Now this is what I'm talking about. It may have taken the better part of forty years, but we finally have a Rocky sequel that unquestionably lives up to the legend of the original. The emotional driving force behind Creed is the issue of legacy - Michael B. Jordan's Adonis (Apollo's illegitimate son) is reluctant to admit his parentage out of both a fear it will overshadow him and a desire to define himself. It's new ground for the series, something that is wonderfully reflected in the fabric of the movie; although certainly forging out on its own, starting a new franchise that will hopefully have slightly more consistency than what preceded it, Creed is at its heart still very much a Rocky movie, something it handles delicately. The weight of Rocky's journey over the previous decades - his relationship with Apollo and the changing face of boxing - inform every facet of the movie, adding real historical depth; you can certainly appreciate Creed coming into the world cold (almost like Adonis himself is trying to), but knowing the full backstory makes for a stronger, more emotive experience. And, of course, we are still following a familiar narrative formula, although Ryan Coogler advances it more than any film previously, bringing new character shades and filmmaking styles to make something reverentially fresh. It's hard not to make some comparisons with Star Wars: The Force Awakens - this is the seventh entry in a strong nostalgia property that sees the original cast passing the torch while also dealing with its own past - although I'd actually say that Creed does it better; compared to the fun-but-not-quite-Empire Episode VII, this one is almost as good as the original.
