Creed Review: The charm of Rocky with contemporary grit makes it a genuine entertainer

It’s not often that the seventh installment of a franchise turns out to be a genuinely entertaining film. Generally by this point of the franchise people have grown tired of the formula and the dramatic plot points become predictable and also clichéd. And yet there are a few films like Creed that work despite pandering to every single cliché in the book.

Creed, directed by Fruitvale Station helmer Ryan Coogler is a fresh new entry in the Rocky franchise, keeping the heart of the earlier films and yet setting a new path for further films. The story follows Donnie (Michael B Jordan), the illegitimate son of world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers from the earlier films) who discovers boxing as the only vocation in his wayward life. Naturally Donnie’s mother is against his decision to become a boxer since his father had died in the ring in (Rocky 5), but that doesn’t stop him. He arrives in Philadelphia to look for Rocky Balboa (Stallone), his father’s old friend to train him. Rocky is initially hesitant but eventually agrees to help.

What follows is a barrage of clichés as Donnie trains in a montage, falls and rises, becoming stronger by the day, and learning new lessons about life, and falling for a local singer (Tessa Thompson). There’s nothing in the story to shock or surprise you. In fact you can see the ending coming from a mile away – it’s a boxing movie after all, they all end with the big fight in which the hero turns out to secure the respect of everyone.

But it’s the journey towards that predictable ending that sells the film. It’s shot beautifully, reminding you of the chilly atmosphere of the first Rocky movie with an added layer of contemporary grittiness to make Creed’s world, and his plight feel believable. The camerawork during the fights is the best boxing footage since Michael Mann’s Ali. Every punch feels like it’s causing genuine damage to the actors on the screen, and Jordan is directed incredibly well by Coogler even in the sappy moments.

The best moments in the film, however, are the ones between Rocky and Creed. Watching both the characters spar each other is sheer fun. The first training fight between the two of them is made to look like it’s shot in a single take, and you feel like you’re the referee in the ring watching the two up close. Ricky Conlan (Anthony Bellew), the ‘bad guy’ in the film isn’t necessarily a villain but a rival who just wants to figure out what Creed is made of. It’s a nice change from the increasingly cartoonish nature of the baddies in the last few Rocky movies.

There’s a layer of meta in the film as well; Creed is unwilling to take on his father’s surname, and this film in unwilling to take Rocky’s name to promote itself – this is Creed’s film and will be recognized as such, rather than ‘just another Rocky sequel’.

It doesn’t reach the iconic triumphant running scene from Rocky but it almost gets there, and leaves you pumped by the time you leave the theater. Moreover, it’s easy to connect to the protagonist of a tale about an underdog proving his worth to the world. And that makes is a very easy recco. Don’t be surprised to see more Creed movies over the next few years.