A shot-in-the-arm for the Rocky franchise

Film review: Creed

MANILA, Philippines - There was a time when the Rocky film franchise seemed to be sputtering and going beyond its validated life expectancy. But thanks to Ryan Coogler’s shift of focus, direction and screenplay (co-written with Aaron Covington), the latest installment, Creed, gives the franchise new blood and the proverbial “shot in the arm.”

This early in the review, I can say that Creed is a great success, proving that beyond the plaudits and awards Coogler’s first feature film, Fruitvale Station, earned. He is a born cinematic storyteller — able to successfully blend action, drama, humor and compassion. While far from being perfect, there are far many pluses than minuses in his latest outing. The young filmmaker fully deserves the trust that Sylvester Stallone and the producers had placed on his shoulders.

As the trailer revealed, the film shifts focus from the aging Rocky Balboa to Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) who at the outset of the film, calls himself Donnie Johnson, finding the legacy of his father, Apollo Creed, too heavy a cross to bear. Shunned by trainers in Los Angeles, the self-taught undercard boxer Adonis travels to Philadelphia in the hope of enlisting Rocky (Stallone) to be his mentor. The “courtship” that ensues is rich with humor and pathos. And when the reigning Light Heavyweight champion, Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew), is caught in the midst of legal problems and finds no opponent, his manager sees Adonis/Donnie as the ticket to one last defense that has built-in PR buzz written all over it. And in parallel to so many Rocky films of the past, here is the set-up for the one big finale fight that pits underdog in capital letters against cocky champion.

With this basic plotline, the magic of the film is squeezed more from the scenes that exist outside the fight sequences. A musician love interest (Tessa Thompson) adds a dimension to the Adonis character, as does the relationship he has with Apollo’s widow (Phylicia Rashad). And if in previous Rocky films, we would be charmed by the vulnerability of Rocky, Creed truly brings the facet of his personality to the forefront. A pussycat disguised as a lumbering bear, Rocky succumbs to an illness in the course of the film, and it turns into a touching give and take between Rocky and Adonis — male bonding that has the ring of truth to it. Stallone brings nuances to the Rocky character that evinces fresh sympathy, and I loved how he was ready to follow Coogler’s vision of a more fragile Rocky. Jordan had worked with Coogler on Fruitvale, and the comfort level is evident.

Family, male bonding, accepting who you are and where you came from, the struggle that is life and living — these are just some of the themes that the boxing drama tackles. Creed has a bright future ahead, and it is a Rocky “road extension” that this reviewer is more than ready to travel -— to discover what is up ahead. Adonis Creed gets my nod as most interesting cinematic sports figure of the year. This seventh Rocky round is a winner.