completely detached as he scans the room, but Pete brings Leo over to meet Rocky. Rocky says he will think about it. Still, he shakes hands with Leo who tells Rocky how he was supposed to be on the undercard for Conlan/Wheeler until it got cancelled. Adonis sees Rocky and interrupts to greet him, prompting Pete to ask how Rocky knows “Hollywood”. Adonis just says they meet at the restaurant, so Rocky backs him up on this. A visibly agitated Pete says it’s fine and if Rocky needs anything to let him know. Talking to Adonis privately, Rocky admits he doesn’t know what he’s doing here. He has other plans in his life, and this wasn’t part of it. Apollo was special, but he doesn’t know if Adonis is special. Only Adonis will know that when the time is right, but it won’t come overnight. He’s going to take a beating and he’s going to get up. However, Rocky stresses how hard Adonis has to work. If he doesn’t, Rocky swears he’s out. Adonis tells him that every punch he’s ever thrown has been on his own. Nobody showed him how to do this. He’s ready. With this, Adonis officially has Rocky as a trainer.

They begin with old school training including chasing the chicken like how Rocky did in Rocky II, jogging, jump rope, speedbag, pushups, and whatever else. Rocky is with him every step of the way. Even at night in his apartment, Adonis is still getting in pushups and such. Adonis starts improving his endurance, speed, and cardio rapidly with Rocky’s help.

At some point, Rocky takes Adonis to the mirror. He has Adonis get into his fighting stance before pointing to Adonis in the mirror, saying he himself is his greatest opponent. Every time he gets into the ring, that’s who he’s going against. Rocky believes that in boxing and in life. He has him throw a couple of punches to see how the “guy” in the mirror is throwing a punch back at him. With this in mind, Rocky says how he needs to block it, slip it, or get out of the way. He has Adonis shadow box in the mirror for a while and leaves him alone while doing so. Later, Bianca lets Adonis in her apartment for the first time, and they mess around with some of her music equipment. Playing some of her music aloud, she lays on the carpet. Adonis joins her, and they kiss. At Mighty Mick’s later during a workout session, Rocky holds the bag for Adonis but has to sit down. Pete watches and asks how much Adonis weighs. Rocky asks why while Adonis says he’s around 180 lbs. Pete says he can make something happen if Adonis can get to 175 lbs., if he’s interested. Adonis is down, but Rocky intervenes. He’s doing the talking here, Adonis! Rocky knows that it’s the same weight as Leo, so Pete admits he wants a warmup fight for Leo. Since people will turn up to see Rocky in someone’s corner, he thinks they can make some money. Rocky gets that, but he’s still getting used to Adonis. Though he’s improving every day, he’s going to take a while. Pete knows Adonis is hungry and tells Rocky that he’s going to have to “feed” Adonis every once in a while. Rocky jokingly calls him “Chef” and he says he will think about it. Adonis is pissed and asks Rocky in private what they are training for, and Rocky flips it back on him. They’re training to win, not get killed. Rocky doesn’t think Adonis is ready. Adonis knows he can lose five pounds easily, but Rocky tells him to hit the bag. Afterwards, the two walk together. Rocky notes how Leo is a tough Philly fighter, and he’s never seen Adonis in the ring yet. Adonis has been watching Leo though and thinks Leo can catch his fade. Naturally, Adonis has to explain this phrase to Rocky as a way of saying that he can take Leo out.

After some joking around, Adonis gives Rocky an offer. They have 6 weeks until this fight. He will do whatever it takes in that time to prepare. If Rocky doesn’t feel like it’s right around that time, then Rocky can call it off.

To show him he’s serious, Adonis grabs Rocky’s ball that he usually bounces around. He is serious about this being a 24/7 thing and offers to get his stuff right now to move in with Rocky to start an old school training camp. No one has been in Rocky’s place in a long time, so he doesn’t think Adonis would be comfortable there. Adonis jokingly questions if he walks around naked. After Rocky says “No”, Adonis thinks they’re good. Adonis jump in the van ready to go, so Rocky tells him he better not walk around naked either. Soon after, he finishes moving his stuff into Rocky’s van and Bianca sees him from the window, questioning if he’s moving. He explains how he’s living with his “uncle” for a while to train for his next fight. She jokingly notes how his uncle is white. Rocky doubles down on what Adonis said and invites her to come over when they aren’t training. Once Rocky gets in the van, she questions when Adonis was going to tell her that Rocky is his uncle. Adonis bypasses this and tells her that he will call. As they get into Rocky’s place, Rocky comments how Bianca seems nice but “women weaken legs”, an old adage that Mickey said to him back in the original Rocky. Rocky lets Adonis stay in Paulie’s old room, letting him know that Paulie passed away years ago. Adonis sees the framed picture of Robert, Rocky’s son. Adonis wonders if he trained him, but Rocky explains how he tried. However, Robert didn’t like it or really take to it. He moved to Vancouver with his girlfriend, though Rocky does hear from him now and again. He does admit that it was tough for Robert to live in Philadelphia because of the pressure that came with being Rocky’s son, but he’s happy for him. Following a moment of silence, Rocky tells him to unpack and get comfortable because he has to head over to Adrian’s. They’ll start first thing in the morning. Adonis puts the framed picture back on the table and looks over at the desk by the bed. There’s a porno magazine that Paulie left there.

