Tag Archives: Rocky

Movie Review: Creed II (2018)

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This movie became the sequel of the movie Creed (2015) and came out on November 21, 2018. As I watched the movie that month, I really enjoyed the movie and learned more lessons in my life that I connected to after rewatches this year.

The movie started off with two different viewpoints: The Dragos, represented by the iconic villain Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) and his son Viktor (Florian Munteau), and the protagonists Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) and his mentor Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). Determined by revenge following a defeat at the hands of Rocky in the movie Rocky IV, Ivan focused his son on the heavyweight title and restoration of honor to his home country of Russia as he put Viktor through intense training and professional fights, which Viktor underwent in dominating fashion. Meanwhile, Adonis won the heavyweight title after a fight with the champion at the time, Danny Wheeler (Andre Ward), and found himself at a new position of power. However, this is all turned upside down when Ivan and Viktor confront Rocky and Adonis, and the history all unfolds in an intense sequence of events.

Both of their complicated histories became revealed throughout the movie. Viktor dealt with abandonment from his mother and tough love from Ivan as he dedicated his whole life to boxing under training from his father with a purpose of making his father proud. Meanwhile, Adonis found purpose in his family and Rocky as he began a family with his girlfriend-turned-wife Bianca Taylor (Tessa Thompson) and had a baby who later turned out to be deaf. Despite all this pressure, Viktor and Adonis both found motivation in their fight against each other through their love for the people that they care about as they train.

Although Adonis lacked balance due to Rocky’s absence in the first fight and only retained his title due to disqualification after an excessive beatdown at the hands of Rocky, he came out victorious against Viktor in their second fight as he underwent training with Rocky and Little Duke (Wood Harris), the son of Apollo’s trainer, Duke (Tony Burton). In a grueling 12-round fight, despite Viktor’s mother walking out and abandoning Viktor again, Ivan chooses to throw in the towel and save Viktor from potential death after an exhausted Viktor faces a flurry of blows in the final round.

Despite their differences, the Dragos put their problems with Adonis and Rocky to rest in a heartfelt deleted locker room scene. As the movie came to an end, Adonis introduced Bianca and his new daughter to his father as they came to his grave, Rocky finally reconciled with his son, Rocky Balboa Jr. (Milo Ventimiglia) after years of disconnection, and Viktor finally gained the love and respect that he always desired from his father as they bonded over a run.

Although this movie admittedly has so much to unpack, it was definitely a captivating film to watch. While the first film focused on legacy, this film focused primarily on the purpose that fueled each character in their respective arcs. Tragedy faced each of the characters, however the journey and story that each of them underwent made this film stand out greatly. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone, as it is currently available on Amazon Prime for free with anyone who has a Prime subscription.

Creed II is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Movie Review: Creed (2015)

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As the sequel to the famous Rocky movie series, this movie really got my attention. Since I was interested in the series and wanted to see how Creed would turn out, I watched it as it came out during the week of Thanksgiving. I really enjoyed it then, and as the newest movie of the series Creed III came out, I rewatched this movie and realized just how great the series has progressed.

This movie featured Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the son of former boxer Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) who died in the movie Rocky IV. Adonis is revealed to have a hard life, as he lacked a father figure after Apollo’s death before he was born and faced time in juvie – even getting into fights before being taken in by his biological mother, Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad). Although Adonis earned a desk job, he abandoned this pathway and instead pursued boxing as he faced off in underground fights, similar to how his father’s friend, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), did in the first Rocky movie.

As Adonis learned about Rocky’s connection with his father, he looked for Rocky and eventually convinced Rocky to train him in boxing. He also met a woman who lived nearby to him, Bianca Taylor (Tessa Thompson), who he eventually gets into a relationship with. With these relationships, he received motivation as he started his boxing career and picked up wins in some professional fights as he progressed.

In a similar way to Rocky, Adonis also found himself in a huge professional fight as he found himself in a fight for the Boxing Heavyweight Championship of the World due to circumstances against the champion at the time, Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew). However, Adonis found himself conflicted as he learned that Rocky faced cancer and needed treatment that he was unsure of accepting, as well as public criticism as the press and Conlan questioned whether he could live up to Apollo’s legacy as a Creed. Despite his challenges, Creed stepped up to the plate and took Conlan to the limit in his first fight for a boxing title, and despite a loss, proved to the world and himself that he represented Apollo’s legacy proudly and legitimately. He also inspired Rocky to take the treatment and bonded with Rocky as they shared a heartwarming moment in a famous callback to the Rocky films.

Overall, this film exceeded my expectations and set the standard for the next Creed films that followed. What resonated with me the most was the lesson of believing in yourself to keep going despite challenges — represented through the mental struggles of both Adonis and Rocky, as well as the growth that they have throughout the movie that left them on a great path. Adonis and Rocky both remind the audience the meaning of self-worth and pride in the legacy of family.

As the movie is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and available free of charge with a Prime subscription, I would highly recommend seeing this movie, especially as the latest movie, Creed III, recently released in March of this year.

Creed is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.