Where else can you get this kind of quality education? I grew up in Texas, so you certainly couldn't expect me to learn anything in school. I mean really when you look at it, the fact that I also got to see movies like Red Dawn, The Terminator, and Friday the 13th, gave me the opportunity to learn everything I needed to know about foreign affairs, science, and the effects dreams can have on your overall well being.
Well thankfully this Thanksgiving, Sylvester Stallone gave me the opportunity to take a trip down memory lane when he gave us the inspirational movie Creed. Creed is the story of Apollo Creed's illegitimate son Adonis Johnson. Johnson had to grow up in group homes his entire life because his father died in the ring at the hands of Drago in Rocky IV (see, I told you you should hate Russians) and his mother was nowhere in the picture. And as a result, he became a troubled kid who had issues controlling his anger and found himself getting into fights all of the time.
That is until one day when Apollo's wife Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad) decides to track him down and gives him the opportunity to grow up in a quality home and have am actual positive upbringing. But even after this life changing event takes place, he still can't shake his innate desire to get in the ring and to compete physically with another individual. So he decides to quit his job, leave his mother behind, and move to Philadelphia to track down his father's former buddy Rocky. He hopes that Rocky will become his mentor and will properly teach him how to box so he can live out his dream. And once he reluctantly agrees to do this, a series of implausible situations arise.
Now the first ten minutes of the movie are pretty cheesy, and as I just mentioned earlier, there is absolutely no way that what actually transpires in this story could ever happen in real life. But you don't go see Rocky movies to experience real life, you go to Rocky movies to be inspired. And that's exactly what this movie does!
Adonis is played wonderfully by Michael B. Jordan who was in desperate need of a hit after the failure of the awful Fantastic Four this summer. His electric performance was the driving force behind this movie as he gave you the underdog that you so desperately wanted to cheer for and watch succeed. And writer and director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) does an excellent job nailing the language and the culture of the people Adonis comes into contact with during his journey. But he especially shines when it comes to showing the action in the ring.
He almost gives you a video game first person player look as to what actually transpires in a boxing match as you can almost feel every jab or undercut that's being thrown by the fighters. But the best moment of the movie belongs to the pre fight action that place right before the film's climatic scene. I wont ruin anything for you but just know that I hadn't been that hyped for a fight since I heard Mike Tyson walk out of the locker room to DMX in his attempt at a comeback. Just think about that for a second, two of the world's craziest men came together for one special night without killing someone! Well this somehow topped that!
Women will more than likely hate this movie as it's a true sports film through and through, but they do try and throw in a tender love story in an attempt to keep them interested. By the way, Adonis' lady does drop some nice little jams from time to time in this film (she's a musician). So there's a little something for music nerds too. But men will absolutely love it, especially when they hear the old school Rocky song blaring through the speakers.
This is nice sophomore effort by Coogler and I give this movie a solid rating of very FRESH!
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