That’s classic Paulie.

At 5:45AM, Rocky wakes up Adonis by playing some music. He’s already dancing, and a confused Adonis sees him while Rocky says this is how you get the engine going. Rocky is going to lead him to the Front Street Gym in North Philly because Rocky doesn’t want Adonis training at the same place as the guy he’s fighting. He drives the van while Adonis is to run beside him to get there. It’s in Frankford. Adonis is able to pull off the run, but it was not nearly as close as Rocky made it out to be. Even so, Rocky says that if Adonis wants to be a Philly fighter, this gym is the way to go. He thinks Philly fighters are the toughest in the world. Adonis notes how a lot of people in this area drive these motorbikes around, and Rocky says it’s a Philly thing. He does recall his old motorcycle, but he stopped riding it after falling off it once. The two go into the old school gym and Rocky introduces Adonis to Padman (Ricardo McGill), famous cutman Stitch, and gloves maker Elvis Grant. Rocky’s gift is that he’s getting a pair of gloves made for Adonis. He goes and gets some coffee while Adonis gets acquainted with the crew. Padman introduces his son Amir (Malik Bazille), as he will be Adonis’s sparring partner. They get right to training soon after. Adonis does struggle with Padman a bit, so Rocky takes him aside to talk. Adonis came to work with Rocky, so he’s frustrated, but Rocky explains how he can’t do certain things like the pads anymore. He’s still working with Adonis though, and he’s watching and working with his brain. Soon after, a sparring session between Amir and Adonis gets heated, with Adonis pushing him after the bell because he’s taking serious shots and Amir telling him to take his soft ass back to LA. They have to be separated. When Amir says this is his gym, Adonis replies, “Fuck this gym!”. Rocky takes Adonis aside to talk about this all being part of a learning curve and he makes the two apologize. After this, they put in some real work, and it starts clicking for Adonis. Because of this, the bond between him and Rocky strengthens.

Now, it’s fight night, and Adonis prepares in the locker room with Padman and Bianca. Pete interrupts to talk to Rocky, so they go in the hallway.

He knew there was something different about Adonis, especially because he miraculously brought Rocky out of the shadows after he’s been asking Rocky to do it for him for years. Though Rocky acts coy, Pete made calls to LA. He knows it’s not “Donnie”, and how his real name is Adonis. He knows he has Creed’s blood. Pete thinks this makes the fight big time, but Rocky wants him to keep it between themselves as a favor since he wants Adonis to make a name on his own. An annoyed Pete says his secret is safe with him. Following this, the ref pops in the locker room to give them the breakdown of the ABC rules and the rules governed by the state. There’s no three-knockdown rule, no standing eight count, and a fighter cannot be saved by the bell. When the ref tries to go on about the no three-knockdown rule, Adonis tells Rocky to cut his gloves off. Rocky doesn’t want to because they’re about to go out there, but he starts freaking out and needs to take a shit, so Rocky relents. Bianca leaves, and Rocky tells the ref to stall for 10 minutes so they can put the gloves back on when he’s done. Eventually, it’s time for the bell, with Adonis taking on Leo. Bianca is in the first row to watch. After Rocky gives Adonis some words of encouragement, Adonis heads out for the first round. Adonis gets some solid punches in, but Leo wins the round and even cuts Adonis. At the end of the round, Rocky gives him the advice to throw his left under the radar, then come up with a shovel hook. When he sees his opening, he wants Adonis to take it to Leo’s chin. It should drop him. He adds that Apollo did that to him and it worked. In the round, Leo starts off strong, but Adonis follows Rocky’s words on cue and knocks out Leo to a stunned crowd. Rocky and Adonis celebrate and bring Bianca into the ring. Rocky tries to be respectful and goes over to Pete and Leo, but Pete shoos him away. Adonis and Rocky talk about tearing up the city in celebration, as he’s earned it. Funnily enough, Rocky, Adonis, and Bianca all end up half asleep on the couch while watching a movie and eating ice cream once they get back.

