Creed II Review: 6 Ups & 3 Downs

1. The Excessive Melodrama

A sprinkling of cheese is also common in the Rocky series, though the first Creed actually did a surprising job mostly veering clear of cornball melodrama, something its successor isn't quite so adept at.

Though the key theme of family - namely fathers and their children - is ultimately well-wrought, the ride to the finish line can be a little bumpy, especially in the first two thirds of the movie.

Adonis and his partner Bianca's (Tessa Thompson) surprise pregnancy feels like a fairly tacked-on attempt to up the dramatic stakes, when the parallel of the current Creed, Drago and Balboa bloodlines is probably sufficient enough.

There's certainly nothing here that's embarrassing to watch or comparable to some of the lesser Rocky movies, but considering how straight Creed II plays itself, it is prone to soap opera plotting on occasion.

If you can accept these issues - and if you're still a fan of the franchise up to this point, you probably can - there's a lot to enjoy in this movie. So, here's what Creed II gets right...