- [Adonis] It may not seem like it now, but
this is more than just a fight.
- [Tom] While Creed II continues boxer
Adonis Creed's fight to establish his own identity,
the sequel ironically falls victim
to the very lesson he has to learn:
the only way to live up to a legacy
is to create your own.
Sadly, Creed II just doesn't do that.
(dramatic sound effects)
(bell sounds)
- It's time, kid.
- [Tom] Creed II picks up with Adonis
on top of the boxing world, indulging in some of
his father's signature pomp and circumstance.
And when you're at the top, the only way to go is down.
Much of the film's drama feels preordained,
and subsequently isn't very exciting,
which is especially disappointing considering
who's in the other corner of the ring.
The film made a big gamble by featuring
Victor Drago and his father Ivan as the antagonists.
As the film constantly, constantly reminds us,
Ivan Drago killed Apollo Creed in the ring
just before Adonis was born.
- If he dies, he dies.
- [Tom] Ivan's loss to the avenging Rocky shattered him,
and saw his family run out of Russia in disgrace.
So Victor's story parallels Adonis'.
He's a man whose turbulent upbringing was defined
by the outcome of that fateful fight.
There was opportunity there to make Victor
a compelling foil to Adonis.
But the film doesn't let us get to know Victor,
or what he wants, so he really isn't that interesting.
The elder Drago doesn't fare much better.
Though Dolph Lundgren convincingly plays
Ivan's bitterness at having lost everything
in his fight against Rocky, Ivan's cruelty
towards his son is distracting,
and makes him far less dynamic that he could've been,
making any sympathy Creed II expects you
to have towards him feel very engineered.
- Victor Drago, son of Ivan Drago,
who infamously killed Apollo Creed.
- [Tom] While the Dragos disappoint as villains,
the central trio of Adonis, Rocky, and Bianca
are still easy to invest in, and carry Creed II
through its shakier parts.
The struggles that these characters have to overcome
outside the ring are far more interesting
than any of the fights inside it.
Jordan's Adonis proves to be far more vulnerable
as his battle this time is less against
the ghost of his father and more against
himself and his continued desire to create his own legacy.
- Listen to me, this guy is dangerous.
- But you don't think I can beat him.
- [Tom] Sylvester Stallone continues to be
a surprisingly moving father figure to Adonis, here.
He has less to do with the boxing action this time around,
but he excels at humbling Adonis and imploring him
to remember what he's fighting for.
- I ain't got a choice.
- That's the same thing your father said
and he died right here, in my hands.
- [Tom] Yes, there are certainly parts of this movie
that rely far too heavily on the past,
but Stallone makes the case for himself that,
even though it's Adonis' time to shine in the ring,
the Italian Stallion deserves to stick around,
as he ends up getting the biggest laughs
and the most stirring moments of the ring.
- [Stallone] In the ring, you got rules.
Outside, you got nothin'.
- [Tom] Tessa Thompson continues to shine as Bianca,
keeping Adonis' growing ego in check,
while exhibiting perhaps as much bravery
as her partner while fighting her own battles.
Adonis' relationships with Rocky and Bianca
keep the film grounded, and in a lot of ways,
are the only thing keeping Creed II on the rails.
We want Adonis to win, largely because
it would hurt too much to see the pain
he's put Rocky and Bianca through be for nothing.
- [Bianca] It's like nothing really matters
to him right now.
Including me.
- [Tom] You'll notice that, for a movie
that centers around boxing, I've barely mentioned it here.
That's because the fights in this movie
are deeply forgettable.
Not just because Creed's opponent
is a bland and vague character,
but because the straightforward cinematography
that Steven Caple Jr. employs in these scenes
just doesn't have any of the vivacity of the previous film.
(dramatic sound effects)
- [Tom] Just like Adonis himself,
director Ryan Coogler proved with Creed
that this new iteration of the Rocky franchise
could stand on its own and forge its own legacy.
Creed II, however, can't seem to let the past go,
abandoning the exciting new path blazed by Coogler
in favor of evoking what's come before,
with undeniably diminished results.
Die-hard fans of the franchise
will probably enjoy this grudge match,
but for those that discovered it through the 2015 film
and go in expecting something just as weighty,
well, you've got a ten count to beat,
and something tells me the disappointment
of seeing all the flashes of what this movie
could've been is gonna keep you on the mat.
Thanks for watching.
For more movie reviews, check out what we thought
of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
and Bohemian Rhapsody.
And as always, be sure to follow and subscribe
wherever you like to watch IGN.
(trendy sound effects)