Opening in theaters today, “Creed” is a great improvement on the original “Rocky” series. It builds on the basic elements that were established in “Rocky.” Watching it, you can see all the hard work put into making this film. “Creed” stars Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the son of the legendary boxer Apollo Creed. Adonis is the child of Apollo Creed and a woman whom Apollo had an affair with. Adonis never knew his father and lost his maternal mother at a young age. Apollo Creed’s wife Mary Anne (portrayed by Phylicia Rashad) then tracks down and finds young Adonis in a juvenile detention center where the young boy is known to always be involved in fights and takes him into her home.
Adonis seemingly leads a normal life in a wealthy household and ends up getting an office job. But in his free time, unbeknownst to his mother, he trains himself to be boxer. One day after a knockout victory, Adonis quits his job and goes on to pursue his talents. He goes to Philadelphia and seeks out Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), legendary boxer and rival of his father, for training. It takes some convincing but Rocky agrees to help Adonis on his journey.
The movie’s casting is most definitely a win. Michael B. Jordan excellently portrays Adonis Creed. His performance during emotional scenes makes you feel Adonis’s pain and his struggle to fight for himself and not just his name. It’s also amazing to see his transition from a serious, emotional and hot-tempered fighter to a funny and loose guy who people like to be with. Sylvester Stallone also drives the movie forward and keeps it entertaining with jokes and wisecracks as Rocky. It’s also nice to see Rocky as someone who learns to continue to fight but in a different way.
The camera work and sound design in this movie are fantastic. The sound from every punch thrown and the slow motion shots of each big hit make you feel as if you’re the one being punched in the face. The screaming of the fans and the shuffling of the feet in the ring excellently captures the feel of what a real boxing fight should sound like. It also uses the famous training montage scenes from the original movie and brings back the “Rocky” theme to hype up the moments leading up to the fight. There also isn’t too much background music which is nice. It creates an atmospheric effect and makes it seem more life-like. Most of the time there’s only music being played when a character is listening to music or when the setting is a nightclub or bar, where music would actually be playing. When there is background music, it’s intense and makes your heart pound with excitement and anticipation.
Overall, this movie is excellent. If you’re an original “Rocky” fan, you won’t be disappointed and it will make you a “Creed” fan. Even if you’re just a person who enjoys action movies, you will still enjoy this amazing film.
