Creed II (2018) [Blu-ray]
Drama | Sport

Tagline: East vs. West

Life has become a balancing act for Adonis Creed. Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight, he is up against the challenge of his life. Facing an opponent with ties to his family's past only intensifies his impending battle in the ring. Rocky Balboa is there by his side through it all and, together, Rocky and Adonis will confront their shared legacy, question what's worth fighting for, and discover that nothing's more important than family. Creed II is about going back to basics to rediscover what made you a champion in the first place, and remembering that, no matter where you go, you can't escape your history.

Storyline: Years after Adonis Creed made a name for himself under Rocky Balboa's mentorship, the young boxer becomes the Heavyweight Champion of the World. While life is good with that victory and his marriage to Bianca, trouble comes to Philadelphia when Ivan Drago, the Russian boxer who killed Adonis' father, Apollo, arrives with his son, Viktor, to challenge Adonis. Against Rocky's advice, Adonis accepts the challenge without his mentor's participation and pays the price in a punishing bout he wins only by a technicality. Now injured and demoralized, Adonis cannot bring himself to back into the game, leaving his spirit and title in jeopardy. Together, Adonis' family and Rocky must find a way to rekindle Adonis' fighting spirit to face the future in whatever choice he makes. Meanwhile, the Drago family have its own troubles trying to regain the respect in their homeland that they lost at Rocky's hands as they wonder whether is it truly worth it. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Randy Miller III, February 24, 2019 Note: Please read my separate 4K UHD review of this title for 20 additional 1080p screenshots.

Continuing the Rocky spin-off saga that began with Ryan Coogler's Creed (2015), this 2018 sequel by young director Steven Caple Jr. aims to recapture the series' long tradition of big fights and small moments that wouldn't feel out of place in an independent drama. It's a unique formula that has long become the franchise's bread and butter...even if, by default, everything that makes Rocky and Creed films work also renders them predictable. The story usually goes like this: good guy suffers a huge loss, trains like a madman, and returns to the ring while still viewed as an underdog. Cue Bill Conti's rousing theme, and our valiant hero may as well have opened a can of spinach.

The final true Rocky film, 2006's excellent Rocky Balboa, was the first in the series' history to really turn a lens back on Sylvester Stallone's iconic character. Somber and reflective, it effectively used nostalgia to sell back large portions of the franchise's backstory to fans but didn't feel overly sentimental or gratuitous. While the original Creed was penned by its director Ryan Coogler and carved out its own identity without veering too far off the series' spiritual path, this sequel finds Stallone -- with first-time writer Juel Taylor -- returning to storytelling duties. This means that Creed II almost has no choice but to feel like a remix of earlier Rocky material, so it's no surprise that's exactly what we get here. Our story picks up more or less in real-time, three years after Adonis "Donnie" Creed (Michael B. Jordan) fought towards a valiant split-decision loss to light heavyweight champion "Pretty" Ricky Conlan. Recent fights have been more successful, including a decisive World Heavyweight Championship win over Danny "Stuntman" Wheeler (Andre Ward).

Unfortunately, what should've been a triumphant victory feels tainted because Wheeler is seen as a few years past his prime...and with the recent appearance of Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), son of former Russian champion boxer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren, returning from Rocky IV), Adonis is pressured into accepting what might be his greatest in-ring challenge yet. Not that it would take much convincing: Ivan was directly responsible for his father Apollo Creed's death, so Adonis is all too eager for long-overdue family payback. His girlfriend Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and mother Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad) aren't nearly as enthusiastic, fearing a repeat tragedy at the hands of another Drago.

Creed II isn't all about the build-up to one big fight and, without drifting too far into spoiler territory, let's just say that they face off more than once. Nor does it rely solely on these huge slug-fests to advance the narrative: it's once again just as much about realistic human drama as it is fighting...but these personal revelations often feel more like soap-opera theatrics than in previous installments, Creed included. Although a handful of genuinely heartfelt moments take place here (the father-son dynamics on both sides, as well as personal reasons why Adonis takes a while to accept the eventual rematch), Creed II as a whole feels not only overstuffed but suffers from several obvious pacing problems. There's just not enough time for some of its bigger moments to build momentum: the film barrels full-force through a few key stretches and, in the process, robs smaller subplots of a much more lasting impact. But while it undoubtedly stumbles a few times along the way, Creed II checks almost all of the boxes that have kept audiences coming back for decades. I may not have fallen completely for it, but this is still a pretty good time at the movies.

Warner Bros. presents Creed II in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and as a separate 4K UHD edition. The former serves up a solid A/V presentation with near reference-quality audio and a handful of short but enjoyable bonus features. Although my slight reservations about the film itself keep it from receiving a higher recommendation, this is a fairly well-rounded package that established fans will enjoy and newcomers should definitely look into.

Steven Caple Jr.'s Creed II is an obvious crowd-pleaser: it's got plenty of drama, well-choreographed and executed fight sequences, and enough nostalgia to satisfy long-time fans without feeling too gratuitous. The performances are solid all around, Stallone's continued presence is always welcome, and the father-son themes lead to a couple of genuinely heartfelt moments. Yet as a whole, it's not particularly well-paced during key stretches, rarely building enough momentum to amplify the biggest moments and not showing very much growth for some of its main and supporting characters. I certainly don't consider this film an unworthy installment of the franchise as a whole, but it's a clear half-step down from the first Creed. Warner Bros.' Blu-ray combo pack provides a decent amount of support for the main feature, including a near reference-quality audio presentation and a handful of short but enjoyable bonus features. Obviously recommended to die-hard fans, but not quite the knockout it could've been.

[CSW] -3.3- Okay. It might be a tad predictable. But you don't watch sports movies for plot twists. You watch it for adrenaline-pumping action, training montages, and come-from-behind inspiration. Creed II does deliver a punch. So what if it is a "feel good rocky movie" packaged in Creed 2, it still manages to elevate its story above the past with a fresh perspective even if it isn't particularly different. Good acting and better across the board. Overall a must for Rocky fans, worth a look and a bit more for most everyone else.
[V4.0-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box


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