Rocky wakes up first, puts a blanket on the two, and heads upstairs to go to bed. Bianca pulls out her phone to show Adonis her new song. They share headphones to listen until getting intimate soon after. The next morning, Adonis meets Rocky and Bianca downstairs for breakfast, with Rocky cooking. He asks how Adonis is doing, and he says he’s sore but he’s alright, smiling at Bianca. Bianca looks Adonis up on her phone as he sits down and her smile turns to a frown. The news got out that he’s Apollo Creed’s son, and she’s mad he didn’t tell her. Following this, the two are walking down the sidewalk and arguing. Adonis argues that he didn’t lie technically, but Bianca notes how it’s basically the same thing since he just said his dad was “some fighter” rather than one of the most famous to ever live. Adonis explains how people look at him differently when they know, and they look at Apollo differently too. Bianca isn’t one of these people he’s referring to, but she is bothered that he lied to her. Adonis agrees to 100% honesty from here on out. So, Bianca tests him by asking if Apollo’s wife was his mom. Adonis admits that Apollo had an affair with his mom, and she died when he was young. He bounced around foster care for a couple of years, in and out of juvie, and then Mary Anne took him in. Adonis welcomes her to ask anything else, so she asks how many women he’s been with before her. Smartly dodging it, he asks if there’s anything else before changing the subject to tell her that she’s different. When he’s around her, he feels like he has known her his entire life. He’s confident she feels the same way, but she passes it off as “That’s passion. That’s infatuation. That fades”. Adonis doesn’t see that happening because she motivates him, but this offends her because she thinks she’s just motivation to him. Adonis questions if she’s going to have a problem with everything he says, but she just wants to find the “real” in what he’s saying. She jokes that he might just be motivation to her too, with him joking that he doesn’t mind this.

Smiling, Bianca notes the resemblance he has with Apollo, and he playfully lifts her up and acts like he’s mad.

On Pardon the Interruption, Tony Kornheiser talks about the news that little-known Adonis Johnson, who is being trained by Rocky Balboa, beat light heavyweight title contender Leo Sporino in a second round TKO in Philadelphia. Watching the program from home is Mary Anne. Kornheiser reveals that an anonymous source confirmed to ESPN that Johnson is the youngest biological son of Apollo Creed. He even says it was kept under wraps because Johnson was the product of Creed’s infidelity. He likes that they have another Creed in the ring, but he asks Michael Wilbon if these circumstances damage Apollo’s legacy. Wilbon has Apollo Creed as maybe the best of all time, and he chalks it up to a mistake, one that happens A LOT in the boxing world. Kornheiser calls it an embarrassment for the family, especially because they kept it a secret for so long. Even so, Kornheiser wants to know if the kid can fight as well as the old man.

Well, we’re here to find out. Either way, Adonis is the talk of the boxing world, which means money and headlines for any fight he’s involved in moving forward. Because of this, it’s something Ricky Conlan’s camp sees as a major opportunity.

My Thoughts:

The worst trend of Hollywood today is its maddening obsession with remakes, reboots, reimaginings, and sequels of beloved movies that should be left alone. This is why groans immediately followed when the announcement was made for Creed. How can someone dare touch the Rocky franchise? Is nothing sacred anymore? On top of that, the worst trope of the “long-awaited” sequels of today is making the “new” story about a fan favorite character’s son or daughter instead of the returning fan favorite character being the focus. Studios always seem to forget that the reason people get excited about a legacy sequel to a film or television show is that the old characters are returning. It’s not because we want to see them as a parent that’s the fourth most important person in the narrative or that we want to see some unknown talent taking the production forcibly from the people that made it famous in the first place. In fact, it’s the last thing we want, mostly because it rarely works, if ever. So, when it was revealed that Creed was going to be about Apollo Creed’s son becoming a boxer, how could we not be agitated? Not only are we reviving the Rocky franchise without main character Rocky Balboa, but we are also focusing on a secondary character’s son and retconning things to make it seem like he was the star this whole time. Plus, Rocky Balboa was similar to what Toy Story 3 was to the Toy Story franchise, what we thought was the perfect ending to the saga. The last thing you want is a Toy Story 4 situation. There’s just a lot of risk in reviving such a prolific and influential intellectual property, especially when you have such a dedicated fanbase to the previous six movies that have meant so much to generations of people. Failing could prove to be disastrous. As a massive fan of the Rocky movies, I was also on the negative side due to seeing so many of these reboots and sequels come and go, destroying what I came to love previously.

Then, it was announced that Sylvester Stallone was on board to return in the pivotal role as the mentor of the new protagonist. If Rocky himself is back to give his blessing but also play a major part in the sequel, rather than just serve as a background character with little impact other than name value, then a second look is warranted.

Compared to what we are used to in these legacy sequels, Stallone’s return as the famed Rocky Balboa is different. Knowing how much the character means for a lot of people, Rocky is treated with the utmost respect and importance to this brand-new story, despite not being the protagonist anymore. No, he’s not in there for a cameo to tip his hat to the new guy, as if that’s enough to hand the keys over to the kingdom. Instead, Rocky is there to bridge the gap between the Rocky franchise and its spinoff. His presence alone helps Ryan Coogler’s film add to the legacy Rocky started and helps it all be a part of one giant saga, convincing us that not only are these new movies worth the watch for Rocky fans, but that it somehow feels like it was always meant to be like this. That’s the best part about Creed. It exceeds any and all expectations audiences had for it, defying the labels it was saddled with. It’s not a cash-in on a surefire money maker or a reboot that forgets its roots just to slap a new star boxer on the front of the poster to make money. No, this is Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan’s coming out party as filmmaker and A-list movie star who both adored the series Sylvester Stallone started in 1976, wanted to be a part of it, and wanted to continue the legacy for a new generation to keep the name alive. They also wanted to do it while Stallone is still in good enough shape to be a part of it in a major way, contributing ideas, contributing to the quality of this sequel, give him a chance to play one of cinema’s most beloved characters of all time once more, even if he can’t step into the ring anymore, and give the character a new purpose and meaning, as the angel on the shoulder of a troubled kid who wants to prove himself to the many doubters in his life. It mirrors what Rocky was trying to do all those years back, which in effect was why Stallone came up with the idea. Together, Coogler and Jordan do the same to all the doubters who thought they couldn’t do it, reviving and extending the retired franchise respectfully, while living up to the name of all its predecessors.

