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When Creed Three years ago, he did not just reinvigorate the theater. Rocky franchise and the beloved icon of Sylvester Stallone. He also sealed the fame of one of the most charismatic actors working today, Michael B. Jordan. Creedand his success at KO – 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, $ 173.6 million worldwide with a budget of $ 40 million, an Oscar nomination for Stallone and a central place in the conversation "Oscars so white" – were few expected at the first announcement of the film. Oakland-born screenwriter and director Ryan Coogler had a clear vision, not just of what Adonis Creed meant in terms of Rocky franchise and his name Apollo Creed, but also what the character meant for young black men struggling to define themselves and forge their own identity. As Rocky before that, Creed had a lot more to mind than boxing.
Coogler, proud of the success of his independent film Fruitvale Station, awarded at the Sundance and Cannes festivals, quickly became a Hollywood property. His voice and style earned him the coveted position of director and co-writer for Marvel Studios. Black Panther. In three films, Coogler emerged as a filmmaker capable of shedding significant light on the racial identity politics debate, regardless of the genre in which he works. This 32-year-old filmmaker may only have begun, but he is quickly becoming one of our great modern filmmakers. With all this in mind, you can certainly imagine the return of skepticism with regard to Creed II when it was announced Coogler, busy doing post-production on Black Panther, would not return live and would only return as an executive producer. The prospect of following a great director, or even clearly, on the path to greatness, is not an easy task, but it raises larger questions about the filmmakers' ability to define themselves in the shadow of films and famous directors.
Steven Caple Jr. makes his entry. The 30-year-old Cleveland director will fight for his own title belt this week with Thanksgiving's release from Creed II. Filmmaker in the Making has a feature film to his credit, the well-received Sundance movie Earth, which focuses on a group of inner-city children in Cleveland whose dream of becoming pro-skateboarders is being left behind by crime. Caple's position in Hollywood is not so different from Coogler's, although both are located on both sides of the country. Independent filmmaker, he intended to conquer Hollywood by entering the ring with one of the most popular properties of cinema. His role as director on Creed II was not immediate. Originally, Stallone, who led four of the six Rocky films, had to turn, before retiring after Jordan and he had discussed the need for a contemporary black director able to maintain the perspective of the first. The two stars have chosen Caple to assume the duties of director. The screenplay was written by Stallone and Juel Taylor, while Cheo Hodari Coker and Sascha Penn earned credits.
First exams for Creed II are positive – it is currently at 79% on rotten tomatoes, although critics have pointed to a familiar plot and the lack of skills in Coogler film and storytelling. It's true that the film does not have the impact of Coogler, but Caple offers a sequel that will make a lot of fans of the first, and the Rocky very happy series. These characters always feel honest and experienced. Whether through the relationship between Creed and Rocky, Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and Creed, or even Rocky and Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), each interaction reveals these characters and forces them to identities and legacies. This can be a boxing movie, but just like the first, the fight outside the ring takes precedence over the one inside.
Even though Caple does not quite fit the set bar set by the first, it does not get away much from the look of Coogler's movie, even though the action moves from Philly to LA, Caple Jr. Adds its own richness, whether it is training sequences or fights, the filmmaker makes us feel every shot. A lot of Creed II Caple gives us a flawless look at the subject of pain. Returning composer Ludwig Goransson contributes to the continuation of the film a texture similar to that of Creed, although the score is quieter, accentuating the sound of boxing gloves meeting flesh and bone breaking. Even though the film adds new wrinkles to the Rocky/Creed mythology, including the return of Ivan Drago and his son Viktor (Florian Munteanu), Creed II feels in tune with the first. Caple Jr.'s adherence to Coogler, at least on the surface, raises the question of how far a filmmaker should deviate from the original and for what result.
