Creed
Grade: A-
**Currently in Theaters**
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa
Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Tony Bellew and Graham McTavish
Premise: Determined to write his own story, the son of late
boxing legend Apollo Creed moves to Philadelphia
and enlists the help of the legendary Rocky Balboa to whip him into fighting
shape.
Rated PG-13 for boxing violence/blood, language, and a scene
of sexuality
Revisiting legends of cinematic lore is clearly in vogue
this year, with Jurassic World bringing
to life the dinosaur theme park imagined in the 1993 original and Star Wars: The Force Awakens gearing up
to take audiences back to a galaxy far, far away, with the original trilogy’s
cast members. Creed probably won’t
make as much money as either of those movies, but it drops into the middle of a
movie season crowded with cheesy holiday comedies, art-house awards contenders,
and big-budget blockbusters, with an equally-legitimate pedigreed franchise DNA
of its own. After all, Creed is the sixth
film directly tied to the 1976 hit Rocky,
a boxing picture starring and written by then-unknown actor Sylvester Stallone
that was a box office smash and received multiple year-end awards, including
the Academy Award for Best Picture. Sequels followed in 1979, 1981, 1985, 1990,
and 2006. While none of the sequels achieved the same financial or
awards-season success as the original, they cemented Rocky as an icon and a brand, made Stallone one of the richest and
most successful men in Hollywood ,
and made Bill Conti’s theme “Gonna Fly Now” one of the most recognized pieces of
music in pop culture.
While I wouldn’t consider myself a huge Rocky fan, I am versed enough in Rocky lore to appreciate Creed
for its continuation of the saga as well as on its own merits (I have seen
two of the films—the 1976 original and the most recent sequel, ‘06’s Rocky Balboa). Directed by Ryan Coogler
and headlined by his Fruitvale Station star,
Michael B. Jordan, Creed is a fresh,
exciting entry into the Rocky canon
that pays significant homage to the earlier films’ classic characters and
settings but also manages to reinvigorate a series that had become the poster
child for embarrassingly-drawn-out franchises, and this was before drawn-out
franchises were a regular occurrence. Strong performances, thrilling fight scenes,
a legitimate sense of realism, and some superb camerawork make this a
noteworthy film that doesn’t deserve to get lost in the shuffle amidst the
inferior James Bond and Hunger Games films currently in theaters. Hopefully it
won’t.
PLOT
**I imagine someone
could come into Creed having never seen any of the 6 prior movies and enjoy it
just fine—provided they had some idea of who Rocky was—but I will briefly
summarize what I think necessary**
Once just a working-class Joe with a gym membership and dreams
of a boxing career, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) was given a once-in-a-generation
chance to fight way outside his pay grade against the then-reigning heavyweight
champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), on the anniversary of the bicentennial.
Coached by the weathered Mick (Burgess Meredith) and cantankerous Paulie (Burt
Young), Rocky ultimately lost the bout, but, in the
process, gained the champion’s respect, the people’s love, and the heart of
Paulie’s sister, shy, working-class Adrian (Talia Shire). He went on to become one of the
biggest stars in the sport, winning the championship belt in a rematch against
Creed and then fighting a succession of celebrities (Mr. T, Hulk Hogan, Don
King). He and Creed became close friends, but Rocky’s admiration for the fiery
Creed backfired when, while serving in Creed’s corner as a trainer for another
big fight, he failed to throw in the towel despite the fact that Creed was
getting brutally beaten by a chemically-enhanced Russian juggernaut named Ivan
Drago (Dolph Lundgren). Creed died from his injuries in the fight, and Rocky
was left to tearfully offer a eulogy at his funeral. Later in life, after
watching his trainer and beloved wife both pass on, Rocky opened a restaurant
in downtown Philly called Adrian ’s.
Creed is focused
on the person of Adonis Johnson-Creed (played as an adult by Jordan ), the
child of a woman with whom Apollo was having an affair shortly before he died. Having
never met his father, Adonis was orphaned at a young age and later plucked from
a children’s home by Creed’s widow, Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad), and raised as
her own. Though his family name and money tended to put him ahead in life, “Donnie”
wore a chip on his shoulder and sought to make his own living as a fighter, not
wanting any fame or glory he didn’t earn himself. Having turned out an educated
and clean-cut young man, Donnie shocks his adopted mother by quitting his job
and moving from Los Angeles to Philadelphia
following a bit of success in low-rent fighting bouts in Mexico . There,
going by Donnie Johnson, he immediately seeks out the famous Rocky Balboa
(again played by Stallone), with whom he knows his father was close, and asks
for help training. Rocky is still known by name to almost everyone, but, with
his grown children gone and now even Paulie dead, he’s living a quiet,
low-maintenance life managing his restaurant. Donnie nabs a membership at
Mick’s famed old gym, Mickey’s, and works out while stopping by regularly to
visit Rocky and ask him for tips. Soon, Rocky can’t resist the young man’s
tenacity, or his own desire to lessen his guilt over his old friend Creed's death.