In doing so, they helped set up Creed perfectly in garnering the admiration of Rocky fans and worldwide audiences before carving out its own path of greatness, so it’s not merely the same movie with a fresh coat of paint. No one knows what the plans are and how long Michael B. Jordan is willing to stay in the titular role, but due to the success of Creed, its two sequels, and its refusal to drop in quality in any of the three films thus far, let it be known that we will be in the theater for as long as they want to continue making these movies. If they make three more to equal Rocky’s total of six, we’re here for it. This is because Jordan in particular has earned our trust as Adonis Creed.

The talent, range, movie star charisma, likability, and “It” factor actor Michael B. Jordan possesses is the reason Creed works. Developing his skills as an action hero and leading man, he takes on the challenge of a rather difficult leading role. The only way this film can work and continue into its own franchise is if Jordan is up to the task to prove he is ready for an opportunity like this. Along with this heavy-handed challenge, he has to win over Rocky fans and prove to audiences and in-universe critics that he’s not just Apollo Creed’s son. He’s Adonis Creed, a light heavyweight contending boxer and a heavyweight contending character worthy of a series to call his own. Through Jordan’s tenacity in the titular role, he passes the test with flying colors. Right after the opening where the viewer is introduced to the protagonist as a child fighting in a youth detention center, we find him in the current day fighting in an underground club in Mexico, knocking out his opponent, and working a corporate job just 12 hours later as a sort of double life situation. Despite being successful and making big money in finance due to his stepmother Mary Anne putting him on the right path by bringing him into her life, he can’t change who he is at heart. Just like Rocky and Apollo discussed in Rocky IV, they are fighters. They can’t change who they are. There’s something inside them that makes them warriors in need of a challenge. It’s a switch not everyone has, but Adonis has it. He is a fighter. It doesn’t make sense to those around Adonis. To these outside people, he lived a privileged life in a mansion. He’s making big money, he’s wearing suits, and he’s set for the rest of his life in the comfort of an office setting. Despite his 15th knockout win in Tijuana, he’s still succeeding at a high level at his job and just received a promotion. Why change what’s working? Like many of us in our professional lives, sometimes, we can just tell when this isn’t it. Something isn’t working. Even if you’re making money, you got cars, or whatever else, there’s something inside of you that is boiling to the surface, trying to carve out space in your consciousness. It’s that little voice that creeps out, reminding you that you aren’t satisfied with being content. Some people are, but a lot of people strive for more.

Some have this burning sensation within them where they feel the need they have to prove themselves in whatever they do. It’s a chip on their shoulder that they can’t scrub off no matter how hard they try. Despite Adonis having a perfectly fine life, he can’t remove that chip, though he doesn’t necessarily wish to because it fuels him every day. He has this built-up anger inside, an insatiable desire to fight. It’s not until Bianca Taylor explains during their lunch date how music makes her feel alive where we can see how Adonis can relate. He is never more alive than when he’s in the ring. It’s not about violence for no reason. It’s a never-ending quest to fight for his own name. He refuses to take the easy road because it’s not proving himself. He could call himself “Adonis Creed” from the outset and start getting bigger fights in Los Angeles almost immediately, but he’s not afraid of the hard work. He knows what it takes and he’s not going to take shortcuts, which is why he’d rather go by “Donnie Johnson”, using the last name of his deceased mother to completely separate himself from the Creed legacy. It’s just like Robert Balboa in Rocky Balboa having a problem with the nickname “Baby Rocky”, as it just minimizes all of his hard work in favor of his famous father. The same is said about Adonis. Once his name starts getting out after he beats Leo Sporino, it’s the worst possible news Adonis could get. The whole point of the focused route he was taking was so he could do this on his own. He never wanted the father that he never met to get the credit for the hard work he’s put in. With the news getting out because of Leo’s salty trainer and dad Pete breaking a promise to Rocky in agreeing to not say anything, everyone will compare Adonis to Apollo no matter what he accomplishes in life. Every news headline, sports pundit, and fan will compare him or refer to him in some fashion as “Apollo Creed’s son”. It’s no offense to Adonis, but it’s just that Apollo was one of the greatest to ever do it and also had the most tragic end to his career that the boxing world has ever seen.

