Movie Review: "Creed"
In my last blog post which reviewed the year 2015 in film, I
listed 13 movies which I didn’t get to see but hoped to get to later. So far in
2016, I’ve seen four of them, the latest of which is “Creed” which I just saw
last night, Saturday the 22nd of January, 2016. I was so moved by
the film that I couldn’t wait to write this review. To be honest, when I first
heard about the movie in 2014, I rolled my eyes thinking Sylvester Stallone was
yet again trying to squeeze more dollars out of the franchise. The last film in the series I saw was “Rocky V” in
1990 and I didn’t enjoy it much. I completely skipped the sixth film “Rocky
Balboa” which was released sixteen years later in 2006. So I wasn’t expecting
much from “Creed.”
Word-of-mouth marketing is a powerful tool in the world of
cinema. I later got word that “Creed” was very good and after seeing the strong
reviews from critics (it scored 94% on Rotten Tomatoes), I added it to my
must-see list. I had seen another Boxing film in 2015 called “Southpaw” which
starred one of my favorite actors Jake Gyllenhaal, so I wondered if “Creed”
would be better.
It’s not even close. “Creed” is a superior film to
“Southpaw” but maybe it’s not even a fair comparison since the former is
inspired by a nostalgic legacy. Legacy is very much what “Creed” is about and much
like the protagonist, it seeks to walk down its own path and carve a new arc
from the storied history of “Rocky.” The plot is simple. Adonis Creed is the
lovechild produced from an affair Apollo Creed had while married. Apollo died
in the ring at the hands of Ivan “I must break you” Drago in “Rocky IV” before
Adonis was born. So Adonis grows up without a father figure and jumps from one
Juvenile home to the next.
Ivan Drago vs Apollo Creed from "Rocky IV"
Apollo Creed’s widow (played by Phylicia Rashad aka Mrs Huxtable), in a touching gesture
of empathy, decides to take the child of the woman her husband had an affair
with under her wing and raise him as her own. He gets a nice job at a Financial
Services firm in Los Angeles where they live, but can’t shake his allure for
Boxing (dude travels to Mexico to fight on weekends). But Adonis is a self-taught boxer. He's never been trained. So his talent is raw and needs to be honed. He goes to the elite Delphi Boxing Academy in L.A. to speak to a trainer but is rebuffed. So he decides to move to Philadelphia, against
the wishes of his step-mom, (who by the way gives a great speech about the
perils of Boxing which she lived through while caring for her late Husband
after his grueling matches) to seek out another trainer.
Adonis is in Philly to seek out his father’s rival-turned-friend
Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone. Rocky is now a senior citizen that runs
a restaurant named after his deceased wife Adrian (who can forget his iconic
screaming of “ADRIAAAAAN!!!” in earlier “Rocky” films?). Adonis tries to
convince Rocky to train him but he refuses. The film is fleshed out from there.
While in Philly, Adonis meets Bianca, an up-and-coming singer/songwriter who
lives in his apartment complex and prevents him from getting a proper night’s
rest with her loud music.
Where do I begin with how much I enjoyed this film? Perhaps
by focusing on the people that made it so great.
Director Ryan Coogler
This young man is just 29 (will be 30 in May) and his work so far gives one optimism for the future of Black cinema (along with Ava DuVernay and other promising talents). He has worked with Michael B Jordan before, on his first feature film "Fruitvale Station," a 2013 cinematic take on the police shooting of 22-year-old Oscar Grant. The film was a big success. On a reported budget of $900,000, it grossed $17,000,000 worldwide (with over 90% of that total coming from the domestic market) and made a name for Coogler.
He also co-wrote "Creed" and I love how much time he spent at the beginning of the film fleshing out the character of Adonis, the protagonist. In case you're wondering, "Creed" has been a critical and commercial success. On a budget of $35 million, the movie has so far grossed $119 million worldwide. With the awards buzz it has received, it could top out at $130 million or surpass that. So that's two strong films under the belt of up-and-coming director Ryan Coogler. What's his next project? It's BIG. Marvel announced this month that he will direct the feature film for "Black Panther" which is due in 2018. Interestingly enough, Ava DuVernay was in talks with Marvel to direct the film but the talks broke down. This makes up for the disappointment many felt at the time. Very much looking forward to the film and the trajectory of the career of Mr Coogler
Michael B Jordan
Variety in acting roles relies a lot on authenticity. Heck, acting in of itself is all about authenticity of the performance. The actor has to be able to convince the audience of his embodiment of the role he is playing. The Spike Lee film "Chi-raq" comes to mind. I'm yet to see it but curious because I like the work of Spike Lee. I do however call into question the casting of Nick Cannon as a Gangster rapper in the film. I saw the trailer and cringed at the clips of him in character. I just didn't buy it. Perhaps because of his previous happy-go-lucky roles in film and MTV skits. He also smiles too damn much. But then, "Chi-raq" is supposedly satire so perhaps Cannon's entire performance was an exaggerated wink? I'll find out when I see it.
I use that as an example to emphasize how gloriously authentic MBJ was in his role in "Creed." The first film I ever saw him feature in was 2012's "Chronicle," a movie written by Max Landis (son of John Landis, who famously directed Michael Jackson's "Thriller" short film and music video) about three teenagers who gain superhuman abilities. It's an atypical film about having super powers and I encourage seeing it. I even own it on DVD . The Michael B Jordan in that film reminded me a lot of Nick Cannon. Smiling all the time, the life of the party, cracking jokes, etc. His performance in "Creed" as the protagonist is all business. Gritty business. You feel the pain he carries with him throughout the film and it helps to understand the anger with which he lashes out due to his circumstance. After suffering the blip that was "Fantastic 4," it's great to see him bounce back here.
