A Worthy Sequel, Yet Far From the Original “Rocky”
Following his mother’s death, Adonis Johnson, the illegitimate son of former world boxing champion Apollo Creed, ends up in a juvenile detention center. He is rescued by Creed’s widow, who adopts him and provides him with a good education. But despite Donnie (Michael B. Jordan) finding a job in a financial company and climbing the corporate ladder, he is drawn to his father’s profession. When the call of boxing becomes irresistible, Adonis abandons his successful life in Los Angeles and moves to Philadelphia, hoping to become a protégé of his father’s close friend, former champion Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone).
This marks the first “Rocky” film where Sylvester Stallone was not involved as a director or screenwriter.
In a rare move by our film distributors, the Russian title of the film more accurately reflects its content than the original title. While in America, Ryan Coogler’s film (“Fruitvale Station”) is simply called “Creed,” our distributors added Rocky’s name to the title. Perhaps they should have gone even further and titled the film “Rocky 7: Creed.” This would have been more honest with the audience, as Coogler’s claims that his film is solely about Adonis Creed are completely unfounded. First and foremost, “Creed” continues the story of the most famous on-screen boxer, rather than opening a new chapter in boxing cinema.
Both Creeds are named after Greek deities. Apollo is the god of the Sun, while Adonis is the god of beauty and rebirth.
It’s easy to justify this opinion – Creed Jr. (he uses his mother’s surname, Johnson, but adopts his father’s name towards the end of the film) evokes only a fraction of the sympathy that Rocky Balboa has garnered for forty years. We remember how in “Rocky” (1976), the boxer confessed that he fought in the ring for meager fees because he couldn’t find a better honest job. We also remember that Rocky had to “woo” his beloved Adrian for months before she agreed to go on a date with him. And even then, it happened under the pressure of her brother. Despite his impressive muscles, the young Stallone’s character was a loser trying to survive in tough times in a poor neighborhood of Philadelphia. And viewers around the world could recognize their own life’s trials in what Rocky experienced on screen. Therefore, the audience sincerely rooted for him both in the final fight of “Rocky” and in subsequent films, where Balboa either fought for the championship title or simply defended his professional and human dignity.
Donnie vs. Rocky: A Tale of Two Boxers
What about Donnie? Creed has it all. A mansion in Los Angeles, a loving adoptive mother, a luxury car, a prestigious job. And even when the guy gives up all of this, except for his mother, he only needs to knock on the door of an attractive girl and invite her on a date for her to agree almost immediately. Donnie is not a “loser,” Donnie is a born “winner.” And he boxes not because he can’t afford to pay for an apartment otherwise, but because he wants to add another title to his list of achievements. Yes, he has more compelling psychological reasons for entering the ring under the name Creed, stemming from his childhood. But these are problems that wealthy Americans like Donnie solve not in sports, but in a psychotherapist’s office. Unlike Rocky, Creed doesn’t need to go professional and take bread away from those for whom boxing is the only chance in life. But, of course, he is too selfish to think so broadly. And although we see that he can care for others (in particular, the elderly Rocky), we also realize that he always puts himself first. This is, to put it mildly, not the most attractive trait in the main character. Especially when there is a much purer soul in the frame next to him.
Stallone’s Performance: A Highlight
Stallone has already received several awards for his portrayal of Rocky in this film, and his awards are well deserved. Rocky’s story is more interesting than Creed’s because it is the story of an elderly man who at the beginning of the film thinks that he only has to live to see death and meet his beloved wife in the afterlife. But the appearance of a new protégé pulls Rocky out of his blissful depression, and viewers see how this elderly man regains the meaning of life – not because he achieves something himself, but because he begins to live for another. In fact, he becomes a foster father to the son of his deceased friend. And this is a more inspiring turn of events than Creed Jr.'s plot twist. Plus, watching Stallone as Rocky is a pleasure, as the absence of the need to be the formal main character liberated the actor and allowed him to play a vivid role at the intersection of self-deprecating humor and sincere pathos.
“Creed” has other advantages – well-staged and filmed scenes in the ring, numerous references to past “Rocky” films, accurately noted nuances of modern romantic relationships (in this case, between Donnie and his girlfriend), separate tender and touching moments… Perhaps this is the best of all the “Rocky” sequels. But the more the film tries to present Creed Jr. as the new Rocky from the very first film, the clearer it becomes that Michael B. Jordan’s character is as far from that character as the moon. Despite all the charisma of the black actor.