Caple is certainly not the first filmmaker to have found himself following the work of a filmmaker who laid the foundation for greatness. Even Stallone, who debuted as a director with Paradise alley (1978), was to follow the best Oscar-winning director and best director John G. Avildsen Rocky (1976) with Rocky II (1979). Of course, Stallone may have written the script for Rocky and was leading, but Avildsen was the prestige player. If you revisit Rocky IIyou'll notice how much Stallone borrows from Avildsen. While Stallone has recruited a new team, with the exception of composer Bill Conti, this is a film, a very good movie, that does its best to slip into the footsteps left by Avildsen. Rocky II shows the technical skills of Stallone, a thing for which the famous action icon does not get enough credit, but this is not necessarily the promise of a great director voice. Stallone would later break with Avildsen's style Rocky III, adopting a more flashy and emotionally heavy voice that fits perfectly with the movement of the 80s that moves away from the New Hollywood style and which is more oriented towards blockbusters led by a group of blue-collar workers. Rocky IV is the top of 80's Stallone style, with a toy robot, many pop songs and a boxing match for peace in the world. Rocky III and IV are not better films than Rocky, or even Rocky II Moreover, they are emotionally rewarding and present a director who moves away from the established expectations of frankness and transforms the working class heroes into the superheroes of their time. . Although Stallone may not have become a "big" director, at least according to the metrics of the Oscar and AFI lists, he has become an important player who has been able to use his experience of director to shape his image as a movie star.
A number of other series born in the 70s also exceeded the expectations of the franchise, for better and for worse. Although not as earthly as the Rocky series, these films became no less important in our discussion of franchises. Irvin Kershner followed George Lucas Star wars (1977) with The empire counter-attack (1980), and although it is widely regarded as the best Star wars film, today, there is little doubt that if social media existed at the time of the announcement, it would not have missed defeatists and titles like "Kershner who?". Although we often look at the original Star wars Trilogy as a whole, it's remarkable how much Kershner and Return of the jediRichard Marquand departed from the western / pulp aesthetic of Lucas's style. Although Kershner made the best film, he has never become as synonymous with grandeur as Lucas. Maybe it was because Star wars It was not really his story, or perhaps because his greatness could only happen within the confines of a galaxy far, far away. Kershner followed Empire with the non-canonical link, Never say never (1983) and Robocop 2 (1990), none of which has earned its place in the canon of the big suites. Then, of course, there is the Jaws franchise, which has gradually worsened in the absence of Spielberg. Jaws 2 (1978), director Jeannot Szwarc did not make a bad film, especially when compared to what followed, but he never justifies his own existence. It stays the course, without proposing anything new in terms of themes or approach. the Superman The series follows a similar path after Richard Donner's 1978 film. Once Richard Lester took over during the production of Superman II (1980), the series gradually became ridiculous and lacked in quality, with the exception of an undisputed Christopher Reeve. But for every franchise whose path is changed by new directors, there are those who face the challenge of bringing back their most famous filmmakers.
When Stallone wanted Rocky to take his roots back, move away from the shining luster and muscles of the movie star, he turned to Avildsen again to take the lead. Rocky V (1990). And it is here that we have the case of a great director trying to follow himself. Rocky V certainly has its merits, but it is generally considered by fans as the least favorite entry. Avildsen, who brings a naturalism back to frankness, can not rediscover the magic he brought to the first. The series had gone too far beyond him and the public association with the franchise had changed since 1976. Lucas and Spielberg would both face the same challenge when they would return to their great works with the film. The ghost threat (1999) and Indiana Jones and the realm of the crystal skull (2008), respectively. Despite the frequency with which we demand the return of familiar administrators and the maintenance of the franchises they have created, we rarely agree on the results, usually because they try not to repeat themselves. Similarly, we rarely agree with the results of filmmakers who are too far away from what a property is or what we believe it is. Even James Cameron's extraterrestrials (1986), one of our most popular suites, is being re-evaluated as a radical departure from Ridley Scott's greatness. Extraterrestrial (1979). There is sometimes an artistic talent in radical departures, but there is also an artistic talent among new filmmakers who lend their voice to a silent and effective coherence rather than abrupt changes in the status quo. Creed II is not extraterrestrialsbut that's not either Jaws 2. It's a movie, very similar to Stallone's. Rocky IIwho works in the service of established characters and an established world. It is the work of a director who announces his presence, while promising to reveal more his own voice and his own style once the public will have the impression that they and these characters are in good hands.
Be it Steven Caple Jr, David Gordon Green, Russo Bros., Justin Lin or James Wan, there is always hesitation when a new director, especially one who enters a new like, come to make a sequel or a new opus. And this hesitation is even more pronounced when they intervene after a filmmaker we came to celebrate. But perhaps we should see this as an opportunity for new directors, both those who rewrite the rules and those who work to create in unison, stretch their legs, model their voices and maybe even be getting some success before reaching greatness, or at least meaning. After all, even Rocky started second.
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