2018 Film Review: Creed II (2018)

Directed by: Steven Caple Jr.
Written by: Juel Taylor, Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson
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I love that they manage to keep making these worthwhile, even though they change so little about the formula. It's a real testament to how predictability is not inherently a measure of a movie's quality.

Still trying to carve out his own identity against the legacy of a father he never knew, Adonis "Donnie" Creed's (Jordan) ascendance to Heavyweight Champion is immediately met with a challenge from Viktor Drago (Florian "Big Nasty Munteanu), son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), the man who killed Apollo Creed in the ring way back in Rocky IV. Rocky doesn't want to help because he feels responsible for Apollo's death, and in the mean time Donnie has to come to terms with his own fatherhood. Everything is brought to boiling point in the most melodramatic and yet appropriate way possible for a film in this series; the tone of the tender moments aren't often held long enough to be at their most convincing, but the stakes are raised at a personal enough level, for both Donnie and the Dragos, for this to bounce between the kinetic fights and the softer family touches while maintaining melodrama in each to make this feel like more than just going through the motions of the formula, even though at this point that's essentially all they can do. It does almost exactly what you;d expect, but in the process it brings the Rocky/Creed story all the way back around, and completes an arc for Donnie in the most satisfying way.

Such a narrative is supported in a big way by key performances from Jordan and Stallone. Their contrast in styles puts a divide between them that they overcome along similar lines to their characters; Jordan is always expressive and emotional, Stallone a stoic hunk of meat, and because they lean in to the strengths of those performances, they can create openings for one another to do more with their roles. Jordan's outbursts as Donnie get played against quiet moments where Stallone is allowed to contemplate this career-defining role, and it's from these soft moments where eyes say more than expressions ever could that Donnie learns to take the time to reflect on his own eruptions. Both actor and character get to put on their best display because of the differences between the two and the burden of the legacy they share.

Likewise, in this film about legacy and closure, there's a surprising amount of character given to Ivan Drago. Once no more than a caricature, this film gives credence to the four words of characterisation he received in Rocky IV and makes the story of the "villains" one worth investing in. We're shorthanded a legacy that contrasts with Rocky's and Apollo's, and it has enough meaningful glances and family drama stoked over the top of it to work. It's not to the same calibre as the drama the goes on around and between Donnie and Rocky, but it's more than the cartoon super-villain archetype Ivan was first laden with, and Lundgren of all people makes it convincing within the context of the melodrama.

The Short Version: Cheesy, melodramatic, and elevated by heartfelt performances, Creed II is a comfortable but moving piece, worthy enough as a sequel that brings the whole story full circle.

Rating: 7.5/10

Published December 2nd, 2018