Creed 2 – You knew it was coming…right?

I could have sworn I reviewed the first Creed movie, but I guess I was mistaken as it was Hank who reviewed only the script. 

I’ve had Creed 2 on the docket to see for a few weeks now. I couldn’t get to theaters to see it since it was around Thanksgiving when it was released. That day I spent by myself with my cat, watching MST3K on Netflix. 

It was actually not as depressing as it sounds. I got the Bojangles fried turkey, no prep involved, just get it out of the bag and drop it into the oven for like 90 minutes. Boom, you got yourself an awesome feast.

The only downside of that night was I had to watch Atlantic Rim again. Man, does that film suck. Even with people making fun of it.

The week after that I had planned to see Creed 2 over the weekend but my dad mentioned he’d also like to see it as we’re both big Rocky fans and we saw the last two (Rocky Balboa and Creed) both in theaters, we might as well see this one as well. 

But unfortunately he caught a bad cold and couldn’t make it, I didn’t want to see it without him or catch his cold, so I postponed seeing the film until this weekend where I finally got to see it. At this point, this film better be fucking good!

I’m happy to report that it was worth it. I might add, I think this is better than the first Creed movie. The first Creed film dealt more with Rocky while this one dealt more with Donny and his family.

I know Stallone got an Oscar nomination for his performance in Creed, and it was well deserved. But I like that this film kind of steps out of the limelight of Rocky’s shadow, standing on its own two feet. 

Even if this is basically a true sequel to Rocky IV, my favorite in the whole franchise. It’s kind of the cheesiest of the bunch but still it has a charm… not to mention it also had a robot.

Creed 2 picks up a bit after the first Creed movie left off, about three years. Adonis, Donny for short, has been on a winning streak, getting him a match for the world championship title. 

If you were worried about Rocky’s cancer, don’t be as it seems to be in remission. He’s still Donny’s coach and is there in the locker room with him, getting him ready for the fight. 

Also with him is Donny’s girlfriend from the first film Bianca. Still no word on what the hell happened to Marie, Rocky’s love interest from 2006’s Rocky Balboa.

Bianca however, her hearing has gotten worse since the first film, now she’s mostly deaf without the help of her hearing aids. She’s still holding on to that dream as a singer though.

Of course Donny manages to win his fight, making him the world champion. Also that night, he plans on proposing to Bianca. He kind of fumbles it, asking her when she didn’t have her hearing aids in, and with her back turned, but eventually he gets her to say yes.

Meanwhile in the Ukraine, a familiar face has been training his son, who looks less like a boxer and more like an MMA fighter. That familiar face? Beit slightly older and leathery is Ivan Drago, the man who killed Donny’s father and Rocky’s friend Apollo Creed. 

Times have been hard for Drago, he got shunned after his defeat to Rocky and to add salt to the wound his wife left him and their son. 

Drago had to raise his son, resenting everything, including Adonis and his success. 

With Creed now the world champion, the Drago’s plan to come to America and challenge Donny to a match for the heavyweight title. 

A chance to fight the son of the man who killed your father? Of course Donny is doing to take them up on the challenge. Even against Rocky’s wishes to let it go. He has too much to lose now. Not only does he have a wife but also a baby on the way. 

Rocky is afraid of history repeating itself. 

Not wanting to relive that moment, Rocky bows out as Donny’s coach, forcing Donny and his family to leave for LA to get the son of his father’s old trainer to get him ready for this fight. 

He refused to train him in the first film but now thinks he’s ready, even if Rocky doesn’t. 

I guess since the events of 2006 Rocky Balboa, Rocky hasn’t spoken to his son. Which is weird because they left things pretty good between the two after that movie. We get a mention in Creed that he moved away and has started a family of his own. I really don’t get how they fell out of touch or why Rocky can’t bring himself to even call him. 

It being a pretty big deal looming over Rocky’s head throughout the film, I knew that subplot needed to get resolved in the end, I just wasn’t sure if Milo Ventimiglia was going to reprise his role. But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. 

Viktor Drago and Donny go at it, and let’s be honest, Donny got the shit kicked out of him. The only thing that saved him from losing his belt was that Drago punched Donny while he was still down, getting disqualified. But yeah, Drago won.

Especially if you look at the state Donny is in after the match ends. 

