Creed II

[GeneChing]

Wait, we don't have a Creed thread? We've been lagging.

We got Rocky 6

[Jimbo]

I finally got a chance to see this. Note: this isn't going to be an in-depth movie review, only some very brief impressions of it.

**Note: Some possible spoilers**

First off, the biggest thing I took away from Creed II is that I found myself disliking Adonis Creed. I found his character unlikable and unrelatable. Of course, he grew up without his father, Apollo, but he's basically an arrogant, immature, 30-something man-child. He comes across like a spoiled, ungrateful brat. It made it hard for me to root for him at all.

I actually found myself rooting more for Viktor Drago. While his character is not necessarily likable either, at least I found him relatable. His character is more than some big, muscular, mindless destroyer; the movie shows that Viktor is well aware of what his countrymen really think of him. And unlike Adonis, he isn't some rich kid who has a network of people who love and support him.

Probably the most human moment of the entire film involves Ivan Drago and a decision he makes for his son Viktor. IMO, Ivan took the most heroic action in the movie and I found myself liking him far more than Adonis Creed. And when Viktor ultimately (and predictably) loses to Adonis, it isn't convincing at all.

Rocky Balboa is just Rocky Balboa. No longer seeking the spotlight himself, he says now is Adonis's time. I would have liked to have seen more interaction between him and Ivan Drago than there was.

Action-wise, the fights were better choreographed and executed than the old Rocky movies.

Being heavyweight boxing champion of the world no longer carries the same prestige that it did in decades past up into the '80s, and this movie reflects that, too. The scope of Creed II seems much smaller than the scope of the first four Rocky movies, and winning the championship belt barely seems to phase Adonis or affect his life much.

Overall, an entertaining movie, but marred by the fact that I found that the protagonist, whom I'm supposed to root for, is (IMO) an unlikable character.

Jim