Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Creed II

This film is a fantastic follow up to the first instalment! Creed 2 I was very nervous for when I heard Ryan Coogler wouldn’t be back to direct the second film as he did an amazing job with the first but since he was unavailable due to scheduling conflicts with Black Panther Stephen Cable Jr directed this film. I was still afraid as I didn’t know if his style would be able to match with what Coogler set in the first film and Stephen delivers great direction giving s tremendous follow up to the first film in amazing fashion. This film gives a well earned and delivered sequel that brings great emotional impact to the story as well as great new places to bring these characters without repeating the same formula that made the first film so good but truly be different and showcase new material but still give the audience what they expect from Creed. 

Secondly, this film gives amazingly realistic performances from a dominating performance from Micheal B. Jordan who steals the spotlight and gives intense emotion and incredible range in his performance as Adonis Creed by showing so much more layers to him that we didn’t see him explore in the first film. Then you have the fantastic backbone and mentor who is Sylvester Stallone who gives a emotionally heartbreaking and real performance as Rocky showing the years and hardships that have warn on him and the weight he carries from when Apollo died in the ring many years ago but how it still haunts him Stallone brings such a real and raw performance to the screen and ignites every moment with his sheer great acting. Tessa Thompson also gives a fantastic supporting turn in the film as well as she was in the first film but we got to know the basis of who she was here we get to find out so much more and it digs so much deeper and she’s more then just a love interest to Creed but Tessa really gets to showcase her acting range as well. 

Lastly, This film brings back Drago and the whole story that we got in Rocky four and it could of easily of been a repeat of that film which it doesn’t do but rather show both sides and that even though we may not like Drago they show that both sides have equally as much on the line as the other and they show the human element to the Draco’s family instead of just making them this big bad nemesis they really show you the depth of them and why their doing what their doing and I loved that approach to it. 

Overall, This film is a triumph that feels earned and not repeated formula from past films but really expands upon its universe and gives a emotionally driven and rooted sequel that works on all levels bringing the boxing, emotion and charisma that we loved from the first film and delivering a incredibly well done sequel Creed 2 is a film I highly recommend everyone go see

This film centres around Adonis Creed and when his fathers past won’t leave him alone he goes up against the son of the man who killed his father but can he do it or will he end up like his father? 

Rated PG - 13 : for sports action violence, language, and a scene of sensuality

Micheal B. Jordan : Micheal brings an emotional punch of a performance to the screen! Jordan has had quiet the year with the juggernaut success of Black Panther this year and now with another hit with Creed 2 Micheal B. Jordan is one of my favourite actors working today as he always brings his A game and never settles for anything less then that. Here he brings such layers and emotion the second time around revisiting Adonis in the followup to Creed. In the first film Micheal set the groundwork for who Adonis was and here since the introduction has all been set he digs deeper into the character and show incredible depth to him that equals up to the scenes he gave in the first film and some even in my opinion surpassing what he gave the first time around as he really shines greatly in this film. He explores the mental and emotional weight that he carries day to day due to his dad’s legacy and at the same time he carries his name so he is always in the shadow of his father but wants to set his own path and the way Micheal shows all this complexity onscreen was brilliant. He has moments of triumph, loss and love and really show intense vulnerability to the screen that just is captivating to witness onscreen. When you hear him scream and hit that punching bag with anger and stress you feel that Jordan makes it feel so real and raw and you really feel for him. Jordan never plays the character as a one note performance he shows how this guy has so many different sides when he is with his girlfriend the love and happiness he has then when in the ring can be a total machine and be full of rage and anger then act like a child when being mentored by Sylvester. Jordan really pulls back layers to his character and his performance and truly explores places that we haven’t seen him channel before and really ups the performance he gave in the first film which I didn’t think was even possible to do but it is Jordans sheer commitment and explosive emotional range that steals the show. Micheal makes the emotion and moments feel so real and honest and he is truly astonishing giving a truly fantastic performance that is emotionally raw and captivating to the end. 