Donnie has been keeping his real surname on the down-low to
avoid comparisons and favors, but when he wins a fight against a rising
contender and his real name is leaked, it becomes a story. And, soon, the camp
of a heavyweight champion fighter (Tony Bellew) who’s looking for one last
fight becomes interested in the idea of their champ against the blood of an old
champ. But Donnie isn’t sure he wants to be defined forever by his name.
What Works?
I was only particularly excited to see Creed once I had confirmed that the movie was neither written nor
directed by Sylvester Stallone. I imagined this would save the movie both
unbearable schmaltz and an air of pretentious ego-stroking (if you’ve seen
Stallone’s Expendables films, you
should understand the latter). Happily, as written by Ryan Coogler and Aaron
Covington, Creed has its share of
sentiment but is brisk and well-paced and builds to an exciting climax. Rocky is a famous-enough cinematic
entity that there are plenty of nods to the original brand, all among the
movie’s best moments, especially an unveiling of red, white and blue boxing
shorts styled after Apollo’s, and the perfectly-timed unveiling of the
signature “Gonna Fly Now” music.
The cinematography is another highlight. We get our share of
training montages, of course, but Coogler and cinematographer Maryse Alberti
put together a number of impressive, lengthy tracking shots, including one epic,
instant-classic shot that lasts the entire duration of a key fight, with the
camera swiveling back and forth to capture each fighter’s prowess. They also
know when to keep their camera still and have it linger on an image, as it does during
the very artistically-rendered fighter intros for the climactic bout.
Creed only has two
fully-realized characters, Donnie and Rocky, and they’re well played by Jordan
and Stallone. As he proved in his breakthrough role in Fruitvale Station ,
Jordan Jordan is
almost certainly bound for long-term success, perhaps the kind of longevity
achieved by his main costar. Stallone, 69, has been oft-mocked for his slurred
speech, unique (probably altered) facial features and corny screenwriting,
but he’s nicely understated here in the classic, irresistible aged mentor role.
Rocky is in his twilight years and almost could not be bothered to get back
into what is obviously a young man’s game, but he achieves a certain undeniable
glow when he’s shouting encouragement to his young trainee during training sessions, when he’s giving
the bag a go just for fun with his huge, weathered fists, or when he’s talking about the
glory days or bantering with his young fighter. After quipping and winking
through his increasingly-dumb Expendables
movies, it’s a treat for the actor—who’s always tried to give his
characters humanity no matter their action-y surroundings—to give a real,
lived-in performance.
Jordan and Stallone are given able support by a cast that
includes Tessa Thompson as Donnie’s charming girlfriend, Phylicia Rashad as his
mother, Graham McTavish and Tony Bellew.
What Doesn’t Work?
There isn’t much about Creed
that doesn’t work. Its 133 minutes feel like 133 minutes, with multiple
training montages and fights, and the climactic bout lasts a long time, but,
for the most part, the movie is well-paced, enough that some parts could be
longer. In fact, I found Creed so
interesting that I started the lose interest as the final bout went on and on
(even though I knew it would) because what had come before was so engaging.
Boxing movies are a tried-and-true type and this movie can’t avoid all the
cliché dialogue it could, but with Jordan , Stallone, Thompson, and the
brilliant camerawork, Creed is much
more notable for what it does right than what it does wrong.
Content
Like most boxing movies, Creed
doesn’t really try to glam up the actual fighting, in which eyes swell
shut, foreheads and eyebrows split open, and blood mingles with spit and sweat
in the midst of lengthy bouts. There is also your typical PG-13 slate of
cusswords (one, very informatively and amusingly, is done in sign language).
And there is one brief intimate scene between Jordan and Thompson’s characters,
though little is seen, as they’re mostly covered by a blanket.
Bottom Line
Yeah, it’s another sequel/spinoff/reboot, but Creed is the liveliest, most exciting
movie I’ve seen in theaters in at least a month, much more worthwhile than the
most recent James Bond and Hunger Games films. It pays plenty of homage to the
six Rocky films while livening things
up with new characters, new fighters, and some brilliant cinematography. Plus,
if it’s the last-ever big-screen go round for Rocky Balboa, one of the movies’ most
revisited and enduring characters, it’s arguably the best go yet for Sylvester
Stallone, whose Rocky is more likable and human than ever. And if you’ve ever
doubted that “Gonna Fly Now”, the Rocky theme,
could get you excited and amped up, this movie will remind you how wrong you
were to doubt that music’s innate awesomeness.
Creed (2015)
Directed by Ryan Coogler
Screenplay by Ryan Coogler and Aaron Covington
Based on characters created by Sylvester Stallone
Rated PG-13
Length: 133 minutes
No comments:
Post a Comment