I got the chance to see Creed II on its opening weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised by how all-around excellent the film was. I am a diehard fan of the Rocky movies, however I thought that the first Creed film fell a little flat. I thought that the sequel improved upon the story that the first film laid out, and I would like to touch on a few points that I liked and disliked about the movie.
Rocky Continuity
One aspect of Creed II that really surprised me was just how much it tied into every other Rocky film. It’s no secret that this was basically a continuation of Rocky IV, but it tied up stories laid out in Rocky Balboa as well. In franchises like Marvel and Star Wars, they tend to completely forget about their movies that fell a little flat, but Rocky is still piddling around Adrian’s Restaurant just like he was in the sixth installment of the film series. I personally loved all of the little Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the whole movie, and I am glad that the series is proud of every single movie from which it is comprised.
The Dessert
Adonis going out to the desert made for an epic training montage, but where did that place even come from? How did Rocky know about it? It seems that this magical plot device just appeared out of nowhere, and because of that it has no weight. Having Rocky back in his corner should be enough for him to win the rematch against Drago, but why did it have to be in a random dessert? Why couldn’t the two of them just train with Duke at his gym? This provided some stunning visuals for the classic boxing movie montage, but the reasoning behind this part of the film just didn’t make any sense.
Family
There were a lot of different themes surrounding Creed II. Redemption, bettering oneself, forgiveness, but the most important theme was family. Adonis and Bianca get engaged and have a baby, Adonis reunites with his mother, Rocky finally meets his grandson, and most of all, the cold-blooded Ivan Drago is able to show his son that he truly loves him. This wasn’t just a boxing movie. The viewer can leave the theatre with a new sense of hope and belonging, and maybe reconnect with somebody that they thought would never speak to again. Creed II was a family film through and through, and the boxing took a backseat to that.
Conclusion
Overall, Creed II was one of the best movies of its kind. I wouldn’t rank it above the first four Rocky films, but I think that it greatly improved on its first installment. This wasn’t a good boxing movie, it was a good movie in general. While there was a lot of build-up and narrative that you had to deal with between action scenes, that just made the whole experience worth while. I think that Creed II will have fans reeling for quite a while, and I would love to see a third film under the banner.