Creed: Learning to Fight

I have a horrific confession to make - I have never seen Rocky or its sequels. Therefore, there is probably a LOT that I missed while watching Creed. However, as a standalone movie, this film does not disappoint.

Michael B. Jordan stars as Adonis "Donnie" Creed, the illegitimate son of Rocky Balboa's rival and friend, Apollo Creed. As a young boy, he ended up in foster care when his mother died, until he was rescued by Apollo Creed's widow, Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad), who chose to raise the troubled boy herself. Now, Donnie has a respectable job in an office, but he is his father's son. On weekends he goes to Tijuana for underground boxing matches and finally, he pulls the plug and tells the disappointed Mary Anne that he is going to go pro. He sets off for Philadelphia, finds the aging Rocky (Sylvester Stallone), and convinces him to become his trainer. Let the training montage begin.

Tessa Thompson plays Bianca, Donnie's downstairs neighbor and eventual love interest. They have a sweet and tender relationship that is very much based on supporting each other's dreams. And the relationship between Donnie and Rocky is wonderfully rich and complex. Rocky is a father figure and mentor, and when he gets some bad news, there's some touching interplay between the two characters as they realize how much they have come to mean to each other. As Donnie prepares for his big fight, there's a sense that an entire community is rallying around him to make good on his life and the movie only deploys the anticipated Eye of the Tiger at the most crucial moment.

Co-written and directed by Ryan Coogler, Creed is simply a great sports movie. The finale's epic fight sequence is choreographed to perfection and you can feel every punch and jab shuddering through your bones. The camera angles put you right in the middle of the action and give you a visceral thrill. This movie has characters you can root for, relationships that feel real and solid, and that uplifting, soaring spirit that makes you want to fist pump the air and cheer. This is a crowd-pleasing perfect film that successfully pays homage to the Rocky franchise and has brains, brawn, and heart.