Creed (4/5, Good)

A surprisingly solid sports drama film that brings old classics with a fresh air from the post-1980s generation. Who would have thought?

A new Rocky film in the saga! This is the seventh one after the acclaimed Rocky Balboa (2006). This time the big star is not Stallone but Michael B. Jordan's character: the son of Apollo Creed. Yes yes, Rocky's best friend who died in Rocky IV. We are not spoiling anything, don't worry. We were betting that this film would be uninteresting and soulless. However we were greatly surprised to see it was the opposite.

This film aligns in this "old-classics comeback" movement with Terminator, Mad Max and Star Wars. They all applied the same-formula which has proven to be successful: to take the viewer into a slow transition between what's the "old-school" characters and the new ones. This blend helps to keep references for the fans whilst discovering new and exciting characters. This is the same for this one. Nevertheless it stands out for its more intimate focus on the evolving relationship between Rocky and Creed. They become friends and then, family. What binds these two men is their determination to fight against adversity, to fight for what they dream and want to. The Rocky character has taught generations with those values: now it is time to actually live a legacy with Creed.       

This film, like Star Wars: The Force Awakens , has been done by a Rocky fan for Rocky fans. Anyone can enjoy it as it cares more for the soul of these two mens rather than boxing fights. They are the physical expression of something much more spiritual that links Rocky and Creed. It is important to highlight the incredible photography: it is done with great care and no one has ever seen boxing fights with those angles and with such dynamism. The acting by Stallone, for once, is very good and well-deserved winner for the Golden Globe. The new character Creed defies the stereotype of the black guy who has things to prove to himself and to the world. He is quite surprising and has a sensitivity that most of these characters generally lack. This gives him a complexity rarely seen in a sports drama. A great homage to Rocky and a good-spin off for a new generation of viewers!

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