Movie Reviews – Creed
Movie Reviews this week looks at the Rocky spinoff movie Creed starring the very impressive Michael B. Johnson (The Fantastic Four) as Adonis Johnson, son of the legendary Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers, we only get to see flashbacks of the original Creed), no genuine Rocky fan needs an introduction on, and ofcourse Sylvester Stallone as the iconic Rocky passing the flame to his younger incumbent.
We join the movie as Adonis is in a foster home; actually in detention for getting into one of his regular fights, whereupon he gets a visit from Mary Anne Creed, played by Phylicia Rashad, we know her better as Mrs Huxtable from the Cosby show, who takes him away from the foster care life and he lives with her in a life of luxury. We would assume that most people would be happy to settle with such a life having had such a disruptive upbringing.
We find Adonis years later in a cosy business job, but true to form he is not satified or getting any pleasure from. He clandestinely fights in underground boxing tournaments in Mexico, where he is so far undefeated. He prompty hands in his notice to his cosy office job, much to the dismay of his mother, he goes to Philadelphia in search of the legendary Rocky to train him as a professional boxer. It turns out Adonis is no stranger to boxing after having fought in Mexico with a record of 15 fights and 15 wins, but he wants the world stage something underground boxing tournaments cannot give him. Rocky on the other hand is more content running his restaurant business and seems to have left his old boxing life behind (which came as a little bit of a surprise, as it wasn’t that long ago that he stepped into the ring). Rocky initially refuses to train Adonis, but knowing that Adonis is his great friend’s son, the desire to make him a better fighter, and to continue something of legacy with his friend’s son is just too great an opportunity to pass by.
The theme in Creed is similar in many of the Rocky themes, the personal struggle to be the best regardless of what life throws at you. Romantic interest for Adonis is the gorgeous Tessa Thompson (Selma, who looks very similar to one of the Huxtable’s daughters) who plays Bianca, an alternative pop musician.
The fight scenes are realistic, and even genuine boxing fans would be hard pressed to dismiss the boxing scenes as made for tv, as the trainers and routines they go through looks like the real thing. Creed is a fantastic movie along the themes of the Rocky saga, that will ring a bell with any Rocky or boxing fan.
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