It wasn’t Rocky’s fault either that he was one of the greatest boxers and most popular figures of his time, but Robert had to live with that and forever live in his dad’s shadow. Adonis faces the same issue Robert dealt with, but it’s even more troubling because he picked up the same profession as his dad, which will forever intrinsically ties Adonis to Apollo, despite him desperately not wanting this comparison as it will minimize the work he’s put in.

It’s insulting. So, though he gets overly emotional about it and acts out in an instant when Apollo’s name is mentioned or the connection is made to those not close to the situation, it’s something we can’t help but see from the perspective of Adonis, as the viewer is lucky enough to see his life from the beginning and what he’s been through. It’s like how Rocky tells Adonis after he has an excellent round against Conlan, “You belong in here! They don’t know what you’ve been through, and they sure don’t know what we’ve been through!”. Everyone can and will pass Adonis off as a chump challenger who got a shot at the title because of his father, seeing him as a privileged kid. It’s essentially what becomes the theme of the press conference with Conlan pointing out how he is actually the struggle story, as his father worked on the docks. He then reminds everyone how Adonis’s father was heavyweight champion of the world and calls him “silver spoon” and “False Creed”. He brings it up again right before the fight commences to make sure Adonis knows that he’s looking past him (“Nice shorts, boy. Too bad your daddy ain’t here to fight in them”). It’s the one thing that really sets off Adonis uncontrollably. He has to respond. It’s why the viewer can’t help but shake their head when bumbass rapper Tone Trump jokingly calls him “Baby Creed” backstage at Bianca’s show and he snaps. The tension and wickedness in Adonis’s immediate response of “Don’t call me that” is felt in an instant. At this point, we know it’s about to end badly, but the rapper refusing to let it lie and threatening to get Adonis a “VIP pass next to your pop talking to me like that” gets a deserved haymaker, which lands Adonis in jail. The name “Apollo Creed”, and all the emotion that comes with it in Adonis’s eyes and heart that led him unintentionally on this journey, is Adonis’s biggest flaw. Just like many of us, he does everything in his power to conceal these vulnerable feelings to be strong, but it results in him lashing out and responding erratically. As the man who has seen and done it all, Rocky offers advice and insight plent of times to try and get him through it, but it falls on deaf ears because Adonis refuses to accept life for what it is.

In the jail cell scene, Rocky goes in to talk to him, but Adonis doesn’t want to hear it, as he’s still furious and heartbroken about Rocky’s honesty earlier about how he’s just an “old trainer” and “We’re not a real family. That was just in our heads kid”. It sounds hurtful and Rocky regrets it immediately after saying it because he knows how emotional Adonis is, but we know where Rocky is coming from because he’s in a sensitive state too after dealing with this fresh cancer diagnosis. Adonis’s refusal to hear him out caused Rocky to respond emotionally and out of turn, something we’re all guilty of. Due to Adonis’s already naturally heightened emotional state though, he sees Rocky as someone who’s on his list of doubters too after a comment like that. In that jail cell, Rocky tries to apologize but the hard-headed Adonis responds with vitriol, “Just stay away from me! Get your hands off me old man! Get your sick ass out of here! Leave! You ain’t talking like my real family! You got my real family killed!”. Trying to play it cool like when Marie got aggressive with her responses to Rocky in Rocky Balboa, he refuses to leave until Adonis tells him what’s on his mind. He knows Adonis is mad at him, but he also assumes that he’s mad “… at someone who ain’t here, Donnie, who can’t defend himself. Now, I understand what you’re going through young man. I’ve been there, and I know what it’s like to feel abandoned, to be mad at everything, and you’re a better person than that. Forgive him because there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s taking a toll on you”. Just like when he told Robert how he needed to start believing in himself to get on with his own life and stop worrying what others thought in Rocky Balboa, he stresses to the teary-eyed Adonis that he’s caught in Apollo’s shadow and has to move. Adonis just tells him to leave and angrily shadow boxes in his cell overnight instead. Another example is the press conference scene. The highly experienced Rocky lets Adonis know that the fight will begin as soon as Conlan walks in the room because he’s going to start trash talking.

Just like how Rocky wouldn’t let Apollo Creed get to him in the press conference scenes in Rocky and Rocky II despite all of Apollo’s trash talk, Rocky is trying to get the sensitive Adonis to do the same (“Don’t fall for it”). Unfortunately, after Conlan comments that Adonis has never had a fight in his life, how Rocky is the one with the legacy, and how Conlan himself is cut from the same cloth, he sets off Adonis rather easily. As fans, we would have loved for Adonis to be in the state of controlled chaos like how Apollo jokingly asked Rocky how he did after the press conference with Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, as a way to say the arguing was all for show, but Adonis is his own man. His opponents playing with his emotions and the viewer being let in on how much it bothers him is what makes him unique to his father and why his path will be much different in comparison. When presented with the Conlan fight but how he has to change his name to Creed to make it happen because that’s where the money is at, it’s the biggest decision he has to make. It goes against everything he was fighting for in the first place, but it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. Plus, the secret is out anyway, so it wouldn’t technically matter. Still, it’s Adonis’s biggest hangup, but it’s not just about doing it on his own merit. What’s the real issue here? There has to be more to it than that. Just like how Adrian saw Rocky holding back on that beach in Rocky III when he had to admit he was afraid of losing to Clubber Lang, Bianca asks Adonis what he’s afraid of. Finally, he reveals that he’s afraid of taking on the Creed name and losing. Adonis bearing his heart to her in such an intimate moment not only shows that much more depth to the character than anyone in the franchise’s history not named Rocky Balboa but how important Bianca becomes in his life and how real she is. Though her follow-up argument to his fears isn’t necessarily convincing, she’s fine as hell, so she’s got that going on for herself (“You love to fight, right? It makes u happy, right? Yeah, and you are Apollo Creed’s son, right? So then use the name. It’s yours”).

