Creed II is an immersive knockout
By Masego Panyane 
Dec 4, 2018
I’m not a fan of boxing dramas. I’m
more into football films like Remember
the Titans really get me going. So given
I hadn’t seen the first Creed, I was
coming in as a bit of a blank slate to
Creed II.
As a stand-alone film, one of its
strengths is that it’s competent. And it
does not function on the assumption
that you must have seen the first film.
Creed II continues the story of
Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) who
has finally risen up to the pinnacle
of boxing under of the tutelage of
his “uncle” Rocky Balboa (Sylvester
Stallone).
Ready to take things to
the next level with his girlfriend
Bianca (Tessa Thompson), Creed
doesn’t seem to be comfortable in
his newfound glory, and an old foe
comes back into his life and poses the
biggest challenge yet.
Creed II felt authentic.
Whether it’s the reaction Creed
gets as he stops at his favourite
diner with Bianca in tow, or the
panoramic shots of Philadelphia,
there is something completely
honest about the storytelling in
the film.
The soundtrack, created by
record producer and songwriter
Mike Will Made-It, features some
trap-inspired songs and seems to
literally take its cues directly from
the film, which for me is a plus.
It also doesn’t hurt that it’s quite
a star-studded line-up.
The film features some
stunning shots, from the
underwater shadow-boxing that
Creed does in preparation for one
of his fights, to the POV slow-mo
shots of the actual fight scenes.
They make the film far more
immersive for the viewer.
There are also fun throwbacks
to Rocky films that take place
in Creed II – scenes that will be
of particular interest to people
who have, in the past, enjoyed
these films.
These include the remake
of the scene where Creed
proposes to Bianca; a similar scene
takes place in one of the
franchise films where Rocky
proposes to Adrian in a very
similar way. There are many
others peppered throughout the
film and it’s a fun exercise to
match it to the original scene.
The chemistry between the cast
members – whether it’s between
Stallone and Jordan or Thompson
and Jordan – makes the film all
the more believable.
The battles that Creed goes
through – such as his struggle
with his identity, his new role
as a father and husband, and
allowing himself to mourn the father
he’s never quite known
– gives the film that bit of meat
that separates it from what an all blood
and all-fight with sprinkles
of hyper-masculinity sport film
can sometimes boil down to.
IOL