Creed is good

Actually, Creed is great.

Who woulda thunk it? Seemed like a lark, making a new Rocky movie but moving Rocky out of the center and making the son of Apollo Creed the star. But damn if it doesn't stand as it's own very good movie.

Michael B. Jordan becomes a star with this movie. It treats all it's characters well. It's sentimental but doesn't dwell on it. It never goes over the top like Rocky III and Rocky IV. The boxing scenes are brilliantly shot. The climactic boxing scene isn't a classic cinematic bout but it does what it sets out and needs to do.

Make sure you see it with a big audience. Everyone was very much into this movie and cheering for Creed. One moment in the final bout is especially great with a big audience.

And Stallone, that big ole lunkhead, delivers some great speeches and treats Rocky with love and care without turning him into a tired old sap. Sly might just sneak into the Oscar Supporting Actor nominees.

If you like the Rocky movies, you'll love Creed. And if you love movies, you'll like Creed.

 

"Over the top? I pity the fool who said that!"

 

Rocky Balboa was very watchable and sort of renewed my faith in the franchise. When I saw the trailer for Creed, I was pretty pumped to see it. I'm sure I'll wait until it's available for streaming, but I'm looking forward to it.

I like MBJ quite a bit. I didn't realize he was so big. When I first saw he was cast, I thought he was too small to be the offspring of Carl Weathers, but it turns out he's only an inch or two shorter than Weathers. He bulked up pretty well, too, as seen in the shot where he flexes after a knockdown, almost like Ali, in the trailer.

 

I agree with Bigpern-- I found Rocky Balboa to be enjoyable, and very underrated.

 

It was schmaltzy in parts, and some elements won't stand the test of time (the video game sparks the bout angle), but it was really loving look back at what made the franchise so good. The fight was well done, the scene with Pauly tugged at the heart strings and, of course, his speech to the kid hit all the right notes for a Rocky movie.

 

I loved the way they shot that fight. The first part of it, where it looks like the actual HBO broadcast, came about because they shot it a day or two before an actual PPV card in Las Vegas and were able to use those cameras and production teams.
The movie has been on FX or FXX a bit recently, and I find myself getting sucked into the ending every time. Only part I hate is his kid, right before the last round, with the cheesy, "You got nothing more to prove, pop! Don't take any chances line!"
Gee, thanks for the pep talk kid. Rocky just survived until the last round and NOW you want him to back off. So glad Rocky put him in his place.

As always, too, the little lines in Rocky films are the best. Love the exchange before the last round where they touch gloves.
Dixon: You're one crazy old man.
Balboa: You'll get there.
Great line and one I'm finding applies to life as you get older.

 

Stallone has the reputation as a lunkhead, as you note, but it seems like he genuinely does care about his old characters and putting a bow on their stories. The last Rambo movie was definitely a shoot-em-up to the Nth degree, but also seemed like it tried to get back to the tone of the original in what it said about war and soldiers.
"Rocky Balboa" came about because the way he left the character in "Rocky V" nagged him for 15 years and he knew what people thought of it.
Hell, even "The Expendables" was a fun love letter to 1980s action movies above all else.
It's not surprising he'd hit the right notes returning to Rocky for "Creed."

 

No matter how good Creed might be, they got the title wrong.

 

Enjoyed "Balboa and I'm looking forward to seeing "Creed."

One of the best scenes that I thought from "Balboa" was this deleted scene, when after Paulie got fired.

 

Found this Wepner story from 2011 while looking back at old Rocky stuff. Good read.

Wepner finally recognized for 'Rocky' fame

 

Stallone is the same age as Meredith was in Rocky.

 

Yeah, that might be because it's 39 years later.