I Watch Films: Creed II

Creed II

After the events of Creed, Adonis Creed has fought several times and becomes heavyweight champion of the world. Everything is going moderately well, he proposes to his girlfriend Bianca, moves back to Los Angeles (leaving Rocky behind). Then Viktor Drago, son of Ivan Drago (the man who killed Apollo Creed), challenges him.

Rocky won’t train him. Bianca is pregnant, and as she is going deaf he’s concerned that their daughter might be deaf too. He gets a new trainer* and rushes into a fight with Viktor. Ivan, wanting to make up for the humiliations heaped on him after he lost to Rocky, tells Viktor to break him. Injured, losing, Adonis refuses to give up. History might repeat itself, but as he goes down Viktor hits him a foul blow and is disqualified.

Adonis has to put himself back together, and accepts Rocky’s help. A new father, he will have to face his nemesis. Meanwhile Viktor and Ivan are struggling with their own demons from the past, they’re not as unstoppable as they look. Someone will have to break in the re-match.

Training montages, a couple of good, quite brutal fights, and a look at Rocky IV from a 30 year on perspective. What more could we ask for?

The robot, that’s what.

There is a robot in Rocky IV

Watch This: This would be a good sports film and boxing film even in a crowded field, which we aren’t in

Don’t Watch This: If trying to find yourself as a man and father through punching seems a bit on the nose

 

* The son of Apollo and Rocky’s trainer, also the trainer of Danny “Stuntman” Wheeler, who Adonis beat to become champion. The top of the boxing world is kind of small, and I don’t know if this is an accurate reflection or a contrivance of the fiction, but it’s interesting.