When Rocky reminds Adonis how women weaken legs, he wasn’t kidding with Bianca.

Regardless, Adonis’s struggle to talk about these things and getting past them in an effort to embrace and own it is something he never truly figures out until Creed III, though even then, it’s a struggle. Following the concert incident, he tries to make things right with Bianca, but when he receives pushback because of how detrimental his actions were, he can’t help but flip out on her too because he thought an apology was good enough, along with the bailout card of revealing Rocky’s cancer. His aggressive response to her saying they need to focus on themselves in the interim with, “What’s that mean? I get it! I messed up! I trusted you. Can you please not shut me out?” is so much that Bianca pulls the power move of taking out her hearing aide. It goes without saying that we want Adonis to win out, but he makes us care enough for him that we want him to learn just as well. He can’t lash out anytime someone disagrees with him or gives him an opinion he may not want to hear. It’s a serious lack of maturity that he has to fight, along with the stress of taking on the world champion and Rocky potentially dying. He can’t just apologize once, and hope Bianca can just get over it. Sometimes that’s not enough. He tries to calm down after the door closes, but his “I’m sorry, okay? I need u right now” literally falls on deaf ears. Funnily enough, it’s like a dramatic recreation of Happy Gilmore telling off his girlfriend and immediately apologizing on the intercom to try and get her back and then getting mad again when she refuses. Nevertheless, Adonis Creed’s emotional immaturity is a big part of who he is and his overall character arc through his trilogy.

Besides our strong protagonist, the real treat of Creed is Sylvester Stallone, who was 100% robbed of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Mark Rylance was great in his own right in Bridge of Spies, but Stallone was magnificent. Once again proving to the masses that he’s an incredible actor outside of his action hero status, he hones in on the world-weary somber portrayal of Rocky from 2006’s Rocky Balboa but tunes it up to becoming a guilt-riddled lost soul, who’s will of steel that defined him is starting to melt. No one knows this character inside and out better than Stallone, and he reminds everyone why audiences fell in love with his spirit all those years ago as soon as he has his first interaction with Adonis. He knows he should have stopped that fight Apollo had with Drago, and he lives with it every day. He has tried to move on, but Adonis revealing his existence to Rocky sends shockwaves through his system. Without needing to show it on camera, you can tell that tragic moment forty years ago flashes before his eyes when Adonis calls out Rocky for not talking to Mary Anne since the funeral where he memorably eulogized his best friend. It’s these haunting thoughts he lives with while still trying to be the friendly “everyday Rocky” for all the outsiders he encounters that Stallone is able to perform flawlessly, without losing a step or forgetting who the character is at his heart. When Rocky is told of his diagnosis of large cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and that it’s cancer, the silent response of him closing his eyes on the word and taking off his hat is gut-wrenching. It’s like he’s telling himself, “God, not me too”. The doctor talks about how they will have to remove the tumor in his lymph nodes and start chemotherapy immediately, and the whirlwind of emotions we have seeing Rocky fight back tears mentioning how his wife tried that and how it “didn’t turn out so good” just breaks our heart. For movie fans, Rocky never gave up. That was what made him who he was and one of the greatest heroes that cinema has ever known. The will he has as a person made him a fighter in and out of the ring, turning him into a champion when he was counted out time and time again.

Nevertheless, time catches up to all of us. The older Rocky has seen so much death and has taken so many losses in his life that it’s finally starting to hit him, just as it would to any of us who have experienced such pain and suffering seeing so many of our loved ones go. For the first time in his life, he’s content with dying. In a teary-eyed speech that reminds audiences what Adrian meant to him, he tells Adonis “I’m not crazy at all. If I could take everything that was good and put it into a bowl or something and say, ‘Hey! Here, I’d like to buy one more day with my wife’, I’d do it. I would die a happy man. Right then. Not gonna happen”. Breathing out because it’s hard for him to reveal this side to himself, he continues, “So everything I got has moved on and I’m here, but you know what? It’s okay. Because I said to myself, if I break, if I’m hurt, whatever. I ain’t gonna fix it. Why bother?”. He knows Adonis has this whole bright future ahead of him while simultaneously accepting that he’s a relic waiting for his day to come. He sees this tragic news as a sign from God telling him that it’s time. After Adonis storms off after his comment of reminding him how they’re not actually family, there’s this great moment where Rocky questions himself aloud, asking himself why he said that to Adonis. This is how well Stallone knows this character. Normally, nobody would talk to themselves out loud about these inner thoughts. Movies that have characters do this are there usually just to let the viewer in on what they are thinking. However, Rocky absolutely would say something like this aloud to himself. It’s totally aligned with how the character acts. We wouldn’t realize it during the scriptwriting process, but seeing it in practice, you 100% agree with the call Stallone made here. That is a testament to how well he knows Rocky Balboa, though it doesn’t make it any less upsetting seeing where Rocky is at in his older age. It’s a lot to take in, but Stallone delivers it like it’s his swan song, speaking purely through the voice and heart of his famous character. He truly makes it feel like this is the end, with his physical deterioration during treatment scaring us as a real cancer diagnosis would to a family member or close friend.

