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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

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