Creed II (2018)

I had mentioned that the first Creed made allusions to Rocky IV, being the movie in which Apollo Creed dies in the ring. Apparently, that was just a warm-up. Perhaps writer and producer Ryan Coogler (having turned direction over to lesser-known Steven Caple, Jr.) had this in mind all along.

Right after Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) wins the world heavyweight championship, a blast from the past appears: Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), his father's fatal opponent. Ivan hasn't gotten any kinder with age, nor has he softened his grudge against Adonis' trainer, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), for costing Ivan a lot of honor. His idea of settling the score is to have his own son, Viktor (Florian Munteanu), defeat Adonis.

There is plenty of public pressure on Adonis to accept the challenge, but everyone who knows him personally dislikes the idea, at least at first. Viktor lives up to the Drago legacy, almost looking like he belongs in a higher weight division. Going by Rocky, Adonis is liable to suffer permanent damage even if he wins, and another death is not out of the question.

I myself took a while to understand Adonis' reasons for never having second thoughts. It's not exactly vengeance; he's not doing it for his dad. It's just a feeling that his self-realization will not be complete without at least trying to take on his most avid challenger.

Mind you, Adonis has other important things that he'd hate to lose. He plans to marry Bianca (Tessa Thompson). She's having a baby, whom they worry will inherit her mother's hardness of hearing. (They say "deafness," but Bianca can hear with an earpiece.)

On some level, I feel a little sorry for Viktor. Sure, he's yet another gratuitous jerk, but he was raised to be one. It seems like his father won't respect him until he fulfills a dark appointed purpose. Plus, Ivan's been disgraced all Viktor's life, and Viktor's mother hasn't been there for them.

We actually see two fights between Adonis and Viktor. The first ends with Adonis a mess but no belt for Viktor, thanks to an illegal move. What makes Adonis think he has more of a chance next time? Simple: Rocky returns to train him better than ever. (It's a pretty brief montage, so don't get the idea that that's the bulk of the second act.) On the minus side, they'll be in Russia, where the ref may be biased in Viktor's favor. (Guess Americans view that land nowadays about the same as they did in 1985.)

A chilling thought entered my head: What if Adonis accidentally killed Viktor? Naturally, this isn't the kind of movie that dares go there with a designated hero. It keeps things pretty simple and borderline predictable.

Really, plotlines were never the reason I've liked parts of the Rocky/Creed franchise. Nor was the chance to see two guys knock each other ugly(er). I think the special ingredient can best be described as heart. We're made to care about the individuals in a way that I don't for most prizefighters even on the silver screen. The dialog gets pretty good too, tho that's not always obvious through Rocky's scratchy bass.

I had a good idea of what to expect from C2 going in. It delivers on the expectations. Whether I ever check out Creed III remains to be seen (Stallone says he'd bow out), but so far, the mix of old and new has not run out of steam.