Tessa Thompson
As you move from one talent to the next in this film, you start to understand the frustration of the movement behind the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag that originated last year and is back again this year. Tessa Thompson is another positive highlight in this movie. The first movie I saw her in was 2014's "Dear White People," directed by another promising young black director, Justin Simien (his first feature film). The movie is a fantastic take on race relations on a predominantly white college campus and Thompson played an unapologetically outspoken radio broadcaster who wore her politically incorrect views on her sleeves. It was pretty much an indie film which grossed $4.4 million in the U.S alone (it wasn't released internationally, to my knowledge). Considering it was set entirely on a College campus, I can't imagine the film cost up to $500,000. Simien crowd-funded the flick and I read he raised $40,000 for production costs from there. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get the full cost of the film. Such is the case with certain independent projects. "Dear White People" was a success that I would encourage all to see.
In "Creed," Thompson plays the love interest of Adonis but she has plenty of depth with her own dreams, aspirations, and challenges. The chemistry between the two is fluid. There is one particularly cute scene in the film where she teaches Adonis Philly slang while on a date, which they both agreed wasn't a date but actually was. Part of the warm banter between the two. The word she taught him is used so often by someone from Boston I follow on twitter that I initially thought it was a Boston word. Little tidbits like that I enjoyed.
Sylvester Stallone
Let's revisit the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag again, shall we? The only Oscar nomination "Creed" received was for "Best Supporting Actor" for the Italian Stallion. He also just won his first Golden Globe for the same role. Some of the frustration at not seeing Ryan Coogler nominated for "Best Director" or Michael B Jordan nominated for "Best Actor" spilled over into some criticizing Stallone's wins. I myself wondered about Stallone's performance and how it managed to garner such recognition. This was before I saw the movie. After watching it, I completely understand. While I get the frustration over the black talent behind this movie not getting any recognition, I believe Stallone fully deserved his.
In "Creed" we see Sylvester Stallone in a completely different role. He is a mentor, father figure, and passer of the torch to the next generation and Zeus help me he executed it soooo well. He also deals with a lot of tragedy and challenges which I won't spoil here but add so much emotional depth to his character and the movie. We get to see Rocky Balboa, the hero of the previous six films in the franchise, adjust to life as an old man moving on with his life. I'll be rooting for him at the Oscars.
Some extra tidbits. Sylvester Stallone is a lifetime Everton Football Club fan and the stadium makes an appearance in the film. Under what circumstances? Watch it to find out. FYI: the picture above with him holding up the Everton scarf is not included in the movie. Here is some trivia you can play with at your next party: Sylvester Stallone played a goal keeper in "Escape to Victory" in 1981 along with Pele and other famous footballers.
Also, there was a powerful moment in the beginning of the movie when Adonis is sparring at the Delphi Academy in Los Angeles. The camera quickly picks up two little boys staring at him in awe and it said so much about being a being a role model in society. The scene also said that role models are human beings with their own hurdles they attempt to scale in their lives. It's a quick scene in the film and it's subtle but keep your eyes peeled for it.
"Creed" is an emotional triumph. It is so much more than boxing. It's about life. It's about the heartbreak of the loss of loved ones. It's about the downside of the celebrated sport of Boxing. This shares a narrative with the new Will Smith film "Concussion" which looks at the dangers of life in the NFL. "Creed" is about the need for father figures. In the beginning of the film when we first see Adonis in the foster home, the camera pans over other faces of young black boys locked away. Each of the faces shares the same helpless look, a sad but required statement about the challenges of young black lives (WHICH MATTER) in so many societies.
There is enough potential here for "Creed" to spin off its own series of films much like "The Hobbit" successfully did thanks to "The Lord of the Rings." Word is that Coogler won't return to direct the planned sequel due to commitments like "Black Panther" and other films. Hopefully another director is found to handle the sequels properly.
Ok, as a gym rat, I had to mention this. The above picture is part of a popular hashtag on instagram (in physical fitness circles) called #TransformationTuesday. It is posted every tuesday and features a "before" and "after" comparison of physiques changed by rigorous training. This picture in particular was posted by Michael B Jordan's trainer @MrCalliet. They worked together previously on "Fantastic 4," where MBJ played superhero Johnny Storm. The less said about "Fantastic 4," the better, but they decided to work together again and the results speak for themselves. MBJ looked RIPPED in the movie and it was such an inspiring sight. I can't express how motivating it is to read about actors transforming their bodies for film roles. Will Smith for "Ali," Chris Hemsworth for "Thor," Henry Cavil for "Man of Steel," and others.
The amount of running in this movie (as in the first "Rocky" film) speaks volumes about the amount of cardio required by Boxers to build the stamina they need to last 12 rounds in the ring taking physical punishment. This was yet another part of the movie that I enjoyed. I left the theater last night promising to increase my running for the rest of the year. I might even pay frequent visits to the stadium in Surulere (in Lagos, Nigeria, for my international readers) to box more.
In summary, "Creed" is a wonderful movie. I regard it as a feather in the cap of black cinema but give all the props in the world to the superb performance of Sylvester Stallone who served as an iconic anchor for the flick. The boxing scenes by the way are up close and riveting. It is playing now in Nigerian cinemas everywhere so go see it.
