If you've seen my top 15 anticipated 2016 releases entry, chances are that you may be thinking "holy shit, that's a lot of sequels, prequels and reboots!". Like it or hate it, there's no stopping Hollywood from digging up or clinging on to old franchises in their pursuit for endless box office plunders, and these ventures will always yield results of both ends of the review spectrum, even if we limited them to recent releases. With successful revivals such as the last year's latest Jurassic Park, Mad Max and Star Wars entries, there's still the duds such as Terminator Genysis and T3ken. Heck, even Creed's Michael B. Jordan starred in the unfortunate mess that was the Fan4stic reboot, though that disaster wasn't down to his performance as Johnny Storm.

With that, the Rocky franchise seems to encompass both the good and ugly side of Hollywood's thirst for franchise continuation.  You have the Academy Award-winning 1976 original, which launched lead actor Sylvester Stallone into a long and prosperous acting/writing career, followed by the 'not-as critically-praised-but-still-enjoyable-nonetheless' sequels directed by Stallone himself, and falling hard with the wreckage that was 1995's Rocky V, which prompted many to write off the franchise.

Then in 2006, Stallone surprised many with his sequel/soft reboot Rocky Balboa, reviving a classic character to positive reactions and healthy box office number ($155+ million worldwide), to which now brings us back to the sixth sequel and seventh overall entry of the now 40 year old franchise. With a new director at the helm (the first franchise director who isn't Stallone or John G. Avildsen), Ryan Coogler manages to not only reinvigorate the series with new blood, but also both retaining and injecting new life into what has been a core element that has kept the franchise going on this everlasting journey - Rocky Balboa himself.


Creed starts off with a teenage Adonis Johnson being adopted by Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad), the widow of the late boxing champion Apollo Creed. Despite being the illegitimate son of Apollo, as a result of Apollo's infidelities, a now grown up Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) has the same aspirations of a father hes never met, and soon quits his corporate job to pursue a career in competitive boxing.

And who better to mentor and be your side at the side of the ring than another boxing legend Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), Apollo's former rival-turned friend? This soon branches out into the challenges faced by these two characters, as the younger Creed deals with coming out of his father's lofty shadows, while Balboa struggles to confront the reality of mortality.

Throughout the story, it's been a fight between Adonis and his father's shadows, and the film is ultimately Adonis's story to tell. Jordan, who had collaborated with director Ryan Coogler in 2012's Fruitvale Station, makes this yet another successful partnership, by delivering plenty of charisma and physique (believable as a boxer to be honest) as the titular character on his path to glory, while displaying a side of Adonis who is angry but scared, making him a relatable character audiences will certainly be rooting for.

What's more, Jordan's performance is ultimately what drives the film forward - the interaction between him and his co-stars Sylvester Stallone and Tessa Thompson, who plays Adonis's love interest in the film. Both Jordan and Stallone share great chemistry in what represents a great chunk of the film's runtime, and their scenes together could range from humourous (Rocky's confusion over the term 'OG' and how cloud storage works) to absolutely tear-jerking, which works in favour towards the film's more emotional segments (more on that in a bit). Meanwhile, Thompson's role as Bianca, a R&B singer soon evolves into becoming a part of Adonis and even Balboa's life, as the trio represent three characters with their own personal problems to solve. Despite that, Bianca's relationship with Adonis did not seem as well developed as the rest of the film's plot elements, and serves as the film's mundane portions.

Speaking of the Italian Stallion, Stallone doesn't do much of the heavy lifting as a main character for this round, and the same can be said of his role behind the cameras, as he relinquishes his directing and writing duties from the 40-year franchise (having written ALL 6 prior films, and directing Rocky II, III, IV and Rocky Balboa). Creed now casts Balboa, 10 years on after his comeback fight in Rocky Balboa, as a frail and defeated man from the start, both physically and mentally, rather than the super-machine he has appeared to be in previous sequels, as he grapples with personal losses and old age.

Even without any written involvement in shaping a character who he could credit to be his launchpad into stardom, Stallone is free to focus, while committed as ever, on portraying a familiar yet at the same time unfamiliar role. With Rocky now retired indefinitely and running his own restaurant, you can feel a man who has suffered enough baggage over the 40 year span of the character, with the death of his closest relations as he becomes the last man standing, and soon realizes that his time will come to pass. A great performance worthy of the awards buzz Stallone has been receiving, with a Golden Globe win tucked together with an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and I wouldn't be surprised if the man does claim the latter award come late February.

As well said by IGN, given that the story is focused on a son's quest to succeed without benefiting from his late father's legacy, Creed as a film treads along the same pattern as well, as it rarely relies on past themes or references over the franchise's long history. However, the film at the same time still managing to forge itself as a worthy 21st century successor and ultimately tribute to the original, with a more diverse angle  for the franchise. Also, the film doesn't rely too much on the audience members having heavy knowledge of prior films, or even being die hard fans of the franchise to be enjoyed, and would work well even if the film was served as a wholly standalone, original movie.

Sure, Creed still treads on the same Rocky formula of an underdog taking on the world, with the usual training montages and domestic struggles. Nevertheless, Creed takes up a more grounded approach into the tried and tested formula, in essence more like the original Rocky than the likes of the exciting but admittedly over the top Rocky III (with Mr T + Eye of the Tiger montage) or IV (with Drago + Hearts on Fire's Russia montage).

Creed is still a boxing flick, and when the film shifts to the ring, it doesn't disappoint, no doubt thanks to the direction of Coogler. One of the many highlights of these has got to be Adonis' first bout under Balboa, shot in a single take inside the boxing ring, giving the feeling that the cameraman (cinematographer Maryse Alberti) was a boxer involved in the fight as well. It's an 'edge-of-your-seat' scene, with every landing punch, coupled with every cheer from the audience, makes the fight both a cinematic marvel and a memorable fight for everyone involved. And when the familiar tunes of Bill Conti's 'Gotta Fly Now' and 'Going the Distance' starts playing (composed by Ludwig Göransson, they're played more subtly and not as central as previous entries), don't be surprised when your hair starts raising.

This being a sequel, the seventh entry no less, Creed could have easily been an unnecessary film posing as a cash-grab by studio executives. Thankfully, the film did not fall into that unfortunate category of terrible sequels, and while this isn't a game changer in terms of how sequels can innovative per say, given how Creed is very much a repeat of the core Rocky story, but this brilliant plus well-crafted film was down to everyone involved, from the actors playing their role to satisfactory results on-screen, to the hardworking personnel behind the cameras who were able to craft out an entry that could stand toe-to-toe with the original Rocky in the ring.

In hindsight, Creed shows just how writers Ryan Coogler and Aaron Covington are deeply invested as well as knowledgeable into the legacy of Rocky Balboa and those surrounding him, culminating in a warm, heartfelt, and emotional masterpiece that will simultaneously be tugging your heartstrings as well as rousing you up to fight for yourself, despite the odds.

While Michael B. Jordan yet again delivers in a role that further strengthens his position as a future Hollywood heavyweight, the ultimate victor at the end of the day may belong to the 80's action star who has been with the series from the very beginning, the franchise's founding father to call it. Stallone should commended for not only handing over the franchise reins to a young director, but for showing us a new yet believable side of Rocky who has experienced the ups and downs of life just like the rest of us. Director Ryan Coogler yet again reaffirms his position as a promising young director on the rise after Fruitvale Station, showing that he's no flash in the pan, and his double act has been 'rewarded' after being whisked away by the Marvel honchos to direct 2018's Black Panther. A worthy champion of a movie that delivers a knock-out blow in what would be a crowd favourite as the years fly by, montage style.