Every now and again there is a character that audiences adore. There are many factors that go into why audiences adore said character, ranging from genre, story and sometimes the heart of the character. Rocky Balboa is certainly one of those characters that have won over the hearts of movie goers, but many people have grown concerned that they took the character too far in his own series. Now comes Creed a chance to bring back the legend for at least one more round and have it revitalize the genre that we have all come to love. Creed definitely does bring the fire back to a series that has gone stale and certainly does leave potential for more to come.
Creed opens up with a young Adonis Johnson fighting in a juvenile detention facility when he is rescued by the widow of his late father Apollo Creed. Adonis has always tried to keep his distance from the name Creed but when he begins his own fighting career he chooses his fathers former opponent, the Italian Stallion as his mentor and trainer and soon Adonis is thrown into the spotlight of can he live up to his legendary fathers name.
Michael B. Jordan steps in nicely as Adonis Johnson, creating a man who has a tough exterior but deep down has a vulnerability rarely seen in a modern lead in a movie of this kind. Adonis wants to prove himself and has decided to do so on his own merit but ultimately finds himself surrounded by those who want to know whether or not he has the same hear of a champion his father once had. He finds an aged Rocky, who is getting sick and dealing with his own big decisions and he bonds with the man his father once had a legendary rivalry with. Some of the best moments were when Adonis addressed Rocky as Unc and not by his name, which created a familial bond between generations of fighters. Jordan's most vulnerable moments came when he let his character of Adonis open up to both Rocky and Bianca, played incredibly by Tess Thompson. The two played off each other nicely creating a relationship that was built on loyalty and trust.
Most films of this nature fall victim to a cheesy form of story telling that only recreates the former glory of Rocky, but Creed does not do that. It gives us the same universe, but allows progression in a character that has been around for 40 years. Rocky was set in his ways, lived by himself and had little to live for but Adonis brought back the hope, the courage and the heart of the former champion. We get very little films that allow progression in all three of it's lead characters in this manner. Very few writers craft a film that tells a focused story while creating a world around these characters that goes much deeper than the story that is the main focus of the film. Most films of this nature create a scenario in which Adonis's decisions and actions would only matter in this one fight, but his decisions and actions had much bigger ramifications even after the fight would conclude which as an audience member is the type of story telling I prefer to see.
Each fight scene left with me with chills and made me understand the journey that Adonis had been on his whole life, fighting to prove he had value. Most people can relate to this not only in the sense of fighting but life in general. Everyone wants to feel important and forge their own path, even if they follow the same career as their parents and Adonis really brings the struggle to life.
Creed is easily one of the best films of 2015 and is sure to make my year end list. It has all the fixings for a top quality film, including a brave take on a classic character and enough heart to win the audience over several times.