Even so, it was a great decision made for the narrative, as giving Rocky something to fight for as strong as this, learning to fight again when he was willing to call it a life, all at the same time as Adonis putting the pressure on his back to create his own legacy as a boxer makes this one of the most complete productions of any Rocky film. Even the smaller stuff becomes noticeable like the POV shot of Wheeler knocking out Adonis in the sparring session and the camera following him to the ground, or the full first round played between Adonis and Leo in a cinematic boxing sequence as pure as Rocky’s fight with Mason Dixon in Rocky Balboa. All of it adds to the filmgoing experience. The same could be said about the locker room scene before the fight, with Adonis being gifted Apollo’s old trunks and the hair raising on the back of every Rocky fan watching as a result. Then, there’s Rocky firing up Adonis with his pre-fight speech about doing this for himself and no one else (“I can see it in your eyes. You’re gonna do it”), the circling of the subjects with the camera, Adonis making his entrance to 2Pac’s “Hail Mary”, and the 100,000 people in the Liverpool crowd chanting Conlan’s name like he’s Goldberg before his entrance were all excellent. It’s the coveted “big fight feel” personified. The training montages aren’t as flashy as before, but they are gritty and encapsulate the grimy, all-around toughness of the Philly fighter that Rocky wants Adonis to become. Juxtaposing it with Rocky training Adonis while he’s fighting cancer and Adonis adjusting to doing workouts in the hospital was genius. I also love the power behind Adonis’s line, “So if I fight, you fight”. It’s inspiration on a different level. The motivation felt in Creed is equal to that of the original movies but fitting of the modern era, with Adonis leading the Philly motorbike crew down the street with a dead sprint to Rocky’s place firing the viewer up just as much as the actual fight does. Taking in the focus behind the eyes of Jordan as he’s running down this street looking to make history is an image that lives in our consciousness, just as Rocky did bloodying his hands punching that red meat in the first film.

Meek Mill’s music almost ruins it, but I suppose he gets a pass because of the Philly connection.

Even so, all that nervous energy is infectious and pulls the viewer in directly to the task at hand. The same infectious energy can be found in the fire and confidence of Adonis when that punch lands. When Adonis cracks Conlan after challenging him to prove he’s the champ and then yelling “You bleed just like me!” you want to go to war. Then, in one of the best moments of the year, Conlan drops him with an uppercut, and we become privy to the knocked-out Adonis’s visions inside his head. He sees images of the entire movie’s events at a rapid pace and then a single moment where footage of Apollo is fighting Rocky in the ring all those years back. Chills. Every time I see it, it sends absolute chills down the spine. What a beautifully done edit that leads to Adonis showing his heart and getting back up. That final speech where Rocky considers calling the fight, but they fire each other up and he tells him that he loves him before “Gonna Fly Now” is heard could bring a tear to your eye. It’s like 40 years has led to that very moment where Rocky can get his redemption of Apollo dying in the ring by helping Adonis, and Adonis can go into that 12th round to prove he’s wearing that name proudly and he’s no mistake.

I love the reservation Rocky has for Adonis when Conlan’s manager Tommy Holiday (Graham McTavish) reaches out. Without saying it, it’s calling back to the events of Rocky V. Creed is life giving Rocky another chance to be a manager and right the wrongs that happened with Tommy Gunn all these years later. For fans, his refusal to train Adonis initially and his comment of not doing that anymore is essentially reminding us how disastrous that run with Tommy turned out. He gave him everything and formed a strong bond with him, teaching him almost everything he knew at the time. Tommy was still young and inexperienced even as an undefeated fighter, so when promoter George Washington Duke offered a world title shot to Tommy knowing how hungry he was and Rocky refusing it because he didn’t think Tommy was ready, it was the first step in breaking their nearly unbreakable bond. In Creed, he’s offered a world title shot by Holiday, even though Conlan is a much better talent than Union Cane ever was and Adonis has less experience than Tommy Gunn had at the time in that fifth movie. It’s as if Rocky remembers his past mistakes with Tommy and agrees to at least hear Holiday out with Adonis alongside him. In that meeting, Adonis is actually realistic instead of being his overly confident self. He asks Rocky if he thinks he’s ready, and it’s a great moment because Rocky pushes through the bullshit and jovial “nice guy” act he walks around every day as. Just like that raw moment in Rocky V when he argues with Adrian on the street and points out how he’s not this idiot everyone thinks he is, Rocky tells Adonis that Holiday came there because he knows Adonis is a sure thing, an easy win for Conlan in what could be his last fight. Holiday tries to play coy and refute this with, “That’s not true”, but the pause between them and Rocky giving him that stare before saying, “Yeah it is” was everything. It’s in these moments where the real Rocky shows up, using his years of experience in the sport to aide Adonis in his quest as best he can.

