Creed II - Film Review

Creed II fits the mold of your standard Rocky sequel. That is to say it’s bigger, louder and much, much dumber. You’ll be able to predict nearly every move it has up its sleeve because we’ve seen this movie a dozen times already. The carefully crafted, grounded aesthetic of writer/director Ryan Coogler’s Creed has been replaced with the hokey dialogue and bombast found in the series’ weaker entries. If Rocky Balboa and Creed I redeemed this franchise from the abyss Rocky IV and V created, Creed II is the start of its descent down the same path that led to its needing redemption in the first place.

Creed II kicks off in high energy fashion with Adonis winning the title of Heavyweight Champion of the World under the tutelage of his mentor Rocky Balboa. Things are still great with his girlfriend Bianca. He’s just proposed to her and they’re about to have their first child. But then along comes Ivan Drago, the evil, one-liner spouting Russian who killed Adonis’ father in Rocky IV. Drago has been training his son Viktor for a match against Adonis, an attempt to regain his former glory in Mother Russia, a glory lost when Rocky defeated him back in 1985. Naturally, Adonis jumps at the opportunity to avenge his father’s death, but his cocky, headstrong nature estranges him from his friends and family. When Rocky refuses to support Adonis’ decision to fight, Adonis decides to go it alone. You can pretty much figure out what happens from here. Think Rocky III, but without Mr. T or Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger. So basically, way less entertaining.

Creed II suggests some interesting ideas, but never bothers exploring any of them to their fullest potential. Everything about it feels pronounced and obvious, following the well-worn path of superior entries. The screenplay, crafted by Sylvester Stallone and Juel Taylor, is subpar, saddling this otherwise talented cast with some truly embarrassing dialogue. Performances suffer as a result. As Adonis, Michael B. Jordan is still as likable as ever, packing the role with every ounce of emotion he can muster, but the character isn’t given a worthwhile drive this time around. The same goes for Tessa Mae Thompson, who the screenwriters struggle to give anything worthwhile to do. A particular attempt during the film’s climactic showdown to have her be more involved is just as embarrassing as anything you’d find in Rocky IV or V. Stallone himself mumbles and stumbles through the role that made him a star forty years ago. It’s difficult not to love Rocky, but the character is reduced to being the standard mentor, spouting lines of wisdom when needed and the angle is already starting to get old.

Perhaps the biggest casualty is the Drago father/son storyline. Dolph Lundgren isn't given much more to do aside from scowl and repeat his best lines from Rocky IV. Florian Munteanu follows suit, throwing in some quizzical looks and emotional outbursts for good measure. Their relationship reaches a surprising and touching conclusion, but it comes out of nowhere and doesn't feel earned, undermining the whole thing.

None of this is helped by newcomer Stephen Caple Jr.’s direction. Caple Jr. had a tough act to follow, and he does an admirable job stepping up to the task, but his directorial stylings feel more pronounced and far less refined. His creative choices are bland and obvious, calling attention to themselves in all the wrong ways. This applies not only to the cinematography and color palette, which is more extreme and stylized, but to the sound design as well, which is extremely odd in places. For instance, there’s a scene in which Bianca and Adonis' mother Mary Anne sit in Mary Anne’s living room and have a conversation about Adonis’ struggles. This is intercut with Adonis training in a swimming pool in a completely different location. The conversation between his mother and Bianca plays over the soundtrack and, for some reason, every time Adonis submerges, the audio becomes muffled as if he’s hearing it from underwater. But they’re not in the same location and he can’t hear them, so why does this happen? I guess because Caple Jr. thought it sounded cool, even though it’s completely unmotivated in any creative sense. It feels amateurish, like a film student showing off without any justification for doing so. The fight scenes and training montage have a spark of life, but you can always expect as much from these movies. Even Rocky V had a decent training montage. Nothing about Creed II pulses with the same life as Coogler’s previous effort.

The story simply isn't up to snuff. There’s no emotional drive. It’s all about the fight, which is never a good sign for a Rocky movie. The best films in this series were never about the fight, not really. The first Rocky is a love story about two lonely people who desperately need one another in order to feel their lives are worthwhile. In that film, the fight is an extension of Rocky’s internal journey with the character striving not to win, but to prove to himself that he isn’t just some bum, that he can stand toe to toe with the greatest and hold his own. These themes are reflected in Rocky Balboa and Creed I; it’s why they’re so compelling and engaging and, in my not so humble opinion, the best this series has to offer.

And what do all these movies have in common? The main character loses the fight. This presents a dilemma for any sequel. What angle is left except for the main character to win? And if winning the fight is the main thing driving everything that happens, it’s not nearly as interesting. Every other Rocky sequel is about besting bigger and badder opponents to the point where it descended into cartoon territory. Creed II follows suit, and if you think my bringing this up is at all spoiling Creed II’s ultimate outcome, you clearly haven’t seen one of these movies.

It all boils down to this: Creed I was made because a talented filmmaker had something meaningful he wanted to say. Creed II was made because Creed I made money. Might I suggest throwing in the towel before things get any worse?

Here's how I'd rank the series overall:

1. Rocky
2. Creed
3. Rocky Balboa
4. Rocky III
5. Rocky II
6. Creed II
7. Rocky IV
8. Rocky V