Skip to main content

New Release Birb: Creed II

Creed II
Starring Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson
Directed by Steven Caple, Jr. 
US Release Date: 21 November 2018
My First Viewing: 20 November 2018

A film that should be retitled Rocky IV: Thirty Years Later. 

Rocky Balboa and Adonis Creed are back in Creed II, but now with a new director and screenwriter. We follow Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) as he makes the jump to Heavyweight and is on the comeback trail after his split decision loss at the end of Creed. Now the Heavyweight Champion of the World, he has a new challenger in the form of Viktor Drago, son of Ivan Drago, who killed Adonis' father Apollo in Rocky IV. Throw in some friction between Adonis and Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and a new baby with his now wife Bianca (Tess Thompson), you have all the makings of and adequate yet bland sequel. 

What Works
Chemistry 101: One of the (many) great things in the first Creed was the chemistry between Tessa Thompson and Michael B. Jordan. This continues in Creed II, with Thompson having a bigger role in the film. She is now the 21st Century Adrian, and that's not a bad thing. Jordan is again great given the story and screenplay, and between this and Black Panther earlier this year, he is having a great 2018. These two are the focal point of the film, and for good reason.  
Doing it for Mother Russia: With very few words in the entire film, Viktor Drago (played by German-Romanian boxer Florian Munteanu) is menacing and assertive. Dolph Lundgren returning as Ivan Drago was good with what he had, and the motivations of the Drago's were clear throughout. The end was never in doubt, but these two made for interesting antagonists. 

What Doesn't Work
Pacing: The runtimes for both Creed films are similar, but II lacked the energy of the original, making for an experience that felt way longer than its already overstuffed 130 minutes. There is a lot you could have taken out of this film in terms of unnecessary story arcs and montages that could have made this a more streamlined movie. By not having Ryan Coogler at the helm writing the screenplay and as the director, the flow of the film just wasn't the same. 
No Surprises: Creed II is ultimately a by-the-numbers follow-up that does nothing surprising. Going back to what made the first film so great was not knowing where it was going. By the time the first act of the film is over, you can guess what all the story beats are going to be, if not sooner. It was safe to the point of boring at times, and buy the time the big fight came at the end, there is no real investment to be had. 

My Grade: C-. Seek it out if you are at all interested in seeing it.  I am sure that you may have a differing opinion. If you're there for the boxing and to see Sly on the big screen again as Rocky, and don't really care about the lack of story or character development, then you might enjoy it. For me, this was safe and sadly disappointing.  

Creed II is rated PG-13 for action violence and language. Are you excited to see this over the Thanksgiving weekend? Give me a follow on facebook or instagram and let me know what you think, and as always, please be civil. 

-birb

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New Release Birb- A Fantastic Woman

A Fantastic Woman (Una Mujer Fantástica) Starring: Daniela Vega and Francisco Reyes Directed By Sebastián Lelio US Release Date: November 17, 2017 My First Viewing: March 2, 2018 A nominee for Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, A Fantastic Woman stars Daniela Vega as Marina, a woman who is dealing with grief and the prejudice of those around her life after the death of her older partner.  This is a beautiful movie that is carried by Vega. She makes this movie so profoundly powerful that you feel with her through her journey, even if this is not something a lot of people can directly relate to. Marina has a difficult enough time in her life dealing with the death of her partner Orlando (Francisco Reyes), but with this being a relationship with a much older man and a trans woman, there are added layers. Between the police, doctors, and Orlando's family, Marina has a lot to deal with, but she is strong and isn't afraid to fight for what she believes ...

New Release Birb- A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place Starring: Emily Blunt and John Krasinski Co-Written and Directed by John Krasinski US Release Date: April 6th, 2018 My First Viewing: April 2nd, 2018 John Krasinski and Emily Blunt try to protect their family from an unknown entity in A Quiet Place, a title that not only perfectly describes the film, but also your theater-going experience while watching it as well.  Taking place in the not-too-distant future in Little Falls, New York, an alien race only known as the Dark Angels live in hiding. If you make a sound, they find you and kill you. Evelyn and Lee Abbott (Blunt and Krasinski) live on a farm with their two children Regan and Marcus (Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe), to do whatever they can to stay alive. When one night they stoke the ire of the Angels by accident, it's a race against time to use what they can to defeat the Angels.  Being a married couple with young children in real life, you can tell the both Krasinski and Blunt bri...

New Release Birb: I, Tonya

I, Tonya Starring: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, and Allison Janney Directed By: Craig Gillespie US Release Date: December 8th, 2017 My First Viewing: September 16th, 2017 Image Credit: Movieposters.com Underneath the surface of the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan story lies the movie I, Tonya. Harding, played by McKenna Grace (child) and Margot Robbie (age 15 and older), is one of many unreliable narrators in this saga of wanting to be perfect at something because that is all you know, and it is a release from her everyday life.  Shown in a pseudo-documentary interview style, we see the story of Harding, the abuse she had to deal with, whether it be more mental from her mother (Allison Janney), which turned into psychical once she began dating, and marrying, Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan). All three can not be trusted as to whether or not their side of the story is the truth, which makes this film all the more compelling. Even though you think you know how Harding's story...