Creed 2 movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Creed II

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 130 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

You see a couple in bed, but you don’t see much action or skin.
You hear Russian, sometimes with subtitles and sometimes without.
Sign language with subtitles. Being deaf plays an important part of the movie.
Lots of violence. Duh…it’s a boxing movie.
Some profanity

IN A NUTSHELL: With some emotional depth that packs a punch, Creed II is predictable, but still solid. Michael B. Jordan is buffer and better than ever. As the 8th movie in the Rocky franchise, this film proves fans still love inspiring boxing movies.

THEMES:

Family relationships and how to heal them
Revenge
Expectations and other people’s opinions
Parenting
Creating your own legendary story
Following your dreams

THINGS I LIKED:

- Michael B. Jordan takes down. He’s a great actor and looked fantastic.
- I don’t really like watching men punch the living daylights out of each other. One part of the boxing tradition I always get a kick out of is when the boxers enter the arena with their chosen song, bravado, and entourage. It’s like a macho parade of sorts that really gets the crowd excited.
- Fans of the Rocky franchise will enjoy watching Sylvester Stallone. There is a scene that shows tourists in Philadelphia taking their picture with the real-life Rocky statue and running up the stairs like Rocky did in the first movie. You also get to see some nostalgic and helpful clips from previous movies from the 1985 Apollo v. Drago fight. Stallone announced that this is his last Rocky/Creed movie. There’s a line in the movie when Rocky says to Adonnis, “It’s your time.” The franchise is in very good hands with Michael B. Jordan.
- Like all boxing movies, this one has some great training sequences.
- That was fantastic advice to Creed to get down on one knee to propose. Men, that’s how it’s done. Rocky also told Creed, “Turn off your brain and let your heart do the talking.” More good advice. Guys, if you want more helpful tips on dating and marriage, check out the book I wrote with my son called
- Base Hits and Home Run Relationships: What Women Wish Guys Knew
- I love Creed’s first car. My first car was a Mustang too. I paid only $600 for it!
- Tess Thompson is so lovely. Her chemistry with Michael B. Jordan feels real and allows for some truly emotional moments.
- Phylicia Rashad is such a great mom, right?
- Dolph Lundgren and Florian Munteanu are perfect as the massive and mean father/son Russian duo. They’re not actually Russian in real life. Dolph Lundgren is Swedish and Florian Munteanu is German-Romanian. Unlike a lot of villains in movies, these two have a background story that gives them meat and motivation that add heft to the movie. There is an impressive character arc for many of the people in the film.
- SPOILER: It was fun to see Brigitte Nielsen again.
- The Kendrick Lamar song DNA. fit perfectly for the movie. I definitely prefer the non-explicit version.
- There were so many references to former movies in the franchise.
- I thought the movie poster (shown above) was really great and whets your appetite to learn more about the expression on his face…did he win or lose?

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Overly dramatic music.
It’s helpful to have seen the first Creed in the story line.
Because it follows the exact same formula as all of the other stories in the Rocky franchise, there aren’t any surprises.
You really need to have seen Rocky IV to appreciate the background story when Ivan Drago killed Creed’s father, Apollo. When you do, you can better appreciate the motivation of the “bad guys.”

INTERESTING LINES:

“This is our chance to rewrite history – our history.” – Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Johnson) “Creed”
“I’m a fighter. It’s what I do. It’s who I am.” – Creed
“He’s got to heal from the inside out.” – Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad)
“It’s one thing to be a contender. It’s a whole other thing to be a champion.” – Announcer
“Are you here to prove something to other people or to yourself?” – Rocky (Sylvester Stallone)
“You wouldn’t be good to anyone if you couldn’t do what you love.” – Creed

OTHER MOVIES LIKE THIS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

Creed