Rocky Balboa made a lovely ending to the series, but then this came along - an unexpectedly fresh, well done addition. It consistently goes in directions different to what I was expecting: little Creed is discovered in juvey... but then is taken in by Creed's widow, so grows up with heaps of money, but is still hungry to be a boxer; the Girl part actually has something of an arc - Tessa Thompson (who is lovely) is going deaf; the take on African American culture feels natural and non macho; boxing scenes are shot in long takes, so feel incredibly real.
Strong cast: Michael B Jordon isn't terribly charismatic but is believable as a boxer and a sensitive young man; Thompson is a fin; Stallone is wonderful - wise, old, battered, full of wisdom but willing to search for new things, longing for family (I did feel it was a mistake to not see/address the issue of his son when his cancer diagnosis came through); nice to see Phylicia Rashad getting a decent gig as step mom (though she seems to repeat people's dialogue a bit); Tony Bellew is superb as Creed's psycho British opponent, and I liked Graham McTavish as his opponent too.
This movie launches Ryan Coogler as a major talent and also confirms that there's plenty of life left in old Stallone yet. Wonder if they'll make a sequel? They'd have to kill Rocky off for good.
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