To their credit, this time, Warner Brothers has gravitated from senseless remakes, cash-grab spin-offs, and endless sequels to a hybrid of the three. Whether this denotes progress remains unclear. What is clear is that one of many problems with these sequel/reboot/spin-offs is that they're a hammer in search of a nail. Sometimes they hit a nail; sometimes they hit a baby. ("Define, 'sometimes.'" "Frequently.") Truthfully, however, it seems that Creed II is a nail that was hit on its head, albeit off-center. Yet one should refrain from being unnecessarily critical of both Creed movies because they're lovely anomalies. Yes, despite its formulaic and structure, Creed II is evidence that sequel/spin-offs don't have to suck.
One issue with building upon iconic franchises--even those well past their prime--is that the characters which were established in the original films are extraordinarily difficult to replicate. Either that or the same characters return in a mutated and depressing form, neither of which serve justice. Creed II, however, alleviates itself of these issues in two ways: 1) People were already sick of Rocky Balboa anyway, so most damages had already been done; and 2) It amazingly builds upon and re-introduces characters in very compelling ways.
Indeed, Adonis Creed builds his own legacy both within and outside of the screen. Instead of being a mediocre re-hash wannabe of Apollo Creed, he is written as his own man with his own desires, strengths, and struggles, all of which refrain him from becoming a Discount Apollo. Michael B. Jordan provided a solid surface-level acting ability in Black Panther and furtherly demonstrated a genuine depth as a wholistic actor in Creed II. Additionally, his on-screen chemistry with Tessa Thompson--while forced in Creed--became delightful by Creed II. They grew as an on-screen couple, demonstrated deeper relatability, and portrayed a relevant arc in tandem. (Also, if you didn't catch Sorry to Bother You, Tessa Thompson was excellent in that as well.)
Who would have thought that Dolph Lundgren of all people would step up their game? He and his fictional son--while less compelling than Stallone and Jordan--provided a sympathetic father-and-son antagonist that was more than a simple plot device. Obtaining a glance into their motivations and dynamic provided more engagement to the film than expected. Granted, several elements of their story were glossed and unnecessary, but it was nice to learn more about Creed's opponents than, "I must break you." (Not that I don't absolutely love that line and think it was perfect in Rocky IV.)
Plenty of movies (particularly sports movies) have the same incessant need to pad the run-time with montages. While certain movies like those in Rocky III, Scarface, and Batman Begins demonstrate a successful use of montages for their narrative structure, movies like Footloose and The Karate Kid enter a wildly cheesy territory. Or you could even pull a Rocky IV and have a training montage followed by a second training montage plus a bonus driving montage where Rocky reminisces about his earlier training montages.
Thankfully for us, though, Creed II never went full Rocky IV (never go full Rocky IV) and contained only a relevant and timely training montage. It wasn't anything special per se, but it was predominantly without issue. However, audiences will also find it forgettable because it lacked the wow-factor brought by montages in Rocky and Rocky III; namely, iconic music. No iconic music means that the Creed II montage will, unfortunately, enter the realm of forgotten montages. No Eye of the Tiger means no long-term memory.
While Creed II is without detrimental pitfalls, it still gets in its own way. Both Creed II and its predecessor were unable to refrain from dry side plots. Creed was the bigger culprit of the two, but only marginally so. There were two predominant, relevant, and interesting story threads in Creed II: One concerning the Creed v. Drago fight, and the other concerning Adonis and Bianca. Should these two have been the sole story, the movie would have been more well-paced and consistently absorbing. Unfortunately, however, we became ensconced in unmemorable and irrelevant plot points involving the Drago family and Rocky, which needlessly curbed the film. Fortunately, the focus on these uninteresting story threads was minimal, but it still prevented the narrative structure from graduating from "good" to "great."
The most obviously refraining component of Creed II is the formulaic and unoriginal story. Not only is it a predictable sports movie, but it's the eighth in the Rocky franchise alone. It does not take long for the audience to predict nearly every act of the film, which means that tension is very limited. Maybe that's not what matters; maybe we're looking for something else. Either way, Creed II limited its own potential before the camera started rolling because updating the Rocky formula in a positive way borders on the impossible. That said, Creed II executed its somewhat unimaginative narrative in unexpectedly fun ways. In a broad sense it isn't anything new; but in many specific ways, it deviates from its predecessors in a fun and--yes--even surprising way.
Creed II is a welcome reminder that even old, expired ideas can still provide fun and impressive elements to moviemaking. Personally, I'm still lost as to why we needed another Rocky-esque movie in the first place; but if we must have one, I'm glad this is what we got. It may not be spectacular, but it's certainly very good. How good? About 78% good, which also means it's
Theater Worthy
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