Though he’d rather prolong things to help build Adonis more instead of taking on this fight, which was what he was trying to do with Tommy Gunn, he knows this approach could yield a catastrophic fallout like last time. Instead, he lets Adonis make the decision for himself. It’s his career, and he will stand by him because not only has Rocky learned over what happened all those years ago, but his bond with Adonis has also become that strong. It’s so strong that it actually means more to the viewer when Adonis walks the “Rocky Steps” with Rocky in the epilogue compared to when Rocky did it with his own son at the end of Rocky V (“I think it’s my favorite place. When you get to the top, you think you can fly”). That’s special. Adonis knows Rocky doesn’t want him to do it, but they ponder the possibility for a moment. How could they approach this fight if he were to take it? Rocky notes how Conlan is taller, has reach, more experience, he’s faster, and he’s the champion. Since he’s the champ, Adonis has to bring the fight to him like Rocky did all those years back, focusing on the body. It’s a dangerous place to be because you can get laid out, but just Rocky talking about it in this manner fires the audience up like Adonis. Still, Rocky admits it’s not easy for him to be in his corner or if either of them is ready, but he’ll do what Adonis wants to do. Again, it’s making up for what happened with Tommy Gunn all those years back. Adonis’s heartfelt response shows how far they have come with, “If it was anybody else in my corner, I wouldn’t do it, but i got you.”. Rocky’s comical response of looking behind and then pointing at himself like, “Who me?” was just gold. Anyone else shouting to the world “I’m fighting Ricky Conlan!” would be cheesy, but just like Stallone did with all of those Rocky movies previously with his performance, his conviction refuses to let it be corny, and it becomes a war cry that gives the viewer goosebumps.

It’s a stark contrast to the attitudinal Tommy Gunn angrily leaving Rocky at the first chance he gets in favor of his title shot. Back then, we knew Tommy wasn’t ready. In Creed however, Michael B. Jordan makes us believe that he’s got a chance with Rocky by his side. It’s crazy to think about, but Creed is so well-made and powerful in its structure and story that it makes the maligned Rocky V seem necessary to the overall saga because we know how much it took for Rocky to come to these conclusions with Adonis. Without the events of the fifth movie, it may have gone down much differently. Despite Ryan Coogler and Aaron Covington’s sequel never having the intention in doing so, it somehow strengthened the crucial plot points of the most hated movie in the series and made it pivotal to the Rocky Balboa character arc. That’s impressive.

Still, it’s one step at a time, one punch at a time, one round at a time.

It’s boxing advice, but a lot of what Rocky says doubles as life advice just because of the excellence of this screenplay. They aren’t just memorable soundbites. These are eloquent, well-thought-out lines that Stallone is able to deliver in his personable, Rocky-like way of speaking. Besides this, it still works when he is in fact talking about the intricacies of the sport. Rocky’s notes as a trainer when speaking to Adonis doesn’t feel like the rambling fluff it sometimes resembled with Tommy Gunn. Instead, the fantastic script allows Rocky to show off his knowledge of the sport like no previous movie has given us before. At some points, you find yourself listening intently to every word between each round like when he details how Conlan is “… gonna jab and throw the right, when he leaves it out there drop that right hook and smash him, okay?”. He gets the blood pumping noting how Conlan knows Adonis is for real after a great round and that he’s going to come after Adonis with everything he has, but he doesn’t freak out over the excitement of it all like he seemed to do early on with Tommy. He inspires Adonis but makes every word of advice count as he comments, “You’re hurting him too. I can see it in his eyes. You’re not as far behind as you think. Shorten the jab, shorten the distance, get underneath him, and you’ll be able to rip him. You gotta push him back!”. Remember, it’s you against you. He’s just in your way. Get him out of the way!

Again, it’s boxing and life advice from Rocky himself. It looks like Adonis Creed has a bright future.

In a world of disappointing sequels and franchises that are only revived selfishly to cash in on nostalgia rather than for the art of storytelling and love for the foundation in which things started, Creed stands alone as one of the very few that does it right. In one of the best films of 2015, Ryan Coogler’s Creed continues the iconic Rocky saga and gives its spinoff sequel a modern and unique voice that lives up to the legacy Sylvester Stallone started in 1976 while providing audiences a fresh take on the franchise worth seeing through for the long haul. With a tremendous star-making turn from Michael B. Jordan, Creed lives up to the hype and stakes its claim as one of the better films of the decade.

Apollo would be proud.