Sylvester Stallone : Stallone gives a great farewell to this character with great grace and emotional satisfaction. Stallone gave one of the best performances he had ever done with his work in the first film. So I was excited to see what he would bring to the table this time around. In the film it in many ways mirrors the performance he gave in the first film which is not a bad thing it shows the worn and tiredness emotionally Rocky has been through and it works greatly due to the execution done masterfully by Stallone. In this film like I said earlier the plot uses the base of the forth rocky film and since Adonis wants to fight Drago’s son you have Rocky in many senses haunted with the regret he has carried all those years that he didn’t stop that fight that killed Apollo in the ring and he has to live with that regret and so when Adonis wants to fight the son of the man who killed his father Rocky is afraid history will repeat itself and the approach given Balboa this time around by Stallone was so well captured and delivered. When you see Stallone even just walk around you see the years weighed on him and the loneliness and sadness in his eyes and when he talks you feel that he truly means it and it feels so impactful because Stallone brings such raw and honesty to the dialogue when he gives it that it hits you with such an emotional punch. We have seen Rocky through it all by this point and he acts as a mentor to Adonis and it dose not feel like their trying to shoe in Rocky into the film just cause but it feels earned and well done because Stallone provides that emotional rock for the film and is the voice of reason which Mick was for Rocky all those years around so it feels full circle. Stallone gives his final performance as The Italian Stallion with great emotional vulnerability and rawness that he gives a great final knockout to leave Rocky out on making you feel emotionally satisfied all due to the great gripping supporting performance given by Stallone.

Tessa Thompson : Tessa gives a great layered Supporting turn in this film. Tessa once again blows me away with her fantastic emotional drive and delivery in this film. She was first introduced to us in the first film and very much like Micheal since the introduction is all set she really then gets to dig deeper into the character this time around. And the only fault I would have for this film is not giving more scenes for Tessa to be able to showcase her tremendous talent in as when she is onscreen she crackles and shines with great range. She very much like Rocky is the voice of reason for Adonis and Tessa sheds her layers emotionally and shows such sadness and triumph and she doesn’t become the stereotypical “girlfriend” she is given things to do and has a great arc but sadly since she isn’t in the film as much the arc dose not feel paid off by the end of the film which is a shame because she is truly terrific in the film giving great contribution to the screen with her fantastic performance shown at hand. This time around she is much more emotional and important in Adonis’s life and Tessa just brings the words off the page and brings such real and honest delivery to them with such a punch that you can’t look away from her she is committed in every frame giving her absolute all and it is a performance that shouldn’t be overlooked even if she is not in it much she provides a very strong supporting turn with great depth that she didn’t bring to the screen the first time around and show so many different sides to her in a truly brilliant performance by Tessa. 

Steven Caple Jr  Steven steps up to the challenge of giving a justifiable sequel and dose he deliver? You bet your ass he dose! Like I mentioned earlier i was very nervous when Ryan was not coming back to helm this film but Steven rises to the challenge and gives a knockout. Here instead of using the same plot of Rocky IV he builds upon it and brings the film into territory that genuinely surprised me in great ways. In the film he get to see Drago’s Family and I loved that because in Rocky IV he was shown as this brooding and giant boxer and that was really it not having any arc rather then just that and here Steven shows both sides to the story we see what Adonis is battling but also Drago’s family and I loved that because he humanizes them and shows that they too have as much to loose as Adonis dose and that approach was incredibly effective and paid off massively. Adding to that he brings so much of a emotional punch to the film that is well executed Steven shows this Time around the mental and emotional stress that Adonis is going through and undertones of setting your own path and legacy and all of that was executed so well onscreen. Because he shows great layers and depth to these new characters we did not get to see fully the first time around. Then by the end of the film when it gets to the final act of the film with the boxing match since he has greatly shown the characters and story at hand you feel like standing and cheering because he gets you so invested into the film that the victory  at the end feels so satisfying. That Is another thing I love about this film and the franchise as a whole is the ability to root these characters and story in such a realistic and real way because so many boxing films are so over the top to have a franchise like this be so rooted in reality makes it that more relatable in its telling and that is where Creed and the rocky franchise truly has its strength. Steven Caple Jr really delivers a well done sequel that is not a retread of the first film but instead give a sequel that expands upon the first with fantastic storytelling, performances and style Steven gives amazing direction here. 

The Cinematography : The camera work in this film is masterful! I am mentioning the camera work for the fact that it was able to capture the Boxing scenes in such a tense and realistic way that thrust you into the middle of it all capturing the intensity of it all with its great close ups and amazing slow mow shots too it just really captured not just the boxing scenes masterfully but the film as a whole so incredibly well.