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I wonder if Sylvester Stallone never gets tired of playing his most famous character? Maybe not, because Rocky Balboa has been a tremendous cash cow, the throbbing heart of a boxing franchise that will probably end only when Stallone will do it (maybe not even then) and has already earned $ 1.5 billion. Creed II is likely to add considerably to this result as it remains true to rocky traditions and, while relatively predictable, it is quite irresistible from the start.
In the very impressing 2016 Ryan Coogler review, Creed, we met Adonis' Donnie & # 39; Creed (Michael Jordan), the illegitimate son of Apollo, the former rival of Balboa, who died at the hands of Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. Donnie is a wild young man who fights on the weekends and dreams of imitating his father and becoming a professional. When he researched Rocky, the old man agreed to become his coach for a series of fights that turned him into a real competitor.
At the opening of Creed II, things look good for Donnie: he is the new world heavyweight champion and is committed to his true love, the singer Bianca (Tessa Thompson). Rocky has recovered well from the cancer scare he had endured in the previous film and, in short, life could not be better in Creed camp until some grim forces moved in Ukraine. A brutal young fighter named Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu) rang seven bells to avoid uncontrollable players and now demands that Donnie face him. Although Viktor is, of course, the son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), Donnie has the honor to avenge the death of his father, but Rocky does not look keen and the company has two parts he refuses to drag the child.
Donnie should have listened because when he and Viktor fight in Las Vegas, Creed hides. While he is slowly recovering in the hospital, Donnie wonders if he will fight again, but eventually realizes (as we did long ago) that a revenge against Viktor is inevitable and that his Former coach must be in his corner.
Once we see Dolph Lundgren's large chiseled head appear on the horizon, we know that Creed II is determined to play the dangerous game of nostalgia.
The idea of a Russian villain goes back over 80 years, as does Brigitte Nielsen, the former Mrs. Stallone, who plays half-way playing with Viktor's imperfect mother, whose departure a few years ago may explain the bottomless rage of the young man. You could laugh at all this restorative psychology too neat, but you do not have time, because Creed II vibrates at a very pleasant pace and warmly embraces her moments of foolishness. Combat sequences are very entertaining action sequences, skillfully edited and reinforced by the wacky reflections of television commentators, in which every shot sounds like Thor's hammer.
But Steven Caple Jr's film, which was co-written by Stallone, is not stupid enough to rely solely on boxing and trashy speech. Donnie discovers he's about to become a father, and that's of course his difficult relationship with Rocky, which involves more sulking, uprising and heartbreaking reconciliations than most weddings.
At the end of the 90s, in a film titled Cop Land, Stallone revealed his best-kept secret: he could only act on special occasions. His portrayal of Old Rocky in these two Creed films is of surprising intensity and depth: he watches the progress of his young protégé with a wise and tearful eye, recognizing that Donnie must do his own mistakes, but always ready to help when things get out of hand.
His presence at the edge of the ring is an almost Shakespearian grandeur: it is King Lear of the web, and his presence gives the films a vital core of emotion and continuity. They work well, but would not work at all without him.
(12A, 129 minutes, November 30)
Also releasing this week:
Ralph Breaks the Internet review: "A very conceptual scenario makes fun of our online obsessions"
The Wild Pear Tree Review: "The Ceylon movie is excellent, a joy for those who still have three hours to lose"
Examination of disobedience: "The acting is excellent, but the story sometimes seems too deliberate"
Irish independent
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