I had a heck of a time trying to see this. I blinked (and missed) its release at my local theater, and since then, it’s vanished from the closest theater every time I’ve contemplated driving out to see it. I finally managed to catch it, 62 miles away – yeesh. But you know what? So worth it. (Be advised that this is my first Rocky-franchise film ever, so my background is thin.)
Adonis “Donnie” Creed has spent his life in the shadow of a man he never met. The illegitimate son of boxing legend Apollo Creed (who died in the ring before he was born,) Donnie is determined by follow in his father’s footsteps while at the same time not trading in on his father’s legacy – he boxes under his late mother’s last name. Despite the protests of his adopted mother – Creed’s widow Mary Anne – who worries for his safety, his efforts take him to Philly, where he attempts to enlist an aging Rocky Balboa as his coach.
Okay – as I’ve said, I’m not a big sports movie person in general, and I’ve seen only a very few boxing movies. (I feel obliged to point out that one of those is Buster Keaton’s Battling Butler.) But I loved this movie. I thought it was absolutely great. I’ve heard some people say it has pretty strong parallels to the original Rocky– shades of the A New Hope/The Force Awakens comparisons? – and I couldn’t tell you about that, but it’s just incredibly well-made. The story is compelling, the direction is tight, the characters are meaty and rootable, and the acting is rock-solid. Every element comes together wonderfully.
There are beautiful character and story touches throughout, little moments that flesh out these people and the world they inhabit (I particularly like that Donnie’s love interest has stuff going on in her life besides being Donnie’s love interest.) In tone, the film can be dramatic, exciting, uplifting, humorous, touching, and intense, skipping effortlessly between these variations as the script demands. The dialogue sounds natural and lived-in, even in the “rah-rah, inspiring sports movie” moments. Also? The relationships are excellent. The mentor-mentee chemistry between Donnie and Rocky is aces, the brief scenes we get between Donnie and Mary Anne are lovely, and I really like the budding relationship between Donnie and aspiring musician Bianca.
Michael B. Jordan is splendid as Donnie. As Hamilton would say, he’s “young, scrappy, and hungry,” but he’s also angry, in up to his neck if not over his head, and bubbling with unresolved issues. I’d at first thought Sylvester Stallone’s Oscar nomination was sort of a comprehensive nod to his history of playing Rocky, but he is in truth very good here and rises to the occasion of some fantastic material. I love Tessa Thompson (who I remember best as Jackie on Veronica Mars) as Bianca, and as Mary Anne, Phylicia Rashad does great work with limited screentime.
On the #OscarsSoWhite front, I really, really wish writer-director Ryan Coogler had been recognized in some way – a screenplay nod if the voters were feeling especially stingy with the directing slots. I’d have loved to see some love for Michael B. Jordan as well, although the lead actor category is so packed with Oscar-y roles that I’m not sure who he might’ve edged out.
Warnings
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