Rocky watches the match on tv at his always empty restaurant. Seriously, does anyone actually go there to eat anymore? The only times we see his restaurant no one is in the place. Hell, I think the only customer Rocky got was Drago when he stopped by to tell Rocky his son will be “breaking” another Creed. 

It was a really cool scene and is the only face to face meeting these two have. 

Rocky rushes to the hospital to see Donny but his defeat has done more to him than just break a few ribs. Rocky warned him that his fight with Drago all those years ago broke something in him that never healed. Now Donny is getting a firsthand experience. 

A year or so I think passes, Donny is trying to piece himself back together while also learning how to be a father. 

While Donny recovers and seemingly hiding from Drago, Viktor has been making a bigger name for himself, winning match after match, fight after fight. He even gets the attention of his estranged mother played again by Brigitte Nielsen. I told my dad, you know she just had a baby? He thought I was full of shit since he thought maybe she was in her late 60’s. But I was right, she just had a baby girl this year. If Flavor Flav was the father however, I don’t know.

With Donny in the dumps after his defeat, his mom writes to Rocky to come talk to him. 

Rocky and Donny hash out their issues, with Rocky agreeing to help train him for his rematch fight with Drago. 

You know what that means, right? It’s time for a training montage! 

Rocky takes him to this desert training area out in the middle of nowhere. How Rocky knew about this place, I don’t know. Donny gets back to training, hitting dirt with a sledgehammer, fighting with a leg in a tire, you know how this goes if you’ve ever seen a Rocky movie before. 

Now that Donny has something to fight for other than revenge, he’s ready to take on Drago. 

But the only way they’ll agree to fight him is if they go to Russian. 

The Drago’s are back on top again in Russia. They are invited to a very important dinner where Viktor is given the boxing shorts his father wore with his fight against Rocky. 

Also at the dinner, his mother who abandoned him. 

Upset by her appearance, Viktor storms off with his father pressuring him deal with it. This has never been about Viktor but about his father who just trying to relive his glory days. 

Now the roles have reversed for Viktor and Adonis, now Viktor is the one without a reason to fight and Donny does. I’m guessing you know how this will play out.

Of course Donny wins the rematch, but not before getting the shit beat out of him again with some more broken ribs possibly. 

Once Viktor’s mom sees that he’s losing, she leaves. Ivan comes to his senses and throws in the towel, ending the match. 

Donny got to keep his title, while Viktor finally got the respect he wanted from his father. So I guess win-win. 

One thing that’s never mentioned is the purse for the fight. It isn’t like only one fighter gets paid if they win. They both get money and a fight this high scale, would have to be in the millions, right? I mean, the fight between Conor and Floyd Mayweather was like $100 million. 

Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao was a whopping $400 million. 

But in Creed 2, both fighters in the end didn’t seem like millionaires. Creed was living in a smallish apartment while Viktor and his father were still slumming it in the Ukraine which looks a lot like Detroit. Though that might just be what being rich in the Ukraine looks like.

As for Rocky? Well he says his goodbyes and heads off to see his son and meet his family. And yup, Milo Ventimiglia returns as Rocky’s son. 

Rocky meets his grandson for the first time, who resembles an awful a lot like Adrian, Rocky’s dead wife. That officially wraps up Rocky’s story. 

When I heard that Stallone officially retired the character, it got me worried they might kill his character off in this film, but thankfully they didn’t go that route. We don’t need to completely rehash Rocky 4. 

This film gets a big SEE IT, as it’s most likely one of the best movies you’re going to see in theaters as the year wraps up. I was also slightly worried when I heard Ryan Coogler wasn’t returning as writer/director. But Steven Caple Jr. did a fantastic job, even if he’s only ever done one film before this. 

Also, what do you do for another sequel? As soon as the first Creed movie came out, we all knew the sequel would deal with Drago. But where do you take this story now that Rocky is out of the picture and the grudge match with Drago is done and over with? 

I’ll leave you to ponder this. I know, ask the guy who wrote that Drago script, he might have an idea or two. What’s Mr. T been up to?

I’m sure if you’re a Rocky fan you’ve already seen this by now or have plans to anyways. But I do recommend seeing it while it is still in theaters, just for the fight scenes alone. The ending fight had my dad literally on the edge of his seat. 

So check this one out! 

Next week it’s Mortal Engines. I have no idea what to expect for it but no one seems to be excited for it, which is a bad sign.