Still, Stallone surprised his director and co-star when he coached, er, coaxed an unexpected performance from Jordan in a particularly emotional scene. “So it’s always a pleasure for me to tell stories that give them that focus and, through that focus, highlight things that you might not have seen about the main character”. Working from a screenplay that he co-wrote with Aaron Covington, Coogler delivers a boxing film for the millennial generation. It’s a sequel; it’s a spinoff; it’s a reboot. Rocky also does not stint on the homilies, one of his favorites being “one step at a time, one punch at a time, one round at a time”.
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Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad: For Justice) has sought Adonis ever since she discovered that he is the son of her late husband, heavyweight champ Apollo Creed.
Jordan, left, as Adonis Johnson and Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa share a scene in “Creed”.
Footage from the second Creed-Balboa fight in “Rocky II”, and a sprinkling of composer Bill Conti’s “Going to the Distance” are highlights. In preparation for the role, Jordan toldGood Morning America he went on a strenuous diet and workout plan to earn the cut muscle tone of the professional boxer he plays in the film, which hits theaters Wednesday. It also succeeds at the smart self-awareness that “Jurassic World” attempted this past summer.
In 2006’s “Rocky Balboa”, the old boxer stands forlornly amid the wreckage of a former Philadelphia ice skating rink, recalling his first awkward date there with his late wife, Adrian, three decades and five movies earlier.
Donnie may be able to get away from his father’s name as he goes by his mother’s last name Johnson, but he can’t get away from his father’s blood. Coogler’s love letter to the franchise pulls on the nostalgic heartstrings and makes us fall in love with characters new and old. The beauty of “Creed” is that you can walk into it with little knowledge of the Italian Stallion and still leave with tears in your eyes. To wit Apollo Creed, the deceased father who hovers at the outskirts of the film, “It’s a thinker, not a stinker”.
When Coogler first pitched Stallone the idea of another “Rocky” film, the Hollywood veteran wasn’t too gung-ho. (Or will there be more?) Together with director Coogler, you could say this trio knocks it outta the ring. In fact, he has the confidence of a pro. Scenes shot at Max’s Steaks, Johnny Brenda’s and the Electric Factory add texture, as does a simultaneously amusing and stirring sequence featuring several of North Philly’s infamous dirt bike riders popping wheelies alongside Donny as he jogs – clad in a more stylish version of Rocky’s iconic sweats – through the streets. All grown up, Adonis seems like “Fight Club” material, cutting loose in grungy Tijuana boxing venues by night, then slogging through his cubicle job by day. (For that matter, Creed gives Apollo’s death far more weight than the movie where it actually happened.) But Coogler remembers our initial attraction to this character: the notion of the underdog, given a shot far beyond his station, and determinedly rising to the occasion.
Stallone held a press conference at the top of the iconic staircase in October, announcing “Creed”, and was spotted there a few other times.
“Creed” grapples with its legacy and predecessors in such a fascinating way. Stallone has never been better as Rocky Balboa. And just when we think that the drama here is all about torch-passing, Coogler hands Rocky a juicy, moving challenge of his own.
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“Creed” is the newest in a line of film series that have brought back actors who previously appeared in beloved installments but also recruited new talent. He is tough yet vulnerable enough to show how hurt he is deep down. When he goes off to Philadelphia to make a name for himself, he runs into Rocky, and before you know it, it’s back to the days of training montages and hard fought life lessons. A bit like rocking out and doing air guitar in your living room, you’d wager that many Rocky fans have caught themselves shadow boxing as that famous theme tune kicks in.
