Tropic Sprockets / Creed II

Tropic Sprockets / Creed II

By Ian Brockway

Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is one of cinema’s most beloved characters. As a lovable “ordinary man” from Philadelphia, the underdog boxer with a big heart(full of plain and witty observations), no other character is quite like Rocky, who is common yet quirky in his no nonsense honesty all at once.

In “Creed II” Rock is back and he doesn’t disappoint in this, incredibly, his eighth film appearance.

Here Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is deeply offended when it comes to his attention that Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu) is baiting him to by ridiculing his late father, Apollo. The belittling eats at him so much that he can’t think or rest.

He confronts Rocky about the public derision and the offer of a fight with Drago. Rocky advises him to let go. Drago is “raw”, huge and incredibly strong. But Adonis can’t let go; he feels his legacy is at stake, but more to the point it is Creed’s ego and wanting to be powerful.

Adonis wants Rocky to be his trainer once more, but the now wiser man reluctantly says no, after all Apollo died in his arms.

Yes, the plot is quite simple, this is an underdog story once more, but the joy and thrill comes from the cinematic spirit of these characters, including Apollo (Carl Weathers) which remain intact.

This is an affecting film. More than once, my eyes watered at the sight of kids running up the art museum steps and posing at the Rocky statue, so nostalgic are those images to me. But emotional it is also to hear Rocky tell Adonis about the day he proposed to his love Adrian: I asked her, “would she mind being married to me very much.” Rocky’s unsophisticated glibness is very appealing in spite of itself. Oddly it has a charisma and a rhythm all its own.

Better yet, the film takes its time in revealing feelings and events. We know Adonis, we feel Rocky and we sense the ghost of Apollo Creed.

Even Dolph Lundgren is here as the unsympathetic Ivan Drago, but every hero needs a villain.

The fight sequences (if a bit familiar) are still suspenseful, visceral and hard to watch but this is not the heart of the film. This is a story about Ego between generations and family battles. Jordan is hypnotic yet again in this film and as an actor, his presence fills the screen. In several frames his large rippling, muscular back has a Pop Art glare and as rote as they seem, even the training scenes have pull.

As a husband to Bianca (Tessa Thompson) we watch as Adonis transforms from a self-absorbed fighter into a father.

One can see “Creed II” as either popcorn entertainment or the continuation of a hero story. Fortunately, Rock still has folksy wisdom to dispense and as a character who still throws a ball against a wall as a gesture of security, there is comfort and satisfying nostalgia in his hesitant smile. Like John Wayne’s personas of long ago, there is a joyous spark in Rocky Balboa’s lasting existence, very much like a friend.

Write Ian at [email protected]

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